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Loading Screens and Memory Cards: Growing Up Gaming in the 90s and 00s
Loading Screens and Memory Cards is a nostalgic journey through the golden age of gaming — from Christmas mornings spent unwrapping new consoles to late-night sleepovers lit by the glow of CRTs.
If you remember blowing on cartridges, swapping cheat codes in the schoolyard, or fighting over who got the “good” controller, this book is for you.
Join Flandrew, known for his YouTube channel celebrating classic games, to look back at the consoles, games, and memories that defined a generation — the PlayStation 2 era, the GameCube’s weird charm, the chaos of birthday party split-screen, and the pure joy of discovering new worlds before microtransactions and day-one patches.
Funny, heartfelt, and packed with stories any 90s or 00s gamer will relate to, this is a love letter to the days when “please wait…” meant you had a moment to dream.
If you remember blowing on cartridges, swapping cheat codes in the schoolyard, or fighting over who got the “good” controller, this book is for you.
Join Flandrew, known for his YouTube channel celebrating classic games, to look back at the consoles, games, and memories that defined a generation — the PlayStation 2 era, the GameCube’s weird charm, the chaos of birthday party split-screen, and the pure joy of discovering new worlds before microtransactions and day-one patches.
Funny, heartfelt, and packed with stories any 90s or 00s gamer will relate to, this is a love letter to the days when “please wait…” meant you had a moment to dream.
- GenresNonfiction
217 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 30, 2026
It is a wonderfully fun and easy read. Each chapter is a short essay reflecting on memories that are specific enough to give them personality, but broad enough to remind me of my own time growing up. I think it certainly helps that I am roughly the same age as Flandrew so him talking about specific games applied perfectly to me.
The ending of the last chapter (Was the Wii cool or lame) and the epilogue are heartfelt and elegantly concise and probably my favorite parts of the book. His rediscovery of the joy of videogames through his younger brother's eyes and discussion on how videogames were the "background noise" to our childhood friendships perfectly encapsulates how I feel about this hobby.
Overall I would recommend for a 30 something who grew up playing games with friends and family.
The ending of the last chapter (Was the Wii cool or lame) and the epilogue are heartfelt and elegantly concise and probably my favorite parts of the book. His rediscovery of the joy of videogames through his younger brother's eyes and discussion on how videogames were the "background noise" to our childhood friendships perfectly encapsulates how I feel about this hobby.
Overall I would recommend for a 30 something who grew up playing games with friends and family.
January 31, 2026
If you're a fan of video games or you grew up in the 90's and 00's just like I did, then I think you'll enjoy this book.
This book takes a look back at the different eras of video games, from the Sega, Sony & Nintendo battle for the 90's, all the way through to all the oddities that came from the Nintendo Wii.
This was a very nostalgic trip down memory lane from the early memories of the PS1 (which was the first gaming console I owned), to the Pokemon craze and trying to decide which version of the game you wanted to buy, to having to decide which save data you needed to erase from your memory card to make more room for other save files and even down to the popularity battle between the Xbox360 and the Playstation 3, this book has something for everyone.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as it's narrated by the Author who has a YouTube channel of the same name. I also highly recommend checking out his Youtube channel , as he covers a lot of movie tie in games to Pokemon games and more.
This book takes a look back at the different eras of video games, from the Sega, Sony & Nintendo battle for the 90's, all the way through to all the oddities that came from the Nintendo Wii.
This was a very nostalgic trip down memory lane from the early memories of the PS1 (which was the first gaming console I owned), to the Pokemon craze and trying to decide which version of the game you wanted to buy, to having to decide which save data you needed to erase from your memory card to make more room for other save files and even down to the popularity battle between the Xbox360 and the Playstation 3, this book has something for everyone.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as it's narrated by the Author who has a YouTube channel of the same name. I also highly recommend checking out his Youtube channel , as he covers a lot of movie tie in games to Pokemon games and more.
July 6, 2026
An Absolute Blast of Nostalgia
I've enjoyed Flandrew's videos from the early days of his channel. Always informative with a good bit of humour found within. And this book perfectly translates that to words. As if reading the script for one of those videos.
And those words really capture the spirit of growing up with the Game Boy. With the PS1. With the start of HD consoles. There's a lot of anecdotes within that get me looking back to my own experiences within the era. The games and systems I most cherished. The friendships - whether fleeting or long-lasting - that were built on enjoying the interactive entertainment of video games.
It's a powerful load of nostalgia that this book delivers. To the point I read it all in one go, reliving everything Flandrew talked about. Even without that nostalgia, this is a great read into the era of games that felt ever-changing, from the personal perspective of someone who lived it. An easy recommendation from me.
I've enjoyed Flandrew's videos from the early days of his channel. Always informative with a good bit of humour found within. And this book perfectly translates that to words. As if reading the script for one of those videos.
And those words really capture the spirit of growing up with the Game Boy. With the PS1. With the start of HD consoles. There's a lot of anecdotes within that get me looking back to my own experiences within the era. The games and systems I most cherished. The friendships - whether fleeting or long-lasting - that were built on enjoying the interactive entertainment of video games.
It's a powerful load of nostalgia that this book delivers. To the point I read it all in one go, reliving everything Flandrew talked about. Even without that nostalgia, this is a great read into the era of games that felt ever-changing, from the personal perspective of someone who lived it. An easy recommendation from me.
May 10, 2026
This book was a fantastic trip down memory lane for me!! personally I loved the chapters about the PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and the Wii. It brought back so many hidden memories and nostalgic feelings, and I really recommend it to anyone who enjoys reminiscing on their childhood and all the great games that they played. I can still remember the morning that I got my PlayStation and it has to be one of my happiest childhood memories 😍 thank you to the author for taking me back to such a happy time, if you're considering reading this, definitely give it a try and you won't be sorry
April 22, 2026
A perfect trip through growing up in that era of gaming. 10/10: no notes.
My son loves the Switch/Switch2, but as a console to be HIS, I got him a GBA SP. He has a small collection of games for it that he enjoys. When I dug out the Wii and made him play Wii sports the first time, the look on his little 6-year-old face… he didn’t know bowling NOT in an alley was possible. Sometimes, the oldies are the best.
My son loves the Switch/Switch2, but as a console to be HIS, I got him a GBA SP. He has a small collection of games for it that he enjoys. When I dug out the Wii and made him play Wii sports the first time, the look on his little 6-year-old face… he didn’t know bowling NOT in an alley was possible. Sometimes, the oldies are the best.
January 13, 2026
A wonderful read
While my nostalgia isn't exactly the same, this book awoke inner feelings that I haven't felt in a long time. And reminded me of old memories I haven't thought of in years. A fantastic read from a great author. Hopefully there is more to come. Now I am off to relive some old memories and old games
While my nostalgia isn't exactly the same, this book awoke inner feelings that I haven't felt in a long time. And reminded me of old memories I haven't thought of in years. A fantastic read from a great author. Hopefully there is more to come. Now I am off to relive some old memories and old games
December 22, 2025
really fun walk down memory lane. great book. check out his YouTube channel.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews