Product Description

Vintage Games explores the most influential videogames of all time, including Super Mario Bros., Grand Theft Auto III, Doom, The Sims and many more. Drawing on interviews as well as the authors' own lifelong experience with videogames, the book discusses each game's development, predecessors, critical reception, and influence on the industry. It also features hundreds of full-color screenshots and images, including rare photos of game boxes and other materials. Vintage Games is the ideal book for game enthusiasts and professionals who desire a broader understanding of the history of videogames and their evolution from a niche to a global market.

*Explores the gameplay, history, development, and influence of the most important videogames of all time
*Includes material from interviews, contemporary reviews, manuals, and other primary and secondary sources
*Identifies and analyzes the key concepts behind each videogame
*Features hundreds of exclusive, full-color images

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145138 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780240811468
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"They say you can't go back again, but reading Vintage Games comes close. Open the book, and I'm back in the video arcades of my youth. Turn the page, and I'm in college again, discovering the secret joys of the early PC games. Turn the page again, and I'm back in my living room, playing Mario with my young kids. But Vintage Games is more than just a trip down memory lane, because the authors analyze each game in ways that bring fresh insights to those nostalgic memories."--Steve Meretzky, Veteran Game Designer

"An interesting and insightful trip down a gamer's memory lane, focusing on titles that have become benchmarks in videogame history."--Didi Cardoso, Managing Editor, Grrlgamer.com

"The video game industry has a poor track record when it comes to preserving its history. Fortunately, scholars and enthusiasts have stepped in to fill the void, and Vintage Games is an essential contribution to this effort. Loguidice and Barton are to be commended for documenting the history of gaming's greatest landmarks."--Michael Abbott, The Brainy Gamer Blog and Podcast, Professor of Theater and Film Studies, Wabash College

"Essential reading for video game fans and game studies scholars alike!"--Laurie N. Taylor, Digital Library Center, University of Florida

"A must-read for anyone even remotely interested in video gaming history - from the hardcore to the casual. A book that anyone that has ever held a joystick would enjoy."--Shane R. Monroe, Host of RetroGamer Radio/Monroeworld.com

"The book is smart and fun - much like the games it addresses."--Dr. Matthew S. S. Johnson, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for anyone interested in video games
I read the book cover to cover over a span of 3 days (it's hard to put down). Each chapter stands on its own, so it's easy to read in small segments as well.

Because game developers draw from other titles for inspiration, the book will reference itself as applicable to show how these influences propagated across games over time. There are numerous examples of what did/didn't work, as well as discussion to support these claims. Additionally, several of the supplemental/external references are available over the web, so pursuing areas of interest is easy.

As the title says, the book is about influential games, which aren't always the best-selling games (though they usually inspire a best-selling game if the original work wasn't a hit in its own right). It's a collection of 'firsts', as well as cataloging those that followed (with varying degrees of success).

Ultimately it was a very enjoyable read that flowed very well from chapter to chapter. Certainly it was nostalgic thinking back to when those earlier games were released, but the combination of the discussion and additional insight made it like living those experiences for the first time.

A great book for anyone who loves Video Games!
A great book for anyone who ever loved or is in love with video games. Most of the games explored in this book I grew up on and I have many memories sitting in front of our small 13 inch tv playing thenm. The Final Fantasy VII chapter is great and just made me relive some moments as a young girl who couldn't put this game down. This makes a great gift and I highly recommend anyone who loves to play video games.

pure nostalgia
For readers who grew up after 1975 and who spent too much time and almost surely too much money at video arcades, the book is a sweet stroll thru your memories. May I suggest that when reading it, you play a sound track of top music hits from the 80s or 90s? This combined sensory input might help reinforce the book's contents.

All the major video games are here. Remember how quickly the state of the art evolved from 1979 to 82? Space Invaders in 79 was a massive hit coming out of Japan. Yet in those few years, it was quickly obsoleted by better graphics and more intricate abilities in the games. I hesitate to call these story lines, but you might.

An attraction of the book is that it's not focused so much on describing in heavy detail the games. Rather, as the title says, it offers the view of an insider in the infant gaming industry. We can see when game teams were quite small and ditto for the budgets. When, at least in principle, you and just a few talented friends could write a best seller in a few months. Although in practice, even then, a few companies grew large and dominated the scene.

As to the book's choice of the most influential games, it seems pretty uncontroversial. These were all huge hits in their time.