Game Over
Game Over by David Sheffby David Sheff
Ranked 4 of 4 video game history books by recommenders
People 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.
People 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.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Compelling account of Tetris rights
“By far the most compelling telling I've seen of the "How BPS and Nintendo got the Tetris rights" story”
Comment from 26 Sep 2026 in “The Murky History of Soviet-Born Tetris” Best history of game distribution
“It's by far the best written history about video game distribution in the late 80s and early 90s.”
Comment from 26 Sep 2026 in “The Murky History of Soviet-Born Tetris” Recommended for interested readers
“If this is interesting to you, I recommend the book Game Over”
Comment from 10 Nov 2025 in “Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Shortcuts and factual errors
“He took shortcuts and got some important details wrong.”
Comment from 10 Nov 2025 in “Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES”
Other video game history books people recommend
The three most recommended other video game history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985-1993by Jordan Mechner | 11 | 1 | 92% | 3 | — | — |
| Tempest vs. Tempest: The Making and Remaking of Atari's Iconic Video Game | 7 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Blood, Sweat, and Pixelsby Jason Schreier | 4 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Game Overby David SheffThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's by far the best written history about video game distribution in the late 80s and early 90s.”
“By far the most compelling telling I've seen of the "How BPS and Nintendo got the Tetris rights" story”
“He took shortcuts and got some important details wrong.”
“If this is interesting to you, I recommend the book Game Over”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.