Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered The World (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Irresistable...almost as hypnotic as a successful video game. " An intriguing potrait of what it takes to succeed in today's competitive computer industry." (Washington Post Book World)

"Game Over...is ultimately less absorbing than 'Tetris' but not by much. The opening chapter alone stuns us... A fascinating insider's loook into the Nintendo juggernaut."(Wall Street Journal) -- The New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

More American children recognize Super Mario, the hero of one of Nintendo's video games, than Mickey Mouse. The Japanese company has come to earn more money than the big three computer giants or all Hollywood movie studios combined. Now Sheff tells of the Nintendo invasion--a tale of innovation and cutthroat tactics.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 451 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (March 29, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679736220
• ISBN-13: 978-0679736226
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #876,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, June 16, 2000

By	Leng Ho Keat (Singapore) - See all my reviews

I was caught up in the Pokemon craze for a while and when I came across this book about Nintendo, the game company that distributed the game, I just had to read it. I was not to regret it.

The author had an easy style, one that merged dry facts with a fair amount of story telling. He also managed to throw in suspense at regular intervals, just like a novel. But that is what makes this book, in my opinion, an excellent one. There are serious lessons in business to be learned from this book, yet the author managed to tell it in a easily digestible style. Perhaps, it has got to do with his extensive experience in writing articles for magazines.

While it detailed the history of Nintendo and how it rose from a humble card-making operation to the dominant player in the world of video-games, I was more impressed with the management lessons that could be learned from the marketing genius of the company. Yamauchi, the person behind Nintendo, was clearly an astute businessman in his own right. While not as famous as the late Morita, he clearly has a place among the very best of Japanese businessmen in the 1980s.

The book also revealed the legal and social environment of the 1980s and early 1990s. In a country like America where litigation can be considered a profit centre of a large corporation, Nintendo was faced with several legal suits that could potentially cost it millions of dollars, including the possibility of bankruptcy. Coupled with the fact that America at that time was also faced with one of the largest trade deficits with Japan and Japan-bashing was the call of the day, how Nintendo managed to survive those years was another interesting sub-plot in the book.

My favourite sub-plot must have been how Atari managed to illegally get access of Nintendo's technology through the Copyright Office, the department meant to preserve intellectual property in the first place. If nothing else, it showed the fallibility of the legal system and the craftiness and desperation of the video-games companies.

My only complaint is that the author has not come up with a newer edition that charts Nintendo's progress in the last few years especially with phenomenal hits like Pokemon that Nintendo has come up with. Also, the impact of PS2 from Sony on Nintendo will make interesting reading. I would definitely like to know about those developments.

All in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the industry of video games. I also recommend it to Nintendo fans or managers and entrepreneurs who want to know more about growing new products and companies. I am confident that even picking one tip from the book is worth the time reading it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I had a nickel for every reference..., November 26, 2000

By	Karl Becker (Fargo, ND USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...I'd be worth almost as much as M. Arakawa. This book has been referenced many, many times in various articles. If some reporter needs a "secret" fact about Nintendo, they'll turn to this book. "Did you know the president of Nintendo of America has a tendency to fall asleep?" and so on. Of course, this book is worthy of all that referencing, as it is one interesting tale of a pretty interesting, if not secretive, company. If you're interested in knowing a little more about what *really* was the cause of some of the biggest video games in history, this is one source of knowledge. The best part about the book is, if you're a fan of Nintendo (or video games in general) , this book will grab your attention and not let go. For as much of the book is spent on Tetris, it's all that more interesting. Hearing about secret meetings in Communist-run facilities, with these guys from little video game companies running back and forth and deceiving these Russians who don't know what kind of hit they have on their hands... it's James Bond-level stuff! A great read!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and unusually intimate, November 27, 2000

By	Dan Amrich (Bay Area CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Over Press Start To Continue (Paperback)

How Sheff (and Eddy) got this kind of info may never be fully revealed, but this book is positively required reading for anybody even remotely interested in how the game business really works. At times, it reads like a spy novel--the intrigue revealed in the battle over the rights to Tetris could stand as its own adventure--and reveals many personal details about how Nintendo went from a humble family-owned playing card company (!) to one of the most powerful digital entertainment brands in the world. The book doubles as a brief history of video gaming in general, making it absolutely indispensable.