Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time [Paperback]

Bill Loguidice (Author), Matt Barton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240811461 | ISBN-13: 978-0240811468 | Publication Date: March 4, 2009 | Edition: 1

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

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (March 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240811461
• ISBN-13: 978-0240811468
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for anyone interested in video games, March 24, 2009

By 

Daniel Chisarick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time (Paperback)

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anyone who loves Video Games!, March 20, 2009

By 

R. Jack "kayko4578" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Sons Love This Book, February 23, 2010

By 

CM "cateyz" (Central NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time (Paperback)

I bought this book for my teenaged sons, who are enthusiastic video game fans and love reciting the history of games and gaming systems. Even they found out things from this book that they did not know. The full-color pictures on almost every page are great and brought back a lot of memories of my early gaming days! What they liked best was how detailed and fact-filled the descriptions of the games were; the authors definitely know their video games.

The other surprising thing about this book is how hefty it is. I expected a lightweight book with a few pages on each game. It is actually a thick book and surprisingly high quality. It is about time a book like this was available, putting all the information in one place instead of relying on "flashback" articles in Nintendo Power or other gaming magazines.

I look forward to your next one!