Excellent Book

I have quite a few gaming history books in my library but I think they are all Nintendo vs Sega and while the story is interesting it has been told numerous times. Replay on the other hand covers so many different topics (the European computer scene, arcades, etc..) that aren't covered that well elsewhere. The narrator is fantastic, great pacing, he just brought the book to life. I just can't recommend this book enough.

16 people found this helpful

A Wonderful and Thorough Companion to Video Games

Focuses on all video games but covers the computer angle more thoroughly. Great narrator.
It's not as thorough on all the game consoles as "The Ultimate History of Video Games" but it branches more into computer games in the U. K. and many parts of Europe and gives a more thorough background into how computer culture influenced second generation consoles and on. Brings video games up to 2012 and the advent of indie games on Steam. "Ultimate History" ends with the death of Sega as a console producer. The two books complement each other nicely.

12 people found this helpful

Sad to have this ruined by the narrator

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

They chose a narrator with a Scottish dialect. For me, it was too distracting -- and quite frankly, made no sense given the subject matter. Nothing against Scottsmen -- but it's too distinctive as an accent.

9 people found this helpful

A fine addition to my game history collection.

It gives me gratification that the area I chose to specialize in during my graduate studies - The history of games and simulations- is now getting serious attention. This book covers some of the same ground as others I have read, but still manages to deliver points and anecdotes missed elsewhere. Lots of direct quotes from game developers and designers, and a good narrative of the rise and fall of game styles and genres. Not sure if this is the performer or the nook text, but there are some errors like "Planescape: Torment" being referred to as "Planetscape" etc. Other than those small errors, I enjoyed this book thoroughly.

7 people found this helpful

This is the history to read.

Most books focus on the hardware and business. This is about that plus the art and the games. Very awesome book.

5 people found this helpful

This is the one you are looking for

This text starts with he stone age of video games in the 50's and 60's and goes up to the indie game generation of the late 2000's and early 2010's. That's a lot of ground to cover and A LOT of people/companies/games to include, but Donovan's work manages to do it with aplomb. It maintains a breezy, big-picture narrative that is colored in by by interviews and testimonials from the movers and shakers of the game industry. This gives the book a good pace without making it drag.

If you are looking for an engaging and panoramic history of the video game industry, then this is the one.

4 people found this helpful

Goes beyond your expectations in a good way

good narrator
good content
great job of building the history

only negative is that it can jump around a bit chronologically speaking, but does so to separate subjects

4 people found this helpful

Awesome retro nostalgia

Another audio book that I’ve re-listened to several times during the past year.
Good narration by Gary Furlong, adds an international vibe that conveys the scope of influences.
Great history lesson, finally understood where all that stuff came from when I was a kid!

3 people found this helpful

Perfect!

Loved it! was able to relive many memories just by listening to the words and the brief but detailed account of so many good (and not so good) games

3 people found this helpful

Fantastic, Captivating, and Inspiring

I absolutely loved listening to this. I was a bit saddened when it ended because I just wanted to keep listening. The level of detail is wonderful, and the unbiased storytelling made it very accessible.

2 people found this helpful