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Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation Hardcover – May 13, 2014

by Blake J. Harris (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,745 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions

NOW A CBS ALL ACCESS FILM, PRODUCED BY SETH ROGEN AND EVAN GOLDBERG

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads

Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars—a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry.

In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo.

The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and schoolyards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the US against Japan.

Based on over two hundred interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the underdog tale of how Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punchline into a market leader. It’s the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, birth a $60 billion dollar industry.

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  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    It Books
  4. Publication date
    May 13, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.7 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062276697
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062276698
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* At the dawn of the 1990s, Nintendo was the Goliath of the video-game industry. The company’s strictures on third-party development and its policy of understocking retailers contributed to the stranglehold on the market. But Tom Kalinske, who had rejuvenated Barbie and created He-Man for Mattel, was about to change that as the president and CEO of Sega. Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color, from research and development to marketing, to show how Sega went from a joke to a market leader in just a few years. Along the way, Harris reveals the forces behind such decisions as Nintendo changing red blood to gray sweat in Mortal Kombat; the origin story of the nickname for Sonic’s sidekick, Tails; and even how Mario was supposed to be a certain spinach-guzzling sailor, in a manner that will engage both Gen X gamers and business-minded readers. Harris defines the players immediately, honing in on their most notable characteristics, and puts the reader in the thick of the meetings and deal-making with a confidence stemming from hundreds of interviews. Pegged for both documentary and feature-film adaptations, Console Wars is remarkably detailed and fast paced, pitting speedy Sonic against more-of-the-same Mario in a blow-by-blow account of the battle for supremacy in the burgeoning video-game industry. --Bridget Thoreson

Review

A riveting story full of colorful characters… a fascinating, illuminating history… an essential read. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller. — Kirkus Reviews

It’s far and away one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. — Forbes

Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced. — Booklist

Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible. — Entertainment Weekly

A fast-paced page-turner...it’s exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye. — Wired

A must-read. Period. — IGN

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ It Books (May 13, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062276697
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062276698
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.72 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.7 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,745 ratings

About the author

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Blake J. Harris

Blake J. Harris

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Blake J. Harris is the two-time bestselling author of Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation (2014) and The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook and the Revolution that Swept Virtual Reality(2019). His first book, Console Wars, is currently being adapted for television by Legendary Entertainment, and producers Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg and Scott Rudin; in addition to serving as an executive producer on the adaptation, Harris also co-directed the CONSOLE WARS documentary (2020).

Harris has written pieces for Fast Company, ESPN, /Film, Complex and a variety of other publications.

He is currently working on his third book right now: a biography about the great Larry David.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
3,745 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining, providing a great look at video game history. They appreciate the in-depth research and insightful content on systems, games, corporations, and key players. The book is described as visually appealing and well-paced, with a lively and colorful flow. Readers find it satisfying and fun. However, some feel the narrative quality could be improved.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityHistoryInsightLookPacingEnjoymentWriting styleNarrative quality
316 customers mention "Readability"303 positive13 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the compelling narrative that keeps them hooked until the end. The book covers a wide range of topics, including business strategies and history.

"...book covers a massive amount of content in a very easy-going, novel-narrative style...." Read more

"...be interested in any fiction of his, but this particular subject matter is rich enough that my issue with his authorial indulgences is just a quibble..." Read more

"...Anyway, a fantastic book that will stir up your greatest childhood memories and pull back the curtain on the Wizards of these great lands in Oz." Read more

"...The book was entertaining, and I couldn't put it down. So in the end, I guess that's all Harris wanted...." Read more

100 customers mention "History"86 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history. They find it a great window into video game history and an interesting account of the console wars between Sega and Nintendo. The book stirs up childhood memories and captures the time period well.

"...The book covers a massive amount of content in a very easy-going, novel-narrative style...." Read more

"...Anyway, a fantastic book that will stir up your greatest childhood memories and pull back the curtain on the Wizards of these great lands in Oz." Read more

"...This book has given me a nostalgia for the 90's that I have been having lately. Everything described in the book, even for the time, seemed so new...." Read more

"...I liked it both as a business book and as a piece of nostalgia. I am very much looking forward to the documentary and feature film." Read more

99 customers mention "Insight"87 positive12 negative

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They appreciate the in-depth research, writing style, and overall narrative. The book provides a great overview of this early turbulent history with inside information on systems, games, corporations, and key players. The subject matter seems right up their alley, and themes are still relevant today.

"...This is a detailed and far-reaching look at how video games went from a failed toy in the 70's to dominant media in 2000, and how influential just..." Read more

"...That said, the information and voluminous research this book does contain is incredibly valuable, and makes for a truly rewarding read...." Read more

"...It goes to great lengths humanizing the team at Sega of America, providing background and personal developments like marriages and the birth of..." Read more

"...Everything described in the book, even for the time, seemed so new...." Read more

33 customers mention "Look"28 positive5 negative

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They appreciate the compelling writing style, nicely designed dust jacket, and soft touch coating. Readers describe the book as a fun behind-the-scenes look at the start of the video game revolution.

"...This is a detailed and far-reaching look at how video games went from a failed toy in the 70's to dominant media in 2000, and how influential just..." Read more

"...When the book arrived I noticed the great printing job, nicely designed dust jacket and the soft touch coating that gave the cover that nice, “suedey..." Read more

"This book provides a very detailed background of the Sega/Nintendo console wars of the late '80s and early '90s...." Read more

"...that the only redeeming quality this book has to offer is the behind the scenes look of how this industry operated back then...." Read more

29 customers mention "Pacing"21 positive8 negative

Customers find the book's pacing lively and fast-paced. They say it's an engaging and exciting read for fans of video game history. The 600 pages go quickly, and the book hooks you in immediately with great descriptions and full characterization.

"...This gave Sheff's book a journalistic crackle, keeping the pace moving, the flow of information constant, and the level of authorial distance..." Read more

"...While the first two thirds are well paced and fascinating, the last third is by far the weakest feeling drown out by its constant use of full length..." Read more

"...with tons of flashbacks which feel like double flashbacks, jumping around time, segwaying into personal scenes, focusing on scenes unrelated to the..." Read more

"...The industry seemed simple and fast paced. Smaller and easier to make games for and this is told subtly through the book...." Read more

27 customers mention "Enjoyment"27 positive0 negative

Customers enjoyed the book. They found it engaging and satisfying, saying they never got bored. The book was educational and well-researched, making it a great time-spent read.

"...this book does contain is incredibly valuable, and makes for a truly rewarding read...." Read more

"I'm torn here. I liked the book and it was entertaining like a movie. But the truth is still out there...." Read more

"...The introduction by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg was witty and enjoyable. And the book itself started off promising...." Read more

"Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book!..." Read more

130 customers mention "Writing style"81 positive49 negative

Customers have mixed views on the writing style. Some find it well-written and engaging, reading like fiction. Others feel the dialogue is far-fetched and unbelievable. They also mention poor writing and descriptions that feel like an amateur screenplay.

"...Excellent writing! I wish there was also books about Sega and Nintendo of Japan" Read more

"...The book is written like historical novel from a specific persons perspective and not in a traditional non-fiction third person...." Read more

"...The fictionalized dialog can get a little awkward at times, but it doesn't detract from the whole...." Read more

"...The industry seemed simple and fast paced. Smaller and easier to make games for and this is told subtly through the book...." Read more

36 customers mention "Narrative quality"0 positive36 negative

Customers find the narrative quality of the book boring and lacking substance. They feel the style is grating and overblown at times, detracting from an interesting story. Some readers also mention that some conversations are cliched and distracting from an engaging book.

"...jumping around time, segwaying into personal scenes, focusing on scenes unrelated to the theme, and shifting POVs without revealing who is the focus..." Read more

"...I think, aside from the meandering sense of storytelling and the fact that the book just abruptly ends and doesn't have anywhere near a satisfying..." Read more

"...you just have to weed through a lot of nonsense, goofy dialogue, extraneous scenes and poor structure to get to it." Read more

"...However, this story is so poorly told, attempting to be a long-form screenplay rather than a quality telling of the history of Sega and their fight..." Read more

Excellent book. Recommended!
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book. Recommended!
I truly enjoy reding each page not just because it brings me back to the days of the consoles war (i was crazy about me Sega Megadrive), but also this book amazingly describes marketing use cases in big enterprises. Excellent writing! I wish there was also books about Sega and Nintendo of Japan
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Top reviews from the United States

  • GEORGE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Missing history of an entire industry
    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Loved it. Absolutely loved it. But then again, I was a diehard Sega kid growing up.

    If you didn't play video games in the 90s this might not have much for you. But, if you did, this is the story of how all that business came together.

    The book covers a massive amount of content in a very easy-going, novel-narrative style. It covers Nintendo's entrance into the long-dead video game market, then Sega's weak early attempts to compete, and then chronicles the entire business of video games developing into the modern era. The scandals that took them to senate hearings- and the ratings system that they had to create- are huge parts of the story.

    Sega is the main character of the book- or rather, Sega of America President Tom Kalinske, who is given the difficult job in the first chapter and leaves it in the last. Kalinske was clearly the biggest influence on the research, because it's primarily from his point of view.

    Nintendo isn't a villain, mind you- plenty of the story is dedicated to the massive work they put into creating an industry that had ceased to exist after the Atari crash. Their on/off relationship with Sony and the creation of the Playstation also play a large role.

    In the end the villain is Sega of Japan, who seem to grow more and more resentful of Sega of America's eclipsing success while they struggled at home. The book paints a picture of a jealous, even bigoted Sega of Japan that undermines SOA at every step. How much is hard truth and how much is Kalinske's own memoirs of it is impossible to say.

    Even with a grain of salt for that it's a fantastic read. The stretch of time from 1985 to 1995 was chaos for video games, and this book takes that history and spins it, Mad Men or Moneyball-style, as the trials and tribulations of a small group of marketing and designing underdogs. In the course of the story Sega goes from a struggling upstart with 5% control of the games market to a powerhouse with 55%... only to lose it all just as quickly. If you ever wondered why Sega went from being on top of it all to last place, the answers are here.

    The fictionalized dialog can get a little awkward at times, but it doesn't detract from the whole. This is a detailed and far-reaching look at how video games went from a failed toy in the 70's to dominant media in 2000, and how influential just a handful of people were to it.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Yagi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating information and absolutely worth reading; however, the authorial presence is far too strong
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Console Wars largely chronicles the period between 1989 and 1995, when Sega battled Nintendo for dominance in the home console market, ending as Sony displaces Sega in the 32-bit era as Nintendo's main competitor. In a sense, it does serve as a sort of sequel to David Sheff's gold-standard account in "Game Over" of the rise of Nintendo in the 80's, which left off at the point where Sega's Genesis had just started to get a serious foothold in the market. However, the styles in which the two authors approach their subjects are very different, and it's interesting to compare them.
    Sheff's Game Over contained very little conversational dialogue. He wrote his book like a reporter: documenting scenes and incidents by describing the people and particulars involved, the content of what they said, and the effect of their interactions. His book was full of individual quotes, but the large majority of them were presented matter-of-factly as accounts made by the subject either directly to the author in interview, or to another source of record which Sheff was citing. In-scene "dialogue" was used sparingly, and mostly limited to short lines that reflected exactly what was known by the subject or other observers to have been said, or something very close to it. This gave Sheff's book a journalistic crackle, keeping the pace moving, the flow of information constant, and the level of authorial distance removed enough that the reader always maintained a panoramic view of the bigger picture, and didn't get bogged down in superfluous, artificial detail.

    In contrast, Harris's book is written like a screenplay, with full "scenes" that progress via elaborate, lengthy dialogues between "characters", while novel-esque, detailed stage directions record their precise movements and interior thoughts, all of which can only have been manufactured by the author (as he himself loosely admits in his author's note) based on the factual framework of an interaction that did occur. Where Game Over was a documentary, this book is much more a historical re-enactment. It's obvious that Harris already had a film in mind when he was writing, and the cinematically styled sharp, pithy dialogue (or at least, attempts at such), and conversational set-ups and payoffs were designed to translate easily to the eventual film. This may make the book more engaging than Sheff's reserved style for some, but I found it distracting and a little gratuitous. Irrelevant detail often gets in the way of what's interesting and entertaining about the information.

    That said, the information and voluminous research this book does contain is incredibly valuable, and makes for a truly rewarding read. The saga of the Sega and Nintendo battle in the US is as fascinating and provoking as any story the business world has to offer, and there's more than a little tragedy in seeing how Tom Kalinske and Sega of America were able to achieve a brilliant and improbable success, only to be cut off at their knees, in the end, by Sega of Japan. The often clumsily overwritten "reconstructed" dialogue by Harris makes me doubt I'd be interested in any fiction of his, but this particular subject matter is rich enough that my issue with his authorial indulgences is just a quibble. This is by all means a book worth reading.
    87 people found this helpful
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  • It was supposed to be a brand new item however it looks like a used one with defects on the cover and some of the pages
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Recommended!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I truly enjoy reding each page not just because it brings me back to the days of the consoles war (i was crazy about me Sega Megadrive), but also this book amazingly describes marketing use cases in big enterprises. Excellent writing! I wish there was also books about Sega and Nintendo of Japan
    Customer image
    It was supposed to be a brand new item however it looks like a used one with defects on the cover and some of the pages
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Recommended!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2024
    I truly enjoy reding each page not just because it brings me back to the days of the consoles war (i was crazy about me Sega Megadrive), but also this book amazingly describes marketing use cases in big enterprises. Excellent writing! I wish there was also books about Sega and Nintendo of Japan
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Armando Guerrero Ramos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Buena calidad
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Me llego sin ningún rasguño o golpe, me gusta que esta en inglés así que me ayudara a reforzar mi inglés. No pensé que fuera de tantas paginas pero eso no me molesta, así que si te gustan los videojuegos amaras un libro de videojuegos.
    Report
  • Cameron Britton
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling piece of history!
    Reviewed in Canada on May 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is written more like a bio-pic than a biography or history book, and it makes it so engaging! You feel like you are in the room with these characters. It is a fascinating inside look at this defining time in video game history. I recommend it to anyone interesting in the gaming industry, especially those who were kids in the 90s and can remember those schoolyard debates about which was better... Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis. :)
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  • Paco
    5.0 out of 5 stars "La guerra que definió una generación"
    Reviewed in Spain on September 10, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Esa frase viene en el título y es un gran resumen del contenido del libro.

    En este libro se nos cuenta la historia de la guerra que libraron Sega of America y Nintendo of America, sí, pero desde el punto de vista y en la época en la que Tom Kalinske fue CEO de Sega America.

    Lo primero decir que resulta muy fácil de leer a pesar de lo denso del tema porque está novelizado en cierta medida, produciendo un movimiento narrativo que no se suele ver en libros de historia o biográficos.
    Lo segundo, es la historia de una batalla entre Sega y Nintendo pero circunscrita a EEUU: se tocan Europa y Japón de un modo tangencial, solamente cuando entran en contacto con EEUU.
    Lo tercero, si te interesa la historia de la tecnología, de los videojuegos y/o el marketing, este es tu libro. Digo y/o porque no son excluyentes: aprendes un montón de cosas sobre branding y sobre las técnicas de publicidad que vemos aplicar hoy en día, no sólo sobre tecnología y videojuegos.

    Es un libro que merece la pena en cuanto a contenido (no sobra nada, todo añade al contexto y a la comprensión) y en cuanto a redacción (muy entretenido y ágil de leer. Pese al tamaño no se hace para nada pesado).
    Los peros: el final, un poco precipitado, pero lógico habida cuenta que se centra en Mr Kalinske, y el formato de página, aprovechada al máximo y que no deja prácticamente márgenes (eso sí, el tamaño de letra es más que correcto para una lectura cómoda).

    Más que recomendable si te interesa el tema.
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  • Gardus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lettura molto interessante
    Reviewed in Italy on March 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Ho vissuto da ragazzino la lotta Nintendo / Sega, proseguendo poi in adolescenza con l'arrivo di Sony.

    La lettura è veramente interessante e resa divertente da aneddoti divertenti e personaggi accattivanti.

    E' anche uno spaccato su marketing e brand management negli anni 90.

    Consigliato!
    Report
  • 9447914010301202202112022021030104197449
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very long but worth reading
    Reviewed in Japan on December 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    1. Offers insights into differences in management styles between Japan and the US

    It was very interesting to witness firsthand how two companies (a US subsidiary and a Japanese parent) which supposedly have the common goal in mind act differently. It applies to both Sega and Nintendo.

    Instead of harnessing the opportunities offered by having people from diverse backgrounds on the team, they practically killed each other in silence.

    2. Offers insights into the difficulties that a latecomer faces in the market

    Sega came in late and Sony came later than Sega. However, at the end of the day, only Sega seems to have left behind. You would get the idea why this happened by reading this book and how to overcome it.
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