View Full Version : Need gaming book(s) ideas- not much time!
My mom-in-law wants gift ideas for me & I know there's not much time left. I pointed her to eBay auctions, but (long story short) she's not going to do that. SO, I thought I'd like some more gaming books & need some ideas. I already own these:
Masters of DOOM
Joystick Nation
PS2- Blow the lid off!
Secrets of the PS2
PS2 for Dummies
Arcade Fever
Phoenix.../Leonard Hermann
Hi-Score
Supercade
Ultimate Hist. of Video Games/Steve Kent
Video Games The Ultimate Guide
I can only come up w/ ZAP! & The 1st Quarter. Anyone read Lucky Wander Boy?
Wolfrider31
12-13-2006, 06:25 PM
Lucky Wander Boy is amazing. Really well written literature plus video games; who can beat that?
CartCollector
12-13-2006, 06:50 PM
Seconded on Lucky Wander Boy. If you're interested in classic computers, you might want to ask for On the Edge: the Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore (http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Spectacular-Rise-Fall-Commodore/dp/0973864907/sr=8-1/qid=1166053560/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-5655394-4214063?ie=UTF8&s=books) or that book by Flack (I can't remember the name).
Tetsu
12-13-2006, 09:03 PM
I would try Power Up: How The Japanese Gave American Video Games a Free Life. Some of the chapters get a little tedious, like the one that lists all the early recorded video game soundtracks brought to the US. It reads like a series of college theses (which it is) so it tends to retread some ground. It's also a little to Nintendo-centric. Despite these flaws, however, a lot of time and effort went into the research. Give it a try.
Half Japanese
12-14-2006, 01:44 AM
How about some of the art books based on games? I know there's one for Gungrave and Squaresoft and a few other RPG companies should have them. Also, if you're not opposed to comics, numerous video game related manga have been published (Suikoden, Devil May Cry, Gungrave, Mega Man, etc.), not to mention manga that have had video games based on them (Berserk & Golgo 13 being particularly excellent and easy to find).
DaBargainHunta
12-14-2006, 03:38 AM
Game Over by David Sheff.
It's about the rise of Nintendo. Great book.
Also, this is not directly video game related, but I'll throw it in anyway:
Infinite Loop by Michael S. Malone.
It's about the rise and fall of Apple. And unless I'm mixing it up with another book, I seem to recall stuff about Nolan Bushnell and Atari in there.
Gamereviewgod
12-14-2006, 07:44 AM
Opening the Xbox
Trigger Happy
Smart Bomb
Play Between Worlds
Revolutionaries at Sony
Xbox 360 Uncloaked
Arcade Fever
Play Money
Video Games in the Beginning
Confessions of the Game Doctor
Ed Oscuro
12-14-2006, 07:47 AM
Infinite Loop by Michael S. Malone.
It's about the rise and fall of Apple. And unless I'm mixing it up with another book, I seem to recall stuff about Nolan Bushnell and Atari in there.
You're correct. It's a great book, and the author really seems to know his stuff. Some people argued it was too opinionated, though, and perhaps took a too negative view of Jobs' and Wozniak's personalities.
rolenta
12-14-2006, 02:55 PM
Video Games in the Beginning
Confessions of the Game Doctor
In case you're not familiar with these books, Videogames: In The Beginning was written by Ralph H. Baer, the inventor of the videogame console. It's in full color and contains scores of photos and diagrams.
Confessions of the Game Doctor was written by Bill Kunkel, the co-founder of the first videogame magazine: Electronic Games, and the world's first videogame journalist.
Information, as well as samples pages, for both of these books can be found at the Rolenta Press website: www.rolentapress.com.
All books ordered through Rolenta Press are shipped the very next day at the latest!
Another fictional book that was not listed, is From Neptune to Earth. Information for this book can be found at www.GoodDealGames.com
JJNova
12-14-2006, 03:43 PM
Hate to jump on the bandwagon and keep recommending hte same books over and over, but I also suggest Confessions of the Game Doctor by Kunkel. I purchased this read at Cinclassic 2006, and read it in a matter of days. Scooterb23 also purchased the book, he might give some input.
It was a very interesting read about the early video games, what it was like getting a magazine off the ground,a nd the amounts of money and fast lifestyle that came with it. Quite interesting, although it jumps around a lot. The author lets you know about how the book is structured in the beginning though.
Gamereviewgod
12-14-2006, 04:37 PM
Information, as well as samples pages, for both of these books can be found at the Rolenta Press website: www.rolentapress.com.
All books ordered through Rolenta Press are shipped the very next day at the latest!
Gee, it almost sounds like you have some involvement in those books...
=;)
Ed Oscuro
12-14-2006, 04:59 PM
He makes it so tempting, though...surely a small part of his success, I think! :D
Griking
03-07-2007, 09:43 PM
My fiance me up a copy of Arcade Fever today that she found in a used book store. I already had a copy but I took the oppertunity to look this book aver again.
While I don't necesarily agree with some of the author's opinions of some games (some of his hall of shame selections especially) I really enjoyed the nostilgia trip and have spent the last few days reliving some of these games via Mame. The pictures in the book are particularly nice.
GillianSeed
03-07-2007, 09:57 PM
While it's not specifically about games, Stephen Levy's Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution) does take a look at the creation of SpaceWar and the early days of computer gaming.
cyberfluxor
03-07-2007, 10:37 PM
While it's not specifically about games, Stephen Levy's Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution) does take a look at the creation of SpaceWar and the early days of computer gaming.
Richard Stallman can go to hell and die! I freaking hate EMACS!!!
PSXferrari
03-08-2007, 08:42 AM
Anyone here own "The Encyclopedia of Game Machines?" It's a must-have book, especially if you're into collecting. It's details every console, handheld, and gaming computer. There's over 500 in total (if you count each model discussed). Great background info on the consoles and a brief description of all the major model variations for each. EXCELLENT resource and interesting reading too.
GillianSeed
03-08-2007, 09:49 AM
Oh, and if you're a fan of old handhelds there's Electronic Plastic. (http://www.burodestruct.net/bd/etpbook/home.html) It's available through Amazon.
Windy Miller
03-08-2007, 11:40 AM
I love that book. :love: I can waste many an hour just flicking through it.
DaBargainHunta
03-08-2007, 07:07 PM
In the book, does Bill Kunkel talk at all about his "other" career as a pro wrestling writer? I've always been a big fan of Bill's work - especially now that I know he was the Game Doctor - and his career is the model I aspire to for myself.
Has anyone read "Behind the Scenes at Sega: The Making of a Video Game?" I can't find it anywhere.
Satac
03-08-2007, 07:22 PM
Anyone here own "The Encyclopedia of Game Machines?" It's a must-have book, especially if you're into collecting. It's details every console, handheld, and gaming computer. There's over 500 in total (if you count each model discussed). Great background info on the consoles and a brief description of all the major model variations for each. EXCELLENT resource and interesting reading too.
I was going to recommend that. It's a great little book, well written with a lot of pictures and a nice layout. You can see some sample pages at the official page:
http://gameplan.de/gameplan_01.5_UK/index.php