djotaku's review against another edition
2.0
On the negative side, I didn't realize beforehand this was written by a venture capitalist guy from the point of view of running companies. That made it less fun than if it'd been about the amazing and revolutionary games these companies made. However, it still ended up being pretty interesting in two main ways for me. First, seeing how much money was needed to start up changed through the decades. Second, seeing that there is no one right way to run a company. Some were family-friendly and others were time-sucks. But all of them made innovative games and were successful. One other takeaway is that some companies lasted a long time and others were closer to one-hit wonders before they either closed or were bought.
I'd say if you're interested in business and like video games, it's a nice way to combine the two. I wouldn't have minded reading this book for an MBA. If you're looking for a history of the key games in history and the studios that made them, it'll be less fulfilling.
I'd say if you're interested in business and like video games, it's a nice way to combine the two. I wouldn't have minded reading this book for an MBA. If you're looking for a history of the key games in history and the studios that made them, it'll be less fulfilling.
justinliew's review
3.0
Some great interviews, but overall it was a bit uneven. The interviews with Nolan Bushnell, Wild Bill Stealey, Tony Goodman, Warren Spector, Ken Williams, Jason Rubin and Ted Price were informative and/or entertaining.
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