It is indisputable that retro gaming is becoming mainstream. Check out the Portland Retro Gaming Expo next week if you need to be convinced (here). As a result, new products and publications on the topic are legion. A few are great, but many are, at best, just okay. Some are clearly scams. Compendiums about video games are, alas, often in the latter category. I am not a hardcore gamer – retro or modern – but I can recognize when a little effort has been poured into a book. Obviously, today, I will share about the other kind: the really good one.
Game Changers—The Video Game Revolution, by Simon Parkin and published by Phaidon (here), is a well-thought-out compendium of 300 influential video games (and a few systems).
A couple of things struck me while reading this book, jumping from game to game. First and most importantly, video games are a true form of Art. This book makes it obvious by showcasing side-by-side the infinite diversity of graphical universes the reviewed games offer. The screenshots and illustrations are gorgeous.
Second, the write-up quality is excellent, rich with anecdotes and context for each game. The author definitively knows his stuff, and I could confirm that when reading about the most obscure systems and games in the list that I happen to own, know, and have played extensively.
I read Game Changer in a bookstore, sipping an espresso, and I enjoyed the couple of hours so much that I decided to tell you about it and break my long silence. Enjoy your WE!