Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to the Golden Age of Video Games

by John Sellers

Arcade Fever is a full-color illustrated history of video arcade games, with tributes to more than 50 classic games like Pong, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Q-Bert, Frogger, and TRON. Learn which game caused a yen shortage in Japan -- and which games inspired breakfast cereals, Saturday-morning cartoons, episodes of Seinfeld,and #1 pop-music singles. Meet the visionary musicians, writers, animators, cabinet artists, and other unsung heroes of the video game industry. The perfect gift for anyone who spent their childhood in video arcades, Arcade Fever is a pop-culture nostalgia trip you won't want to miss! John Sellers writes for Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, TV Guide, and other national magazines. He is also the author of Pop Culture Aptitude Test: Rad, 80s Version. He was the World Champion of Donkey Kong in 1983 and appeared on the television show "That's Incredible!"

Genres: Games, Video Games, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Gaming, Reference, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

John Sellers is the author of The Old Man and the Swamp (2011), Perfect From Now On (2007) and Arcade Fever (2001). He writes about television for The Wrap and interviews musicians for Spin magazine. He currently lives in Brooklyn.

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Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun. Frequently the subject matter is more evocative than the writing.

Apparently Martin Amis wrote a guide to Space Invaders tactics in 1982. Apparently, his advice regarding Asteroids includes this: 'Don't go mad and reduce the whole screen to rubble- you'll find yourself dodging bricks, and will be stoned to death like an Iranian rapist.'

Wow. The best parts of this book are interviews with the creators of legendary games and arcades. Some of the games deserve a more in-depth look- lengthy asides about how fat Mario is, and how weird it is that he is a plumber are old hat. As my friend Gary points out, the term 'fan's guide' is misleading in this respect. What fan

I'd like more about the arcade behaviours and rules. Memories of big lads having high scores zapped by puny nerds.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up in the 80s, and gaming and arcades were a pasion, this is a must buy!

[Patrick]

This is one of the worst books of video game history that I have ever tried to read. Besides the fact that there is tons of sexual innuendo throughout (starting, literally, from the first line of the introduction), the text is full of Boomer references to vastly outdated pop culture and "the good old days" that it is just a slog to read.

For some games that originated in Japan, like Space Invaders and Pac-Man, only the U.S. manufacturer or distributor is listed in the info boxes. While the original creators are usually credited in the text itself, this gives the impression at first glance that Midway made these games when that isn't the case. (Games later in the book list their Japanese manufacturers for some reason.)

There are also strange segues into video game consoles and notable headlines from each year the book covers, further diluting the main content.

While the photography is nice, and there are some strong interviews with the likes of Nolan Bushnell and Walter Day, this wasn't enough to keep me reading. [Ended on page 34.]

[Quinton Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, nostalgic (for me) book of the arcade era of video games, starting with some of the earliest cabinet games in the 1970's and going through to about 1985. Most games get a one - two page of text detail with several color pictures.

There are also several interviews with industry leaders, tangential players, and people that have been involved with video game culture.

This book is a quick, fun book to read and explore.

[James Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book on the early video games. Absolutely loved it! Very well illustrated with color photos and artwork. I even loved Sellers' descriptions of the games. A great pop culture book.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting backgrounder to gaming history and game design progression.

[Read It · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a simple book can do to bring back marvelous visuals from a childhood. Mr. Sellers gave reviews on the most popular games and gave some hall of shame introductions. I like his reviews on Laser Disc Video Game Systems like Dragon Liar and some notable others. Mr. Sellers gave some nice reviews and brought a smile to me face. In today's world, When I mentioned arcade, nobody knows what an arcades or was. a dam shame. Did nice reviews on Galaxian, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong.

I never knew that Mario was called Jump man.

I loved the review on Punch out.

I remember vivid and lucid memories walking home from the school and stopping in the hole in the wall arcades on the block. I remember playing Time Pilot for hours. What cherished memories I will never forgot.

[Killerkobra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to read but some great pictures and overall nice design.

[Asher Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, fun to read, visual guide through the history of Golden-Age arcade gaming. A must own for those who are passionate about old school games.