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The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Hardcover – Illustrated, October 30, 2003

by Bill Kurtz (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars (95)
Here's a fun-filled trip back in time to the colorful arcades of the 1970s and '80s. More than 600 photos present the dot-munching PAC MAN, bomb-dropping SPACE INVADERS, and other favorites. Nostalgic baby boomers have made arcade video games one of the hottest collectibles around. This comprehensive reference presents photos of every popular video game manufactured, along with some long-forgotten machines and even some you've probably never heard of. You'll also find information about the manufacturers who produced these classic games, a section about video game collectibles, and information on how to locate your favorite games and start your own collection. With many never-before-published photographs, beginning collectors and long-time game enthusiasts alike are sure to enjoy this nostalgic and informative look at the world of arcade video games.
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  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Schiffer
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    9 x 1 x 11.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0764319256
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0764319259
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Kurtz has been an avid player and collector of video games and pinball machines for more than twenty-five years. He has written three previous books and numerous magazine articles about coin-operated machines. When he's not playing or writing about arcade games, Kurtz is the director of the journalism program at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schiffer
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2003
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764319256
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764319259
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1 x 11.5 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #833,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars (95)

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Bill Kurtz

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
95 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book provides good information about arcade video games, with one review noting it covers the bronze and golden age of arcade games. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its gaming value, with one customer describing it as a must-have for arcade enthusiasts. However, the picture quality receives mixed reviews, and one customer mentions the prices are outdated.

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Information qualityGame coverageGaming valuePicture qualityValue for money
7 customers mention "Information quality"6 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the information quality of the book, with one customer noting it provides comprehensive details about arcade video games, while another highlights its historical content.

"Fantastic book, so many pictures and so much history. Must have if you're a retro gamer and you miss the old arcades!" Read more

"I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the information even if the prices are now fairly outdated...." Read more

"Positives: Has lots of pictures of many games. Informative articles...." Read more

"Really like this book. Picture book but a lot of good information also. All the popular games and a bunch you probably haven't seen as well." Read more

5 customers mention "Game coverage"4 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's comprehensive coverage of arcade games, with one customer noting it covers the bronze and golden age, while another mentions it includes lots of pictures of many games.

"...This covers the bronze and golden age of arcade games, the era I was looking for. I definitely cherish this encyclopedia...." Read more

"...This book was exactly what I was looking for, an encyclopedia of arcade games." Read more

"Positives: Has lots of pictures of many games. Informative articles...." Read more

"...Seems like the author quit playing games after 1986,as not many games are covered and the info on most of them is pretty shallow...." Read more

3 customers mention "Gaming value"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the gaming value of the encyclopedia, with one noting it's a must-have for arcade enthusiasts and another mentioning it helps remember past arcade experiences.

"The book is good to member the arcade you played before and it was some of pictures in the book is okay and need to get more arcade game that over..." Read more

"This is a must have for any arcade enthusiasts!" Read more

"Amazing! Must have for Retro Gamers..." Read more

9 customers mention "Picture quality"5 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pictures in the book, with some finding them okay, while one customer notes that the picture quality is not the best.

"Really like this book. Picture book but a lot of good information also. All the popular games and a bunch you probably haven't seen as well." Read more

"...Negatives: A lot of the pictures are grainy or of poor quality...." Read more

"Fantastic book, so many pictures and so much history. Must have if you're a retro gamer and you miss the old arcades!" Read more

"Loved this book. Some picture quality is not the best but you can find some really scarce arcades in here. Definitely worth it." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"1 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's value for money, with some finding it not worth the expense.

"...this book sold way less...like a hundred or so copies. took mad amount of time off and way long on the handle. the con book ver. was like 30-40...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the information even if the prices are now fairly outdated...." Read more

"...Definitely worth it." Read more

"Not worth the expense..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jolt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Takes me back to the arcade.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    As an arcade enthusiast from back in the day when these wonderful machines first appeared, I am very pleased with this book. This book is more of a pictorial encyclopedia.
    (I also bought Attract Mode from Amazon as it is a source of more info.) This brings back many memories of games I had played and some mysterious ones I have never seen. Although I seek out retro arcades, this book is very fulfilling to own. Unlike console games, most of us are not going to own an actual arcade game. I DO NOT understand why other reviews criticize the photo quality, when it is great considering the rarity of many of these classic games. This covers the bronze and golden age of arcade games, the era I was looking for. I definitely cherish this encyclopedia. One issue if found is on page 94; when talking about the game Berzerk; it says “guide your robot through the maze…”. Even the basic arcade fan knows you are the humanoid. So i do question some of the accuracy in the details. But this is still a great keep sake.
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  • Mike Z
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2025
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    After going to a couple of retro arcades I wanted to do a little research. This book was exactly what I was looking for, an encyclopedia of arcade games.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Really like this book. Picture book but a lot of good information also. All the popular games and a bunch you probably haven't seen as well.
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  • Andrew Bieszczat
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Loved this book. Some picture quality is not the best but you can find some really scarce arcades in here. Definitely worth it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • keyvisuals
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! Must have for Retro Gamers
    Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Fantastic book, so many pictures and so much history. Must have if you're a retro gamer and you miss the old arcades!
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars 250,000
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    well being in about 250,000 sold books anyway... and a million + dvds is kool. this book sold way less...like a hundred or so copies. took mad amount of time off and way long on the handle. the con book ver. was like 30-40. go figure. you won't find stats that big at phof having a rare logo trophy. accurate though being published in software, mag + dvds and blu ray. it's like 50 + versus infinity cons. too much...yet loopy. not bad...liked it but what's it worth to you ? i would get it cuz it's a long investment. there are over 1,000 ps 3 games but not printed in this.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Matthew Kimmerle
    5.0 out of 5 stars History of Arcade Cabinets
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is a must have for any arcade enthusiasts!
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  • William H. Roberts Jr.
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's a Good Book That Could Have Been Better
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2011
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I had read the reviews of this book and had seen that it received some negative reviews. This seemed to be mainly about the quality of photos. I decided that I could overlook this as long as the content was solid. So I decided to buy it.

    I'll say that "The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games" is fairly impressive. It does show a lot of photos of classic arcade video games. I also like that it focuses only on the games that were in the arcades and did not feature home console games such as Atari 2600 and Colecovision. I especially enjoyed seeing the photos of the games from the 1970's. A lot of those games have been overlooked over the years and it's a treat to see how the arcade cabinets changed as time went on.

    But...This book could have been so much better. It would have been nice to see better photos featured, especially since this book was written not too long ago and photos from the Internet could have been provided. However, my biggest gripe with this book is that it is incomplete. For instance, it mentions the game "Eagle" but not its original version "Moon Cresta". Also, it lists most of the Pac-Man games but not "Jr. Pac-Man". If you are going to call a book the encyclopedia of arcade games, then I expect it to be more thorough. After all, the Killer List of Video Games website was around when this book was written (and is even mentioned near the back of the book). There's no excuse for sloppy research when the Internet was available. It also would have been nice to have an index at the book of the book listed the games in alphabetical order.

    All in all, a good book but it could and should have been better.
    22 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Peter B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book,great content, but very poor packaging.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is a great book. Really good content. Unfortunately very poor packaging. It’s a heavy hardback book, but it arrived in a tight plastic bag with no protection for the corners or the spine. 5 stars for the book. 0 stars for the packaging .
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  • G.V. Barlari Arriagada
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gran ilustración de recreativas.
    Reviewed in Spain on March 10, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Bien realizado , tapa dura sale una gran variedad de fotos con alguna explicación , recomendable para los aficionados a las recreativas.
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  • TjH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Belle encyclopédie du jeu d'arcade
    Reviewed in France on November 5, 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Un livre très documenté et plein de photos.
    la côte des bornes d'arcade de l'époque fait beaucoup rire... ou pas.
    Dommage de ne pas en avoir acheté des camions à cette période.
    un livre indispensable à tout passionné du monde de l'arcade.
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  • JH Kerensky
    2.0 out of 5 stars Producto muy flojo
    Reviewed in Spain on September 12, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Las imágenes son de pésima calidad, escaneadas de revistas ochenteras, apenas hay imágenes de calidad sobre los muebles y prácticamente ninguna sobre el juego.

    No está mal a modo estadístico, puesto parece muy completo, pero no es agradable ni interesante de ojear por su baja calidad editorial. No recomendado para entusiastas del Arcade.
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  • fridge22
    5.0 out of 5 stars Memory Lane for Arcade Gamers
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    A great piece of nostalgia that any arcade goer would want to reminisce about.
    Superb book.
    Report