Scan barcode
ojtheviking's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 rounded up.
My first read of 2024, and a neat read at that!
For those of us of a certain age who grew up loving video games, we can all remember how there was a constant battle between Nintendo and Sega. Most of us witnessed it through commercials and how they tried to outdo each other in terms of games and gadgets. It's then interesting to get a little glimpse of how things transpired behind the scenes through this book.
The book itself is interesting, too. While it certainly falls under the categories of non-fiction, biographies, and history due to dealing with real events, the story is presented through a fiction-style narrative. It makes it almost feel like a written version of a biopic. And fittingly enough, not unlike a biopic, the author himself admits that some things may have been presented for dramatic effect (although he does assure us that the gist of the real events is still present).
But I think that's a smart approach: This book focuses strongly on the business side of things, so the dramatized narration is a clever tool to prevent the story from being too dry and borderline tedious. The order of events is presented in a way that shows how messy the history of the gaming industry could be, even internal conflicts between Sega of America and Sega of Japan due to different work ethics and marketing strategies, which builds tension and a sense of urgency within the narrative.
It's undeniably worded in a way that emphasizes how Sega took some risks in their David vs. Goliath mission, trying their best to be the cool uncle of the gaming industry. If Nintendo was classical music, Sega was punk rock. That's not to say that the book is completely worded so that Nintendo is the villain of the story, but it makes me respect Sega's efforts all the more.
Again, this book tells the story of a race for the finish line, with both Sega and Nintendo trying to become the most successful and leading video game company, so if you want to read specifically about the history of video games in and of themselves for the sake of nostalgia, this might not entirely be the one that provides this for you. Sure, such franchises as Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog (and more) are mentioned, but only in the context of how profitable and popular these would prove to be for the companies.
All in all, I enjoyed this book!
My first read of 2024, and a neat read at that!
For those of us of a certain age who grew up loving video games, we can all remember how there was a constant battle between Nintendo and Sega. Most of us witnessed it through commercials and how they tried to outdo each other in terms of games and gadgets. It's then interesting to get a little glimpse of how things transpired behind the scenes through this book.
The book itself is interesting, too. While it certainly falls under the categories of non-fiction, biographies, and history due to dealing with real events, the story is presented through a fiction-style narrative. It makes it almost feel like a written version of a biopic. And fittingly enough, not unlike a biopic, the author himself admits that some things may have been presented for dramatic effect (although he does assure us that the gist of the real events is still present).
But I think that's a smart approach: This book focuses strongly on the business side of things, so the dramatized narration is a clever tool to prevent the story from being too dry and borderline tedious. The order of events is presented in a way that shows how messy the history of the gaming industry could be, even internal conflicts between Sega of America and Sega of Japan due to different work ethics and marketing strategies, which builds tension and a sense of urgency within the narrative.
It's undeniably worded in a way that emphasizes how Sega took some risks in their David vs. Goliath mission, trying their best to be the cool uncle of the gaming industry. If Nintendo was classical music, Sega was punk rock. That's not to say that the book is completely worded so that Nintendo is the villain of the story, but it makes me respect Sega's efforts all the more.
Again, this book tells the story of a race for the finish line, with both Sega and Nintendo trying to become the most successful and leading video game company, so if you want to read specifically about the history of video games in and of themselves for the sake of nostalgia, this might not entirely be the one that provides this for you. Sure, such franchises as Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog (and more) are mentioned, but only in the context of how profitable and popular these would prove to be for the companies.
All in all, I enjoyed this book!
bookishraereads's review
5.0
A must read for anyone growing up in the late 80s, early 90s and loved everything to do with videogames.
lukehoop's review
4.0
Fascinating and highly detailed. Loved all the info on the famous SEGA advertising in the early 90's. The review process between Goodby and Weiden+Kennedy was fun to read about.
The narrative dialogue aspect was a bit weird at times but for the most part made the book more enjoyable.
The narrative dialogue aspect was a bit weird at times but for the most part made the book more enjoyable.
peba's review
4.0
Great book about marketing, sales, and American-Japanese relations. Also some interesting technological history.
ladyars's review against another edition
3.0
Bom livro. Fica piegas e floreado em alguns momentos, com emoções e pensamentos imaginados para as pessoas, mas não deixa de passar os fatos. A tradução peca por ser literal demais às vezes, para um livro que utiliza muitas expressões idiomáticas - dá pra perceber de onde veio a expressão original em inglês - poderia ter havido mais adaptação.
alessiolarva's review
3.0
Un libro che poteva essere un'ottima occasione per fare storia e cronaca di un mondo che secondo me ormai è abbastanza maturo da riflettere sul suo passato. Non ho apprezzato lo stile di Harris, avrei preferito un racconto super partes, oggettivo; nonostante ciò è da ammirare il lavoro di ricerca che ha portato alla luce davvero tanti episodi interessanti. La traduzione italiana a mio avviso non è all'altezza e la qualità di stampa del volume è imbarazzante, nonostante la copertina sia molto bella e venga dato in allegato un mini poster dove sono evidenziati gli eventi più importanti del periodo preso in considerazione.
docwald's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Well written and engaging, but I would have liked to know more about the sources used than a page long author's note.