thirtytwobirds's review against another edition
4.0
A great nostalgia-filled romp through a game that was a key part of many folks lives.
ZZT is basically what got me into programming all those years ago. It managed to hide the fact that it was programming until you were already neck-deep in it and by then it was too late: you were hooked.
This book is pretty light on the technical side of things -- it's mostly about the culture around ZZT and the author's experiences with it. For anyone in the ZZT scene as a kid it's going to bring back fond memories. If you never played ZZT but want to know how it kick-started a generation of programmers' careers it's a pretty good overview.
ZZT is basically what got me into programming all those years ago. It managed to hide the fact that it was programming until you were already neck-deep in it and by then it was too late: you were hooked.
This book is pretty light on the technical side of things -- it's mostly about the culture around ZZT and the author's experiences with it. For anyone in the ZZT scene as a kid it's going to bring back fond memories. If you never played ZZT but want to know how it kick-started a generation of programmers' careers it's a pretty good overview.
shallowdepths's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely and insightful. Rise of the Videogame Zinesters was cool but generally felt comfortable and familiar. ZZT is a glimpse into another world I've never been part of. I'm glad this book exists.
jessgock's review
3.0
I supported the Boss Fight Books Kickstarter and have received each of the books they've published to date, but ZZT is the one I was most looking forward to and the first one I read. I never played around with ZZT to the extent that the author or any of the people featured in the book did, but I do remember having a few ZZT games and wasting reams of paper printing out instructions on how to build my own games in the editor.
The book is solidly written and well researched, but it focuses more on the culture around ZZT and specifically the author's own experiences as a trans individual in the ZZT community. It shouldn't have surprised me that the book went in such a personal direction (the 33 1/3 series, which seems to be the model for Boss Fight Books, also allows authors a lot of freedom in their approach to the subject matter), and I found the personal stories really interesting, but I think I expected just a little bit more ZZT - which in retrospect is silly as there's really only so much to say about an ASCII text adventure game while there's a whole lot to say about the people who invested so much of their adolescent time in building worlds there.
Overall I found this enjoyable enough to read, but didn't feel it was strongly written enough that I'd recommend it to anyone who didn't specifically have an interest in any of the topics covered in the book.
The book is solidly written and well researched, but it focuses more on the culture around ZZT and specifically the author's own experiences as a trans individual in the ZZT community. It shouldn't have surprised me that the book went in such a personal direction (the 33 1/3 series, which seems to be the model for Boss Fight Books, also allows authors a lot of freedom in their approach to the subject matter), and I found the personal stories really interesting, but I think I expected just a little bit more ZZT - which in retrospect is silly as there's really only so much to say about an ASCII text adventure game while there's a whole lot to say about the people who invested so much of their adolescent time in building worlds there.
Overall I found this enjoyable enough to read, but didn't feel it was strongly written enough that I'd recommend it to anyone who didn't specifically have an interest in any of the topics covered in the book.
_hanna's review against another edition
4.0
Anna Anthropy is doing a tremendous job of documenting what life was like growing up with computers. Along with Leigh Alexander's "Breathing Machine", I've been in nostalgia overload.
partypete's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve heard of Anna Anthropy and I figured it was worth checking out something she wrote. This is a very charming book on early internet culture that hits close to home. A very interesting documentation of an obscure video game
getglitchd's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
If you're in to making video games, weird relics of a bygone era of computing, or the trans experience then this book is for you.
itiselizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
I knew nothing about ZZT before starting this book but I really enjoyed the insight into a world of programming that I've barely experienced from the perspective of an insider. Interspersed with biographical reflections this book is truly engaging and charming.
grahamiam's review against another edition
2.0
Wasn't for me, due to the fact that unlike the rest of the series that I've read, this one was ~80% a description of the games born out of ZZT (which I had not played) so it didn't overlap with what I was looking for very much.
More...