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Updated and extended 2025. More than any other entertainment medium, video games offer the chance for us to participate in a world beyond the ordinary. Whether you are playing as a supersonic hedgehog, an athletic archeologist, or a moustachioed Italian plumber, video games allow their players to inhabit spaces where the usual parameters of existence do not apply. The medium's history is chronicled through the individual stories of the most iconic video games. Beginning in the early 1970s, the book charts five decades of the pixel revolution. The story of each game is accompanied by trivia and quotations, and illustrated with photographs, screenshots and artworks. This celebratory reference and up-to-date history will enthral any video games aficionado. Chronicles the history of gaming through an analysis of the world's most-iconic and best-loved games. Expert analysis of the story of each game, accompanied by fascinating trivia, memorable quotes, and information on the year of publication and where the game can be played today. Includes titles across all platforms, including arcade, console, PC, online and handheld games. Charts five decades of video game evolution, from Computer Space to Fortnite and Elden Ring. Illustrated with over 1000 action screenshots, game artworks and photographs. Simon Parkin is an award-winning writer and journalist. Described by the New Statesman as "one of the most effortlessly masterful voices in video game writing" he has contributed to The New York, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Edge magazine and many others over the past decade, writing both criticism and journalism from the front-lines of video game culture. Review: Great book - Delivery; Item arrived fast in the typical cardboard wrap\envelope. Item; This is a great book, theres plenty of info and screenshots for each game, and a wide range of games & systems covered, the paper its printed on feels like it is good quality, i would recommend this to any gamer who likes book related content. Would recommend? Yes Review: Good retro game book - Great look back into the past
| Best Sellers Rank | 38,504 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 30 in Digital Art 34 in Video Game Art |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 430 Reviews |
D**5
Great book
Delivery; Item arrived fast in the typical cardboard wrap\envelope. Item; This is a great book, theres plenty of info and screenshots for each game, and a wide range of games & systems covered, the paper its printed on feels like it is good quality, i would recommend this to any gamer who likes book related content. Would recommend? Yes
P**L
Good retro game book
Great look back into the past
R**B
Not in 100% new condition
Not in 100% perfect condition. No shrink wrap and the outer protective cover a bit creased and not pristine at the top. Almost as if its a return sold as new. However, inside is perfect, it looks and smells new and it is a very nice book which I will treasure.
J**M
Nice to read a book about gaming that mentions the UK
Any book about computer gaming, such as this well-written and informative one, that calls the ZX Spectrum by its proper name, spells in proper English and mentions Elite for the BBC, is a great book in my eyes. I'm about a fifth of the way through so far, but the excellent writing and well-researched information are consistently of a high standard, whether reviewing the games themselves or the hardware running them, and I consider the money expended on this book well spent.
M**N
Really well put together
This is a fantastic piece of nostalgia a fantastic well put together book really worth getting
T**R
A well written and detailed book.
Bought this for a family member who is computer mad, it lists everything you need to know about all arcade and consoles from the early 70's up to the present, very detailed and well written, hats off to the author who really did his homework, hours of fun reading.
A**R
Great Coffee Table (Toilet) Book.
Most history of gaming books I find tend to be more pictures and often little more than a brief commonly known paragraph about the game. This however is the perfect mix of beautiful images and interesting text. I'm going to pretend it's on my coffee table when actually it's the perfect accompaniment for a read in the bathroom!
A**R
Get it! It's AWESOME!
This book has been very broad and detailed. I learnt a lot of valuable things from each page concerning modern day gaming and the older stuff that served as a foundation for it. This is a certified must-read.
C**N
Si te gustan los libros con ilustraciones y los juegos, ésta es tu publicación
Si te gustan los libros con ilustraciones y los juegos, ésta es tu publicación. Disfrutable, hasta si no conoces el idioma inglés.
S**.
Interesting read
It's really interesting to read this book. It goes practically year by year and it really lays out the most groundbreaking games of that time. I would recommend this to every gamer (young and especially the old :))
E**Y
Libro interesante aunque un poco desactualizado
Llega sin mayor complicación; embalaje perfecto. Es un libro no muy pesado pero si de dimensiones medias. Consta del análisis por cada hoja de diversos videojuegos que definieron el desarrollo histórico de los mismos (cuenta historia, características, particularidades, etc.) Juegos fundamentales (Según ellos...imagino) llegan a ocupar dos hojas (es decir la izquiera y la derecha al abrir el libro) Cabe mencionar que este libro contiene el análisis de ciertos videojuegos realizados desde 1971 (Computer Space) hasta 2012 (FEZ) por lo que se mencionan juegos de PS3, XBOX360 y WII, no incluyendo ya el análisis de juegos perteneciente específicamente a consolas de octava generación.
Y**V
Not a good writer,
Very difficult to comprehend the content. Probably due to the writer’s writing style. I am avid reader including encyclopaedia, novels etc, but i found the writing style incoherent.
M**H
Buona panoramica generale, un po' incompleto e inglese talvolta un po' ostico
Il libro è una raccolta illustrata di 151 videogiochi, dagli albori fino ai fine anni Duemila. Il libro è di buona fattura, il layout è curato e il tutto è gradevole da sfogliare (perfetto quindi per un regalo). L'inglese usato dall'autore è però un po' troppo articolato e risulta talvolta difficile da comprendere, quindi occhio se non si padroneggia bene la lingua.
Trustpilot
1 week ago
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