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Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life Kindle Edition
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Chris Kohler
(Author)
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherDover Publications
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Publication dateOctober 10, 2016
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File size10607 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Author
About the Author
From the Back Cover
"Chris Kohler brings the passionate intensity of a hardcore fan to his writing, but he also has the background knowledge and the critical facilities to explore video games as an industry, as a medium, and as a cultural phenomenon."—Wired.
Why are Japanese video games a worldwide sensation? This enjoyable and informative survey explores the reasons, starting with how Japanese developers raised the medium to an art form. The book also traces the ways in which the developers' ideas infused popular culture beyond the gaming world.
Interviews, anecdotes, and personal accounts offer insights from giants of the industry, including Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, and others involved in the creation of Donkey Kong, Mario, Pokémon, and other games. This revised edition includes updated material throughout the book as well as a new bonus chapter.
Dover (2016) republication of the edition originally published by BradyGames, Sacramento, California, 2004.
See every Dover book in print at
www.doverpublications.com
Product details
- ASIN : B01M4GQVZA
- Publisher : Dover Publications (October 10, 2016)
- Publication date : October 10, 2016
- Language : English
- File size : 10607 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 337 pages
- Lending : Enabled
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Best Sellers Rank:
#700,091 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #54 in RPG Programming
- #936 in Video & Electronic Games
- #2,844 in Video & Computer Games
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Chris Kohler is the author of several books about video game culture and history. His career in the games industry spans a quarter century, from journalism to development.
Born in North Branford, CT, he majored in Japanese studies at Tufts University. While living in Kyoto, Japan on a Fulbright scholarship, he wrote his debut book Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life.
From 2005 to 2017, Kohler was an editor at WIRED magazine, founding its Webby-nominated gaming section Game|Life in 2005. He is currently Editorial Director at Digital Eclipse, a game development studio focusing on preserving game history through re-releases of classic games.
He is also the co-host of the Stitcher Award-winning pub trivia podcast Good Job, Brain! and the co-author of the Good Job, Brain! book. In 2017, Kohler released his most recent book, titled Final Fantasy V.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I recently purchased this book and, in one day, have gotten about 40 or so pages in. I can easily say that I am greatly enjoying my time with it so far.
Kohler writes very clear and concise. It has been very informative to read on the Japanese side of the video games industry, especially regarding its origins and both some of the significant people and companies that made it happen. Kohler's pacing for the two chapters I have read so far seems to be very balanced; just enough side information, fun facts, pictures, and minor variations throughout that make this so much more than a dry history book or thesis paper (which, ironically, this book started out as). It has been entertaining as well to read more in depth on Shigeru Miyamoto's beginnings (i.e., childhood interests, novel and academic/technical experiences, first encounters with Nintendo).
As Kohler puts it in the introduction, what you are getting here is a snapshot from his perspective and research of how the Japanese contributed to the video game industry as a whole. I noticed other reviewers stating things such as: "there were other companies other than Nintendo", it is "too narrow in scope", and it is "too short and too shallow", but would like to remind you that Kohler never claims his intent is to provide an all-in-one, comprehensive book on the subject matter. I believe, if you go in with this knowledge, it won't disappoint.
Even though I have a long way to go before I'm able to provide my definite thoughts, I feel confident in saying that I'd highly recommend this book to any gamer that has an appreciation for not only the games that they play, but the companies and individuals that started the games industry as well.
I hope this helps you in making a decision. I'm glad I chose to give this one a try.
Still, on the whole I'm glad I read this book, and I hope Kohler's stated desire to encourage further such works is satisfied; there is clearly much more to say.













