The Video Game Book Thread

In addition to playing video games, I love reading about them. This thread is for sharing opinions on the ones I have read and receiving opinions on ones I haven't. More gaming books are being made than ever before, and I'm falling behind. Most probably aren't worth purchasing but it would be nice to know which ones are.

I didn't bother including books focusing exclusively on strategies or artwork but they're certainly welcome here (that upcoming Yasushi Suzuki book looks nice). I prefer the historical books but ones on design and other aspects interest me, too.


---Some gaming books I have read---


Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari
Scott Cohen, 1984
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...deater/Zap.jpg

Not including magazines, this was the first gaming history book I read. I borrowed it from my college library in '94. It covers Atari history from its inception to its decline in 1983. It was very informative for me at the time, and I would like to read it again. Howard Scott Warshaw has said it doesn't tell the whole story of Atari though which makes me wonder what else we don't know about the company.


Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Home Videogames
Leonard Herman, 1994
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...r/Phoenix1.gif

This has had two more editions, the latest being the 2001 release. I only have the original. This was a groundbreaking work for gaming history books as it was the first (as far as I know) to try and cover over 20 years worth. It does not include computer gaming aside from a few references.

Leonard's a cool guy judging by his posts at digitpress but he still does not consider computer games to be video games which I totally disagree with. Still, it's a must-own book for gaming history buffs, and nicely covers console gaming, especially for pre-NES stuff.


The Ultimate History of Video Games (original version from 2000 was called The First Quarter: A 25 Year History of Video Games
Steven Kent, 2001
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...;20History.jpg

If I had to choose one gaming book, this would be it. Like Phoenix, it's an overview of popular and significant events in early arcade and console history The writing quality is better and there is a lot of content taken from interviews. My opinions are based on the second edition. I read the original has a lot more errors in it.

Overall, Kent's book is really awesome and informative. Aside from minor inaccuracies, the only complaints I have is that it leaves out computer gaming, and it focuses almost completely on the US market. I understand the book would have to more than double in size to fix that, though.

Also, I think it's important to note that these kind of history books are surveys of big events on the business side. Don't expect them to talk about obscure and underrated games.


Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children
David Sheff, 1993
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ame%20Over.jpg

Despite the menacing name of the first edition, this isn't really an anti-Nintendo book. This is, however, still the definitive Nintendo business history book for covering until the beginning of the 16-bit era. Some people reading it years later weren't that impressed but I think it's important to note the state of gaming writing at its time.

Back in '93, gamer household names like Miyamoto and Yokoi weren't even being mentioned by Western magazines. The extent of Nintendo's monopolistic internal policies was not known by the gaming public either. This book unleashed it all.

Still, even with the spread of Nintendo history info on the internet in the past decade, I totally recommend reading it even if it is partly to blame for console-centric Nintendo fanboys putting the company on a pedestal for "saving" the industry after the Atari crash.


Mind at Play: The Psychology of Video Games
Geoffrey Loftus and Elizabeth Loftus, 1983
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...0at%20Play.jpg

I don't remember this well enough to say much on it.


Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984
Van Burnham, 2001
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/.../Supercade.jpg

Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games
John Sellers, 2001

These are nice picture-focused books for fans of classic arcade games.


Videogames: In the Beginning
Ralph Baer, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...mes%20Baer.jpg

Although some of the technical details don't interest me much, I love this book. With scans of old pictures and manuscripts, and plenty of descriptions, Baer explains how he came up with the earliest console designs. I think he has a tendency to downplay the importance of the few video games older than his but at least he mentions them here. The man's a visionary, and he deserves gamers' respect and support.


Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution
Steven Poole, 2000
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...er%20Happy.jpg

This is an interesting read that focused on the psychological and philosophical aspects of game design.


Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
David Kushner, 2003
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ers%20Doom.jpg

This is a great book on the history of id Software, very informative and entertaining. I will probably read it again soon.


Revolutionaries at Sony: The Making of the Sony Playstation and The Visionaries Who Conquered The World of Video Games
Reiji Asakura, 2000
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ies%20Sony.bmp

It's everything you want to know about Kutaragi and the struggles within Sony. It's not as interesting as Game Over was for Nintendo but it's worth reading.


High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
Rusel DeMaria and Johnny Lee Wilson, 2002
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/.../Highscore.jpg

I really like this book although it has some issues. There are tons of nice pictures but it concentrates too much on ugly box art instead of screenshots. Also, the console sections feel tacked on and have a lot of errors. For PC gaming it's good but keep in mind it focuses almost entirely on North American developers. I'm amazed by how ignored older European-developed games are in this since plenty came out here. My opinions are based on the first edition.


Inside Electronic Game Design
Arnie Katz
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ter/Inside.jpg

I read this but hardly remember it. It was well written but I guess I'm not that into the technical side of game design.


Joystick Nation
J.C. Herz, 1997
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...k%20Nation.jpg

I read this almost a decade ago but from what I remember it was decent. It covers a variety of stuff from history to social aspects. Don't expect mega-historical detail like Phoenix or Kent's books, though.


What Video Games Have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy
James Paul Gee, 2003
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...at%20Video.jpg

This one is certainly unique. Gee's arguments about using design principles from good video games and applying them to schooling are compelling. This book was written by a linguist and is very academic in nature. I like it but there are a lot of terms to keep track of. I can see this being used as a university textbook. There are some spoilers in it, though (like Deus Ex's main story).


Electronic Plastic
Jaro Gieliens, Lopetz, Buro Destruct, and Robert Klanten, 2000
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...%20Plastic.jpg

This is a beautifully presented German book with tons of cool pictures of obscure dedicated portable games from around the world.


Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic
Brad King and John Borland, 2003
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...nsdreamers.jpg

Western RPG fans will probably like this; others may not. It has a lot of background on Richard Garriott.


Video Kids

I forget the author and year but I think it was called this. It was the typical negative view of gaming held by many in the older generation. The author was retarded enough to claim games to be racist because you fight Asians in so many of them. I don't recommend this book.


The Video Games Guide: From Pong to Playstation3, Over Forty Years of Computer and Video Games
Matt Fox, 2007
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...es%20Guide.jpg

I only skimmed through this at Chapters and decided quickly it wasn't worth buying. It's a collection of short reviews with 5 star rating systems (I disagreed with a lot of scores I saw). I can get a wider variety of reviews for all these games on the internet.


The Book of Games: Volume 1 - The Ultimate Guide to PC and Video Games
Bendik Stang, 2006
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...of%20Games.gif

I only skimmed the one, too. It has lots of nice glossy pictures and descriptions for games on post-Dreamcast systems. I couldn't justify buying it though as it seems to stick to mostly mainstream info and pictures I can find on the internet. It's probably best for casual gamers but I will give it a more thorough look next time I'm at the book store.



---Some gaming books I have not read---



Video Games & Interactive Media: A Glimpse at New Digital Entertainment
Stephane Natkin, 2006
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...o%20Natkin.jpg

I have it right beside me but haven't read it yet.


Video Games: A Complete Guide
Len Buckwalter, 1977
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ames%20Len.jpg

I haven't seen this but I'm quite intrigued as it's one of the earliest books on gaming. Here's the paperback release - I love how '70s video game pics often show women abnormally excited about video games.
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...walter%202.jpg


Confessions of the Game Doctor
Bill Kunkel, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...%20Doctor1.jpg

This is on my to-buy list. It's about the founders of gaming's first magazine, Electronic Games.


Electronic Games
Frank D'Ignazio, 1982
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...ic%20Games.jpg

This isn't related to the magazine of the same name as far as I can tell.


Video Games
Daniel Cohen, 1982
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...eo%20Games.jpg


The Encyclopedia of Game Machines: Consoles, Handhelds and Home Computers 1972-2005
Winnie Forster, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...cyclopedia.png


21st Century Game Design
Chris Bateman and Richard Boon, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...%20Century.jpg


Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling
Chris Crawford, 2004
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...nteractive.jpg

I like reading Crawford's stuff so I will get around to this some day.


Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
Chris Kohler, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...Power%20up.jpg

Based on reviews, my gut feeling says this book will anger me which is why I never bought it. A example quote from a review:

Quote:

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Donkey Kong was the first game to tell a story from beginning to end.

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This hints at the typical pro-Nintendo/Japan false historical information that permeates the industry. I would still like to read the book in case I'm wrong about it.


Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution
Dean Takahashi, 2002
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...the%20Xbox.jpg


On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore
Brian Bagnall, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...the%20Edge.jpg

This has a lot interviews with ex-Commodore people, both engineers and businessmen.


Video Fever: Entertainment? Education? or Addiction?
Charles Beamer, 1982
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...eo%20Fever.jpg


The A-Z of Cool Computer Games
Jack Railton, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...deater/a-z.jpg

This is focused a lot on UK releases from what I gather.


ABC to the VCS
Leonard Herman, 1996 (second edition in 2005)
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...eater/ABC1.jpg

A directory of Atari 2600 games. With the second edition adding pictures, it's another one I would like to get.


Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer
Gordon Laing, 2004


Video Invaders
Steve Bloom, 1982
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...20Invaders.jpg

The Video Game Bible: 1985-2002
Andy Slaven, 2002
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...me%20Bible.jpg

I think this is a price guide but it might have other information.


Digital Press Collector's Guide
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...it%20Press.jpg

Digitpress.com already has their price guide in online form so I don't need it in print form. It's very handy for quickly checking rarity and value of console games.

Plus there's NEOGEOman's book which has a TNL thread - http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/s...ad.php?t=42097


There are a bunch more listed at these places, especially for design.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...nd_video_games
http://www.cyberroach.com/vidbook/us.htm
http://my.execpc.com/~krieg/VGBooks.htm



So, what have you read, and what would you like to read?

There was a novelization of Gyruss a little while back, too.

http://www.gooddealgames.com/GDG_Pub...tune-to-Ea.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

Based on reviews, my gut feeling says this book will anger me which is why I never bought it. A example quote from a review:

Quote:

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Donkey Kong was the first game to tell a story from beginning to end.

---

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Wow. That one doesn't even make sense. Donkey Kong didn't have an end, and it postdated stuff like Ultima and Zork.

I knew there were quite a few books out there, on videogame, but I didn't realize there were that many!:eep:


I have the 2nd edition of Gameover, that I bought for $2 from EB games.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...t/Gameover.jpg


The only other books, of this sort, that I have are:

Arcade Fever
Opening the XBox (Good read, very comparable to Game Over.)
High Score

The rest are just code compilation and player's guides, put into one big book.

Of those, I've read The Ultimate History of Video Games and Masters of Doom. I loved Masters of Doom, and Ultimate History seemed really good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tain

Of those, I've read The Ultimate History of Video Games and Masters of Doom. I loved Masters of Doom, and Ultimate History seemed really good.

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Same. Both are recommended. If you've never read anything on games, Steven Kent's book is the first you should start on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
Chris Kohler, 2005
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...Power%20up.jpg

Based on reviews, my gut feeling says this book will anger me which is why I never bought it. A example quote from a review:
This hints at the typical pro-Nintendo/Japan false historical information that permeates the industry. I would still like to read the book in case I'm wrong about it.

---

Chris Kohler is a batshit insane Nintendo fanboy. Don't bother with anything he does.

Kohler wrote a book? Ye gods, that's a scary thought.

Ignore Video Game Bible's existence. It is pure trash. Rarities are fairly wrong, and the text reads like stereo instructions.

But be sure to buy the DP Advance guide, as D_N_G and I did the SNES section.

Everyone I've ever heard mention Van Burnham's name also described her as a snotty bitch and/or a cunt. Take that as you will.

I too have the $2 Game Over green cover edition. I haven't even seen the red one before.

I agree that Kent's book is one every gamer should own. I also want Phoenix, and Rolenta Press announced on the DP boards that an updated version will be released later this year. I also recommend Sheff's book, although there are more than a few errors regarding the Genesis. Overall, it gives a great view of how the company rose to the top.

I have Gee's book, and Neo's right about it being very academic. It's a great book, and one I intend to incorporate into my Reading Methodology courses from now on; however, it does read like a textbook, so be warned.

One book that I'm looking for is Behind the Scenes at Sega: The Making of a Video Game (Secrets of the Games) by Nicholas Lavroff (1994). I haven't seent it anywhere, and I'd love to have it.

Here's another one you can add to the list:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0312...47#reader-linkhttp://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...A240_SH20_.jpg
"The video game industry is hot and becoming more and more popular every year. -One of the fastest growing entertainment industries (even larger than film!) -Over 50,000 people in the U.S. alone are employed by interactive gaming companies -Video gaming makes more than six billion dollars in annual revenue. Game Plan-the only insiders guide to the video game bus-iness-reveals how to break in, survive, and produce video games for successful game companies. Industry insiders Gershenfeld, Loparco, and Barajas take readers on a journey from game conception to pre-production to launch and behind the scenes to detail everything from job types to assessing skills to getting a foot in the door. With Game Plan, getting a job in the gaming industry has never been simpler!"

Hopefully, you'll have a new Genesis book to add to that list in the next year or two! :p

Game Over's the only one I own two editions of (since the EB one was so cheap). It's disappointing the errors weren't fixed, e.g. saying Sega got an outside developer to make Sonic, and saying Pac-Man's creator left the game business even though he's still at Namco today.

PSX: The Guide to the Sony Playstation is another Digital Press book, and one I've been meaning to read, but I never get around to it. It's available for free as a PDF here - http://www.digitpress.com/products/psxbook.htm .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stibbons

Chris Kohler is a batshit insane Nintendo fanboy. Don't bother with anything he does.

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What is it about Nintendo fanboys in particular that makes them want to just make shit up about Nintendo games being the first to do things? Fans of other developers never do that, but Nintendo fans do it ALL THE TIME with the most retarded things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

What is it about Nintendo fanboys in particular that makes them want to just make shit up about Nintendo games being the first to do things? Fans of other developers never do that, but Nintendo fans do it ALL THE TIME with the most retarded things.

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Nintendo invented Al Gore.

I would read a book by neo, when is that coming out?

I've read over 60% of those, and Opening the Xbox is my favorite. Anyone read the sequel? I can't find it in local book stores.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Korly

Anyone read the sequel? I can't find it in local book stores.

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I didn't know there was one until now. The first was a great read, I'll be looking into this as soon as I actually have time to read for pleasure again. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

What is it about Nintendo fanboys in particular that makes them want to just make shit up about Nintendo games being the first to do things? Fans of other developers never do that, but Nintendo fans do it ALL THE TIME with the most retarded things.

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It wouldn't be a big problem if it was just message board quacks no one took seriously. What bugs me is that so of them many work in the gaming media, and put their misinformation as facts in articles. I'm still irritated IGN never fixed all those things they claimed Nintendo invented in their top 25 franchises article a couple months ago. Why do they even let people email them when they won't fix their errors?

Didn't see Smartbomb mentioned yet:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...65125452&itm=3

Although one of the authors proved himself to be stupid when he laid out a plan to "save" the ESRB, the book itself is quite good.

Only ones I've read are Game Over ($2.00 edition) and High Score.
I was really into High Score as I was never (and still am not) into computer games. Then I got to the console part and noticed so many absolutely stupid mistakes that I surmised that everything else I had been reading was wrong as well and quickly forgot most of the info.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zerodash

Didn't see Smartbomb mentioned yet:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...65125452&itm=3

Although one of the authors proved himself to be stupid when he laid out a plan to "save" the ESRB, the book itself is quite good.

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Some of that book's articles are online at next gen (like the ESRB one) if people are interested. http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...3960&Itemid=35

I haven't read the actual book, though. My library does have it so I will check it out for the parts I haven't read.

Neo I'm gonna pop by Canada and go through your collection of everything. Hope you don't mind.

Well, uh here are the ones I have read and own but not all of them (there are others but I'd have to dig them out),:

Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Home VideoGames (1st Edition) - Leonard Herman

Inside Electronic Game Design - Arnie Katz

Apple Confidential - Owen Linzmayer

Hackers (1st Edition) - Steven Levy

Revolutionaries at Sony - Reiji Asakura

Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped An American Industry, Captured your Dollars and Enslaved Your Children (1st Edition) - David Sheff

Game Over: Press Start To Continue (Latest Edition) w/Added Chapter - David Sheff

Fire In the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer (Latest Edition) - Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine

Dungeons and Dreamers - Brad King and John Borland

Game Developer's Marketplace - Ben Sawyer

Game Developer's SourceBook - Ben Sawyer

Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Video Games (2nd Edition) - Leonard Herman

Joystick Nation - J.C. Herz

Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Video Games (Latest Edition) - Leonard Herman

The First Quarter - Steven L. Kent

Behind The Scenes At Sega: The Making of a Video Game - Nicholas Lavroff

Trigger Happy - Steven Poole

Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari (1st Edition) - Scott Cohen

Hackers (2nd Edition) - Steven Levy

Official VideoGames and Pinball Book of World Records

Get In The Game!: Careers in the Game Industry - Marc Mencher

Sega Arcade History - Famitsu DC

Sega Consumer History - Famitsu DC

Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games - Bob Gates

Game Design: Theory and Practice - Richard Rouse III

Opening The Xbox - Dean Takahashi

Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari (2nd Edition) - Scott Cohen

Hacking The Xbox: An Introduction To Reverse Engineering - Andrew "Bunnie" Huang

Masters of Doom - David Kushner

Hackers (3rd Edition) - Steven Levy

Postmortems From Game Developer Magazine - Austin Grossman

Family Computer 1983-1994

MegaDrive Encyclopedia

Confessions of The Game Doctor - Bill Kunkel

ABC To The VCS (Newest Edition) - Leonard Herman

The Encyclopedia of Game.Machines - Winnie Forster

VideoGames: In The Beginning - Ralph H. Baer

VideoGame Theory Reader - Mark J.P. Wolf

Blue Wizard Is About To Die - Seth Barkan

Official Price Guide To Classic Video Games - David Ellis

The Ultimate History of Video Games - Steven L. Kent

Arcade Fever - John Seller

SuperCade - van Burnham

High Score: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (1st Edition) - Rusel DeMaria

High Score (2nd Edition) - Rusel DeMaria

Digital Press Collector's Guide 7 (Red Book)

Digital Press Advance Guide (Blue Book)

VideoGame Bible - Andy Slaven

Power-Up - Chris Kohler

The Making of Doom 3 - Steven L. Kent

Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar

The Art of Halo: Creating A Virtual World - Eric Trautmann

Chris Crawford On Game Design - Chris Crawford

Break Into The Games Industry - Ernest Adams

Game Art - Dave Morris

The Medium Of The Video Game - Mark J.P. Wolf

The Art of Computer Game Design: Reflections Of A Master Game Designer (1984) - Chris Crawford

The Xbox 360 Uncloaked - Dean Takahashi

Renegades Of The Empire: How Three Software Warriors Started A Revolution Behind The Walls Of Fortress Microsoft (About the Development of the DirectX software platform used in PC Games) - Michael Drummond

I'm an avid reader, but don't go out of my way to read about video games often. Steven L. Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games is one of my favorite books though, regardless of subject matter.

For coffee table books, Arcade Fever is pretty good, but Supercade is the best. It has a high quality binding with high quality paper and tons upon tons of photos with quite a lot of informative adjoining text.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thief Silver

Neo I'm gonna pop by Canada and go through your collection of everything. Hope you don't mind.

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It looks like SegaManiac has more of them than me. ;) I'm interested to know which ones he likes best.

Yeah but he'/s in New Jersey, you're in CANADA!

Of the books listed I've read:

- Game Over: I got the $2 EB version. This thing was so fucking dry I could not finish it. The tetris chapter murdered me.

- Phoenix: I bought the 2000 version (or whatever) from Leonard Herman himself when he made an appearance at video game connections. It's a good book.

- Masters of Doom: This thing was excellent.

If you want to bring novelizations into this, I also read the Doom novels, all of which were terrible.

I also have this book:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...ZZZ_SS500_.jpg
Its super dated now, but its still interesting to read the articles/interviews with miyamoto, tommy tallarico, gabe newell etc.

I remember Joystick nation being a really crappy read. It seemed really trivial and not very well thought out.

Quote:

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Its super dated now, but its still interesting to read the articles/interviews with miyamoto, tommy tallarico, gabe newell etc.

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Totally forgot about that book. I have whatever edition was released soon after Half-Life, and I remember it being a pretty neat read.

Ok, I'll give some of my opinions on some of the books I listed. In reality, I liked all of them, because they each had something different. There are still others I didn't list that if this expands I can list others I own and have read and give some opinions.


Opening The Xbox- Pretty good read, goes into the decision making process of not only Microsoft, but of Nintendo and Sony. It also delves into the famous personalities at Microsoft at the time of the development of the Xbox including who came up with the codename "Project Midway". I liked that it not only ventured into Microsoft's various business practices not soley in the gaming world. The theories of why Microsoft wanted to get into the gaming industry so badly and their motives to beat Sony back, Gates insistence that Windows be included, and how Microsoft seemed to underestimate what they were jumping into.

The Xbox 360 Uncloaked - This is really a "sequel" to the previous Xbox book. This went into more depth on the rights and wrongs Microsoft did the first time, scrapped certain things and their emphasis that "online" was going to be their ace. Microsoft's insistence that the 360 evolve along with the game industry, their boosting of 1st party support, the strategy to get 3rd party exclusives away from Sony, Gates wanting Halo 3 on launch, etc. Nice follow-up to the previous book.

Renegades of the Empire - As I wrote above, this was basically about a group of 3 rogue programmers who were designing DirectX under the noses of Gates and Microsoft elite, without any of their knowledge. They were arrogant, cocky and they weren't afraid to challenge the bigshots. Talks about how Gates likes those who are confident and believe in something but what these guys brought was even bigger than Microsoft could handle, including the insane publicity stunts like the canceled alien spacecraft and game execs streaking through Seattle GameWorks..The rogue tactics you hear Microsoft uses against it's competitors, the competing software teams at Microsoft did the same to each other...A fun read.

The Art of Computer Game Design - This is the tome of Game Design books and the earliest work specifically on Computer Game Design from the "Father of the Game Developer's Conference". Basically, alot of what's in here is from the personal compilation of Crawford's Journal of Computer Game Design i.e. What is a Game, Why Do People Play Games, How to Design a Game....For anyone who wants to read into the mind of Chris Crawford and his thoughts on Game Design or who has never had a chance to read one of his Journals, this would be what you're looking for. It's from 1984, so out of print but copies are still out there...somewhere.

Blue Wizard is About To Die - Something a little different, definitely not for everyone. This book is a collection of Poems, Emotional thoughts and feelings from a lifelong gamer, Seth Barlan on a wide assort of games ranging from Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man, Joust, Kid Icarus, Paperboy, Doom, Dragon's Lair, Mega Man to Half-Life, Crazy Taxi, Counter-Strike, Halo, etc. Everything Old and New is covered. Also his thoughts on 2D Graphics to 3D Graphics, the Shareware Era, Online Gaming, End Game Bosses, etc.

Dungeons and Dreamers - As mentioned, alot is on Richard Garriott who found dissatisfaction from his astronaut father and was determined to recreate dungeon worlds akin to Tolkien's works and hit it big with Ultima. Also delves into the beginnings of the 1st MUD. Also chronicles Carmack and Romero, and Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, Dungeons & Dragons' masterminds. Talks about the attacks from Christian Conservatives who felt that D&D was satanic and occult. I liked this one alot.

Phoenix: Rise and Fall of VideoGames - The newest version includes photos and updated chapters. This is more of a historical account on home videogames. definitely recommended. Leonard Herman knows his stuff.

ABC To The VCS - This book describes every single 2600 game you could imagine including unreleased protos and homebrew games. Includes screen shots of nearly every game.

Videogames: In The Beginning - This should be on any gamer's bookshelf. Ralph Baer in many quarters still doesn't get his credit for being the inventor of videogames. This is his story by the man himself and when you read, you'll see the chip he continues to have on his shoulder. You'll see details on his actual design schematics, photos and diagrams of his first videogame prototypes, his top secret internal documents and memos, copies of his original United States patents, his original 4 page treatise he presented to his employers on his idea. From 1966 on, you learn everything he did that led up to the Magnavox Odyssey. Also details his work on Simon and other products he's created.

The Encyclopedia of Games.Machines - This book is packed with details and photos of over 450 game machines from the U.S., Japan and Europe. Each game console/machine's hardware details and specs are explained, photos of hardware and games and hardware variants. If you have an interest in consoles from the European markets like the Sinclair Spectrum, you'll learn a great deal here. I highly recommend this one.

Postmortems from Game Developer - If you've ever read Game Developer, they have a Postmortem of a game every month and detail the brainstorming, design process, the hardware used, development tools used, programming, testing, debugging, what went right and wrong, etc. Well, this is a collection of those from developers like Peter Molyneux and Warren Spector and details some games such as Unreal Tournament, Black & White, Age of Empires, etc.

Hackers - This strips away the negative name that "hackers" gets from the community and shows how without these guys, the computer and game industry wouldn't be where it is today. Details the famous meetings at the Homebrew Computer Club, the creation of the Apple II, Jobs/Wozniak teaming up to create Breakout and Jobs betrayal of Woz to the creation of Apple Computer, Lots of tales about Sierra Online, the Altair, and Gates famous 1975 rant about software Piracy. Fun read.

The First Quarter - This is the original version of "The Ultimate History of Video Games" which has an added chapter, timeline, more artwork and editing. If you can't get a copy of that one, you could do with this one but TUHOVG is the better revision. This like the name is a tome of 25 years of the game industry with interviews from the visionaries of the era like Miyamoto, Molyneux, Bushnell, etc.

Behind The Scenes At Sega: The Making of A Video Game - This is a great book that goes behind the scenes at Sega of America on how their designers think up ideas and plots for games, how programmers build their engines to run games, how animators create sketches and animate movements for characters, and artists creating backrounds, etc. This has alot of sketches, design document ideas, motion capture hardware use, info about the testing and debugging phases, etc. Also includes a 8 page color section Dave Perry donated that shows step by step how the artists and programmers at Shiny created Earthworm Jim. This is from 1994, out of print but probably still copies out there.

Confessions of The Game Doctor - This is a really fun read. Bill Kunkel goes behind the scenes about what went on at Electronic Games, and the stories of the people from the "classic era" of gaming. Talks about Bill's early days as a comic book writer, rock guitarist and his dream of becoming "The Batman". Lots of sex, drugs and PR stunt stories. Hilarious stuff, definitely recommended.

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Originally Posted by portnoyd

But be sure to buy the DP Advance guide, as D_N_G and I did the SNES section.

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Cool, I did the NUON section in there too.

I've got Ultimate History and Videogames: In the Beginning, which I got autographed by Ralph Baer at VGXPO a few years back. Ultimate History is amazing and Ralph's book is tech heavy but very interesting.

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Originally Posted by SegaManiac

Behind The Scenes At Sega: The Making of A Video Game - This is a great book that goes behind the scenes at Sega of America on how their designers think up ideas and plots for games, how programmers build their engines to run games, how animators create sketches and animate movements for characters, and artists creating backrounds, etc. This has alot of sketches, design document ideas, motion capture hardware use, info about the testing and debugging phases, etc. Also includes a 8 page color section Dave Perry donated that shows step by step how the artists and programmers at Shiny created Earthworm Jim. This is from 1994, out of print but probably still copies out there.

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:eep:

Now I definitely need to get this.

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

Video Games & Interactive Media: A Glimpse at New Digital Entertainment
Stephane Natkin, 2006

I have it right beside me but haven't read it yet.

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Now, I'm done reading this.

The history part at the beginning is very poorly researched, and full of errors. Once I got past that, it wasn't a bad read on game technology and design but those earlier mistakes make me wonder how reliable it is.

re: Behind The Scenes At Sega: The Making of A Video Game

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Originally Posted by Melf

:eep:

Now I definitely need to get this.

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I'll sell you my copy. PM if interested.


and here's a link to some info for some old 80's books.

Not so much a novel but still a book. Saw this at Books a Million and flipped through some of the pages and it looks pretty cool.

http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/cov...43237297_l.gif

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Originally Posted by Korly

I've read over 60% of those, and Opening the Xbox is my favorite. Anyone read the sequel? I can't find it in local book stores.

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http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Unclo...7545395&sr=8-1

I just bought this one new off Amazon for $14:

http://www.gameroommagazine.com/images/bk_arcadefvr.jpg

I recently bought the I Am 8-Bit artbook. It's really nice, though most of the images can be found on the internet. What can't be found on the internet are little quotations from most of the artists, describing the inspirations for their work. Another interesting bit is that many of the artists on display actually work in the industry, though I think some of the talent is being wasted... some of my favourite pieces in the book were done by a guy who works at EA on Medal of Honor games.

i've been wanting to get the art of oddworld for a while but have yet to pull the trigger. amazing how much a lot of these out of print game related books go for.

You guys missed one that (I think) was an amazon exclusive:

The first Quarter: A 25 year history of video games. Its been so long since I've read it that I forgot if it was good or bad. It's another one written by Kent.

IIRC, First Quarter is just an earlier editon of Ultimate History. The name was changed when it was revised and updated.

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Originally Posted by Neozeedeater

The Ultimate History of Video Games (original version from 2000 was called The First Quarter: A 25 Year History of Video Games
Steven Kent, 2001

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Originally Posted by Beefy Hits

You guys missed one that (I think) was an amazon exclusive:

The first Quarter: A 25 year history of video games. Its been so long since I've read it that I forgot if it was good or bad. It's another one written by Kent.

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For anyone that's interested; this guy is releasing a book, that he calls, the complete guide to classic(1972-1984) video gaming. $55 is a bit steap, but I'll defineatly drop by the bookstore to see if it's worthy.



http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Home-V...0844138&sr=8-1

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Originally Posted by SegaManiac

Sega Arcade History - Famitsu DC

Sega Consumer History - Famitsu DC

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Seconded. These are outstanding books, worth owning for their visual quality alone. Tons of photographs and screenshots of every Sega arcade cabinet and console product imaginable.

The only downside is that it's almost entirely in Japanese.

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Also, Edge published a trade paperback recently called "The Art of Videogames" with beautiful art stills and concept drawings from mostly modern stuff (past ten years).