Great non-fiction books about videogames

[George White]

Especially about the 90s.

So many great books about film and TV, but little about games.
Any recs?

[Pink Gregory]

People seem to like Masters of Doom, see it referenced fairly often; other than that I can't think of much.

[oggyraiding]

When I worked at video game museum we sold a lot of coffee table book type things, stuff that's not super in depth but nice pictures and a bit of info on the games or boxart or whatever they focused on. Also the Oliver Twins' Story, signed by the Oliver Twins.

I think the only ones I've read have been Masters Of Doom (which is good), and some book which was essays about how various Final Fantasy elements relate to philosophy which was pretentious garbage.

[Glebe]

the Oliver Twins' Story, signed by the Oliver Twins.

/thread.

[Ignatius_S]

Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 1 by Steve Kent - often seen as a definitive work of early days up to the 2000s; really worth a read but it's basically just focussed on America and the Japan... nothing of interest happened in Europe during that time, obviously. There's a second volume, which I haven't read but understand it's worth reading, albeit not up to the same standard.

Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO - drawn from online articles and the Ask Iwata interviews; it's essentially advice and philosophy about leadership and contains illuminating thoughts about game design. It's a lovely book and one that's great to dip into and feel has a large appeal.

Blood, Sweat and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games are Made – Jason Schreier. An outstanding look at game development and Schreier is a wonderful journalist on the subject.

Game over: How Nintendo Conquered the World by David Sheff. I don't think it's easy getting a cheap version of this  or that you can get an ebook version in the UK, but it's the definitive account of Nintendo's domination in the 1980s.

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation by Blake J Harris. I haven't read this (picked it up cheap a while ago) but it looks at Sega versus Sony and Nintendo. From various accounts, it's very much from Sega of America and a marketing point of view, neglecting other sides of the story but still an interesting look.

[studpuppet]

[madhair60]

All Games Are Good by Stuart Gipp, out late June from Press Run