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

by Bill Loguidice (Author), Matt Barton (Author)
Key Phrases: gold box, personal software, modern gamers, Final Fantasy, Super Mario Bros, King's Quest (more...)

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

Book 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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press (March 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240811461
• ISBN-13: 978-0240811468
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,333 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 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)

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.

3 of 3 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)

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:

4.0 out of 5 stars pure nostalgia, March 13, 2009

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.