The best video game history books, according to hackers
4 video game history books recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
All video game history books
- The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985-1993 by Jordan MechnerJordan Mechner's journals from 1985 to 1993 show how he built Prince of Persia, with day-to-day detail that readers enjoy, especially gamers who remember the 1990s. One critic said it was not what they had hoped for.11recommend
- Tempest vs. Tempest: The Making and Remaking of Atari's Iconic Video GameReaders call it great and well written, a detailed look at how Atari's Tempest was made and remade. No recurring caveats were raised.7recommend
- Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason SchreierReaders recommend it for its accounts of how popular video games were made, including a good chapter on the development of Stardew Valley.4recommend
- Game Over by David SheffPeople recommend it as a well-written account of how video game distribution and licensing worked in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the Tetris rights deal. One critic says it takes shortcuts and gets some details wrong.3recommend