Game Over

by Dan Whitehead

The games we loved to play and the consoles time forgot

Genres: Nonfiction, Games

176 pages, Hardcover

Published November 2, 2017

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting with the announcement 2018 was the 40th anniversary of “Space Invaders”, this charts computer/video gaming from its infancy in the 50s and 60s through to today, though it spends a lot of time in the boom of the 70s and 80s, which worked perfectly for me. The format is simple, each double-page spread commenting either on a particular game, system or historic incident, with Whitehead making for a good host. He gets across plenty of facts with a good sense of humour, so this reads almost as though you’re sitting down with a more knowledgeable mate and having a nostalgic chat about the computers of your teens. The games are discussed broadly - though the programmers are almost always named - and the systems are put into context of what they led to, while the artwork is a mixture of screengrabs, cassette covers and production art. Funny, occasionally enlightening (I didn’t know there were Spectrum games built around James Herbert’s “The Rats” or “The A-Team”) and always readable, for someone who came into gaming in the 80s (I had a ZX81), this was an excellent read and I would highly recommend it.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that takes you back to the good old days of gaming, really liked it.