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Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
Breaking down the 40-year history of the world’s most popular art form, one video game at a time
Pong. The Legend of Zelda. Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band. Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022. Minor explores development stories, critical reception, and legacy, and also looks at how gaming intersects with and eventually influences society at large while reveling in how uniquely and delightfully bizarre even the most famous games tend to be.
From portly plumbers to armor-clad space marines and the speedy rodents in between, Video Game of the Year paints individual portraits that, as a whole, give readers a stronger appreciation for the vibrant variety and long-lasting impact of this fresh, exciting, and massively popular art form. Illustrated throughout with retro-inspired imagery and featuring contributions from dozens of leading industry voices, including New York Times bestselling author Jason Schreier (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels; Kotaku), Max Scoville (IGN), Rebekah Valentine (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Devindra Hardawar (Engadget), this year-by-year anthology is a loving reflection on the world’s most popular art form.
Featured Games: 1977 - Pong; 1978 - Space Invaders; 1979 - Speed Freak; 1980 - Pac-Man; 1981 - Donkey Kong; 1982 - Pitfall!; 1983 - Dragon’s Lair; 1984 - Tetris; 1985 - Super Mario Bros.; 1986 - Dragon Quest; 1987 - The Legend of Zelda; 1988 - Mega Man 2; 1989 - SimCity; 1990 - The Secret of Monkey Island; 1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog; 1992 - Wolfenstein 3D; 1993 - NBA Jam; 1994 - Super Street Fighter II Turbo; 1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2; 1996 - Super Mario 64; 1997 - Final Fantasy VII; 1998 - Metal Gear Solid; 1999 - System Shock 2; 2000 Counter-Strike; 2001 - Halo: Combat Evolved; 2002 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; 2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; 2004 - World of Warcraft; 2005 - Resident Evil 4; 2006 - Wii Sports; 2007 - Rock Band; 2008 - Spore; 2009 - Uncharted 2; 2010 - Super Meat Boy; 2011 - Minecraft; 2012 - Telltale’s The Walking Dead; 2013 - Depression Quest; 2014 - Destiny; 2015 - The Witcher 3; 2016 - Pokémon Go; 2017 - Fortnite; 2018 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; 2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; 2020 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons; 2022 - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Pong. The Legend of Zelda. Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band. Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022. Minor explores development stories, critical reception, and legacy, and also looks at how gaming intersects with and eventually influences society at large while reveling in how uniquely and delightfully bizarre even the most famous games tend to be.
From portly plumbers to armor-clad space marines and the speedy rodents in between, Video Game of the Year paints individual portraits that, as a whole, give readers a stronger appreciation for the vibrant variety and long-lasting impact of this fresh, exciting, and massively popular art form. Illustrated throughout with retro-inspired imagery and featuring contributions from dozens of leading industry voices, including New York Times bestselling author Jason Schreier (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels; Kotaku), Max Scoville (IGN), Rebekah Valentine (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Devindra Hardawar (Engadget), this year-by-year anthology is a loving reflection on the world’s most popular art form.
Featured Games: 1977 - Pong; 1978 - Space Invaders; 1979 - Speed Freak; 1980 - Pac-Man; 1981 - Donkey Kong; 1982 - Pitfall!; 1983 - Dragon’s Lair; 1984 - Tetris; 1985 - Super Mario Bros.; 1986 - Dragon Quest; 1987 - The Legend of Zelda; 1988 - Mega Man 2; 1989 - SimCity; 1990 - The Secret of Monkey Island; 1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog; 1992 - Wolfenstein 3D; 1993 - NBA Jam; 1994 - Super Street Fighter II Turbo; 1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2; 1996 - Super Mario 64; 1997 - Final Fantasy VII; 1998 - Metal Gear Solid; 1999 - System Shock 2; 2000 Counter-Strike; 2001 - Halo: Combat Evolved; 2002 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; 2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; 2004 - World of Warcraft; 2005 - Resident Evil 4; 2006 - Wii Sports; 2007 - Rock Band; 2008 - Spore; 2009 - Uncharted 2; 2010 - Super Meat Boy; 2011 - Minecraft; 2012 - Telltale’s The Walking Dead; 2013 - Depression Quest; 2014 - Destiny; 2015 - The Witcher 3; 2016 - Pokémon Go; 2017 - Fortnite; 2018 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; 2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; 2020 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons; 2022 - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
296 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 19, 2023
3.5 Stars // Let’s-a-go
Books about the ever growing gaming market are still - weirdly - a rarity.
Maybe it’s because the medium lends it self much better to be discussed in a video essay format, like on YouTube, due to the very visual nature of it. Still, because (presumably) so many authors nowadays must have grown up with video games now, you would think that the print market would therefore be much more saturated with books about that topic. I’m therefore ever more grateful, when we get one of these rare gems and in this case I liked the elevator pitch from the get-go:
Author Jordan Minor picks one ‘game of the year’ from 1977 to 2022 and discusses its innovations, importance within the gaming industry and wider cultural impact in an essay-like format. He is very good in articulating his respective thoughts and picks for each year, especially given that in some years it is really, really hard to pick one release over the other (see for example 2017 where he chose Fortnite over the - arguably - much more innovativ The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild).
I really enjoyed my time with the book for the most part, but can’t help but feeling a little bit let-down by the overall addendums to each game. For example, each year comes with one to three ‘extra lives’ in which guest authors write a few words about some games of their choosing. At first I thought that this would be a great way to discuss the ‘runner-ups’ that didn’t quite make it to Game of the Year, but weirdly, these picks don't fit neither the year, nor the game they are attached to? They also feel a bit unnecessary overall as the compromised space these guest authors were given can never give the games they chose any justice. These segments felt more like name-dropping, just to have these franchises in the book as well and milk the nostalgia a little bit.
Each Game of the Year is also accompanied by a little graphic or drawing relating to said game. I assume that it was down to licensing issues, but I would have of course much more preferred getting some actual screenshots of the games discussed, rather than a rather generic illustration with the ever same art style.
Maybe I am a little bit biased due to being a life-long gamer myself, but still: I enjoyed my time with the book and hope it encourages other authors to follow into Jordans footsteps.
Books about the ever growing gaming market are still - weirdly - a rarity.
Maybe it’s because the medium lends it self much better to be discussed in a video essay format, like on YouTube, due to the very visual nature of it. Still, because (presumably) so many authors nowadays must have grown up with video games now, you would think that the print market would therefore be much more saturated with books about that topic. I’m therefore ever more grateful, when we get one of these rare gems and in this case I liked the elevator pitch from the get-go:
Author Jordan Minor picks one ‘game of the year’ from 1977 to 2022 and discusses its innovations, importance within the gaming industry and wider cultural impact in an essay-like format. He is very good in articulating his respective thoughts and picks for each year, especially given that in some years it is really, really hard to pick one release over the other (see for example 2017 where he chose Fortnite over the - arguably - much more innovativ The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild).
I really enjoyed my time with the book for the most part, but can’t help but feeling a little bit let-down by the overall addendums to each game. For example, each year comes with one to three ‘extra lives’ in which guest authors write a few words about some games of their choosing. At first I thought that this would be a great way to discuss the ‘runner-ups’ that didn’t quite make it to Game of the Year, but weirdly, these picks don't fit neither the year, nor the game they are attached to? They also feel a bit unnecessary overall as the compromised space these guest authors were given can never give the games they chose any justice. These segments felt more like name-dropping, just to have these franchises in the book as well and milk the nostalgia a little bit.
Each Game of the Year is also accompanied by a little graphic or drawing relating to said game. I assume that it was down to licensing issues, but I would have of course much more preferred getting some actual screenshots of the games discussed, rather than a rather generic illustration with the ever same art style.
Maybe I am a little bit biased due to being a life-long gamer myself, but still: I enjoyed my time with the book and hope it encourages other authors to follow into Jordans footsteps.
March 20, 2024
At its core, video games are nothing but interactive programmes that require imputs from the people who play them. This books focuses on the latter group; the people who made videeo games into what they are. Not just genuis programmes, directors and developers but also the people who loved them.
The love that this book oozes for video games and its audience is nothing short of heartwarming. You can tell the author and everyone involved adores the games they were allowed to speak about.
Yes, it's a book full opinions [ the book even begins with that! ] but that too, is part of gaming. Maybe Super Mario 64 was never your game of the year, but the books dedicates about two to four pages on why [ even if it's not yours ! ] a strong contender to be a game of the year. Either it was a first of something, a new direction, something shiny and new that paved the way for others. Cult classics and games that went into the millions of sales are all featured and it'a delight to read about them by people who know what they're talking about and even more important; love what they are talking about.
At times funny and brutally honest Video Game of The Year is a wonderful little book with games [and gamers] from all over the world and backgrounds. Never shying away from the more dark parts of gaming culture, it's honest, warm and all around plain fun.
The love that this book oozes for video games and its audience is nothing short of heartwarming. You can tell the author and everyone involved adores the games they were allowed to speak about.
Yes, it's a book full opinions [ the book even begins with that! ] but that too, is part of gaming. Maybe Super Mario 64 was never your game of the year, but the books dedicates about two to four pages on why [ even if it's not yours ! ] a strong contender to be a game of the year. Either it was a first of something, a new direction, something shiny and new that paved the way for others. Cult classics and games that went into the millions of sales are all featured and it'a delight to read about them by people who know what they're talking about and even more important; love what they are talking about.
At times funny and brutally honest Video Game of The Year is a wonderful little book with games [and gamers] from all over the world and backgrounds. Never shying away from the more dark parts of gaming culture, it's honest, warm and all around plain fun.
March 16, 2024
I think I was expecting this book to be something other than it was. I wanted information and facts about each of the games that won Game of the Year — not opinions. It was very obvious which games that the author liked and which he didn’t. I also didn’t like the “Level Up” section at the end of each chapter that talked about other random games. They felt thrown in or tacked on because most of the time they didn’t have anything to do with the main game mentioned in the chapter and were also written by random people.
December 19, 2023
A tour of notable video games throughout the decades, with contributions from a number of different games industry writers. Writing quality and impact varied some, as might be expected from a collection like this, and it felt disjointed at times, with the “extra life” picks (essentially honorable mentions) from other writers at the end of each chapter too often seeming to be placed in random years, but overall this was an enjoyable enough experience.
February 8, 2024
Good read about the video games we grew up playing, brings back lots of fun memories and this book gives perspective to how each game affected the gaming culture.
March 7, 2024
Funny enough, despite considering myself a gamer, I've probably only played about half the games in this book. I've never touched Zelda, didn't quite get into Destiny.A lot of the Mario Games elude me. And yet, as someone who games frequently, I could feel those games' presence permeating through a culture with which I identify strongly.
Video Game of the Year is a Video Game history book masquarading as an anthology. On his quest to discuss the most important, if not best, game from each year, Jordan touches on not only how the games we love came to be, but why we love them and essentially, why we play games.
One of my most enjoyable parts of the book were the little asides by guest writers speaking to the games that formed and shaped them. These are smaller sections of the book, but they're a fun window as to how such a simple hobby can unite so many people for so many different reasons.
Video Game of the Year is a Video Game history book masquarading as an anthology. On his quest to discuss the most important, if not best, game from each year, Jordan touches on not only how the games we love came to be, but why we love them and essentially, why we play games.
One of my most enjoyable parts of the book were the little asides by guest writers speaking to the games that formed and shaped them. These are smaller sections of the book, but they're a fun window as to how such a simple hobby can unite so many people for so many different reasons.
January 8, 2024
45 years of video game history, its evolution, and the wonderful memories that have developed across nearly half a century…
Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 by Jordan Minor is a historical breakdown of significant video games…covering one game for each year.
Obviously, any writing about this subject can be highly subjective, but the author picked his list based on historical importance and how it influenced the video game industry. Also, while a majority of the list are console video games, there is coverage of arcade, computer, and phone games when such entries would be relevent for “video game of the year” consideration.
Each chapter is also accompanied by an “extra life” section which covers either innovations that came out that year, notable blunders in the industry, or other games that released that year but managed to not make the number one spot due to the significance of its competition.
I am sure there are those that will disagree with some of these. I myself disagreed with one of the early entries on this list, but I understood what the author was going for as each “video game of the year” includes a few pages of the historic importance and ongoing influence of the chosen game (either in sequels, spinoffs, imitators, or gameplay firsts).
This book is worth checking out even if you disagree as it creates a chance to debate what you feel should be in a certain year.
Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 by Jordan Minor is a historical breakdown of significant video games…covering one game for each year.
Obviously, any writing about this subject can be highly subjective, but the author picked his list based on historical importance and how it influenced the video game industry. Also, while a majority of the list are console video games, there is coverage of arcade, computer, and phone games when such entries would be relevent for “video game of the year” consideration.
Each chapter is also accompanied by an “extra life” section which covers either innovations that came out that year, notable blunders in the industry, or other games that released that year but managed to not make the number one spot due to the significance of its competition.
I am sure there are those that will disagree with some of these. I myself disagreed with one of the early entries on this list, but I understood what the author was going for as each “video game of the year” includes a few pages of the historic importance and ongoing influence of the chosen game (either in sequels, spinoffs, imitators, or gameplay firsts).
This book is worth checking out even if you disagree as it creates a chance to debate what you feel should be in a certain year.
February 24, 2023
A fun, quick read that you don't necessarily need to be a hardcore gamer to understand. Its written in a funny, conversational tone that makes it you want to keep reading.
I imagine the book, when it's released, will work really well as a coffee table book. My fear was that the format was going to make for a very strange read on my Kindle, and while it mostly works, the short blurbs and graphics are probably better suited for an oversized hardcover.
The book needs at least one more pass-through from a proofreader. The small typos become unavoidable, particularly in the second half of the book where they appear on almost every page. The chapter on Resident Evil cuts off mid-sentence. "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" remains the title in the footer long after that chapter ends. 1977-2022 is a forty-five year span, not forty. Most alarmingly, entire chapters advertised earlier in the book (2009-2011, 2014, 2015, 2017-2022) are missing from my copy entirely. You can't charge people money for the book in its current state, honestly.
The book is a fun concept with strong bones that isn't quite ready to be released yet.
I want to thank NetGalley and ABRAMS for my advanced copy.
I imagine the book, when it's released, will work really well as a coffee table book. My fear was that the format was going to make for a very strange read on my Kindle, and while it mostly works, the short blurbs and graphics are probably better suited for an oversized hardcover.
The book needs at least one more pass-through from a proofreader. The small typos become unavoidable, particularly in the second half of the book where they appear on almost every page. The chapter on Resident Evil cuts off mid-sentence. "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" remains the title in the footer long after that chapter ends. 1977-2022 is a forty-five year span, not forty. Most alarmingly, entire chapters advertised earlier in the book (2009-2011, 2014, 2015, 2017-2022) are missing from my copy entirely. You can't charge people money for the book in its current state, honestly.
The book is a fun concept with strong bones that isn't quite ready to be released yet.
I want to thank NetGalley and ABRAMS for my advanced copy.
August 23, 2023
A bit of a mixed bag - lovely art (which is how I found out about the book), good writing (if a somewhat wavering mix between video game history and personal opinion, though at least this was made clear up front), and questionable design choices (multiple pages of text where the text color itself was a left-to-right gradient forcing your eyes to repeatedly adjust on every single line, multiple different "section formats" with different typographic styles that rotated every few pages). Issues with this particular publication aside, I'd happily read something more in-depth by the same author, as many subjects touched on here deserve histories of their own.
January 15, 2024
Sweet Nostalgia!! As a 45 year old woman, this book covering 45 years of the best, boldest and most bizarre games was a wonderful trip down memory lane and a snapshot of core memories of my youth. This book was clever and fun to look at and DID NOT MISS. Every game that I thought would be respresenting in this book was. The commentary and look back at video games that help so many captive at different points in time in history was thoughtful and poignant. Enteratining read for sure and so easy to devour on my day off.
Read
January 10, 2024It wouldn't feel fair to give this a star rating, because Goodreads has you rate your experience with a book rather than the book itself, and I would probably give it two stars. But that's mostly due to the gap between the book I expected and the book I actually got.
The book I expected:
A collection of eloquent and thought-provoking essays about video games by dozens of people in the industry, offering a fresh take on games you're already familiar with and an exploration of some deep cuts and forgotten gems.
The book I got:
A series of chapters by one guy explaining the history and basic concepts of dozens of famous video games, as well as why they're famous and occasionally ways in which they're bad or the author doesn't like them. After each of these are a paragraph or two each about three or four other games, each written by a different person in the games industry.
I'll own up to having come in with assumptions due to hearing Scott Benson of Night in the Woods fame(?) had a section where he called Demon's Souls "a mouthful of corpses game for a mouthful of corpses year". (This did end up being the highlight of the book, despite being a rework of a Twitter thread from 2019.) But the quality of the writing, in terms of prose and composition, ranges from serviceable to the headache-inducing
Thankfully the writing is never as annoying as it is in the first few chapters, or maybe I just got used to it. But I think the book's bigger problem is that it can't decide whether it wants to be something you give your mom to get her to understand what this "video games" thing is about, or a critical work for people who already love video games. Minor takes the time to explain really basic stuff, like what a JRPG is or what Minecraft is like, but then he'll throw out references or terminology that would be incomprehensible to a newcomer. Despite devoting three gorgeous pages to each game's introduction, the book doesn't contain a single actual screenshot, and even the small guest sections will often sing a game's praises without even mentioning what kind of game it is.
This book is explicitly an attempt to memorialize gaming history, and I guess it succeeds insofar as you'd be able to read this a century from now and come away with a basic understanding of trends and innovations in video games over a 45-year period. I even learned a couple new things, and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about this subject. I'm just left wanting to read the book I thought this was.
The book I expected:
A collection of eloquent and thought-provoking essays about video games by dozens of people in the industry, offering a fresh take on games you're already familiar with and an exploration of some deep cuts and forgotten gems.
The book I got:
A series of chapters by one guy explaining the history and basic concepts of dozens of famous video games, as well as why they're famous and occasionally ways in which they're bad or the author doesn't like them. After each of these are a paragraph or two each about three or four other games, each written by a different person in the games industry.
I'll own up to having come in with assumptions due to hearing Scott Benson of Night in the Woods fame(?) had a section where he called Demon's Souls "a mouthful of corpses game for a mouthful of corpses year". (This did end up being the highlight of the book, despite being a rework of a Twitter thread from 2019.) But the quality of the writing, in terms of prose and composition, ranges from serviceable to the headache-inducing
The pressure of Activision's dramatic creation led to quite the diamond with Pitfall!, a game where you collected diamonds along with gold, silver, and cash.
Thankfully the writing is never as annoying as it is in the first few chapters, or maybe I just got used to it. But I think the book's bigger problem is that it can't decide whether it wants to be something you give your mom to get her to understand what this "video games" thing is about, or a critical work for people who already love video games. Minor takes the time to explain really basic stuff, like what a JRPG is or what Minecraft is like, but then he'll throw out references or terminology that would be incomprehensible to a newcomer. Despite devoting three gorgeous pages to each game's introduction, the book doesn't contain a single actual screenshot, and even the small guest sections will often sing a game's praises without even mentioning what kind of game it is.
This book is explicitly an attempt to memorialize gaming history, and I guess it succeeds insofar as you'd be able to read this a century from now and come away with a basic understanding of trends and innovations in video games over a 45-year period. I even learned a couple new things, and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about this subject. I'm just left wanting to read the book I thought this was.
March 8, 2024
I came of age with video games, arriving in the world around the same time as Mario, and have enjoyed their maturation into a genuine art form, with sophisticated storytelling that makes most Hollywood offerings look like a middle school play by comparison. Video Game of the Year takes us through their development, beginning with Pong and continuing to 2022. The format is simple: there’s a brief write-up on each game, which varies in quality, followed by a section called “Extra Life” which has a briefer blurb on a game that followed in the highlighted game’s footsteps, followed by blurbs from other authors on other games that appear utterly random.How do you connect Mega Man and Madden? Or Sid Meier’s Civilization and Sonic the Hedgehog? (For that matter, the only mention of Civ is a blurb? This aggression will not stand, man.) The book is enjoyable enough if you’re a fan of videogames — well, tolerable — but it’s not impressive — not for its preachy writing or its selection. I was absolutely astonished that games like Civilization, Starcraft (STARCRAFT!), and Half-Life weren’t given their own chapters, but instead treated with little blurbs at the end of other chapters, or shoehorned in elsewhere. Another odd oversight is that games’ sound design and music is never referenced, which is frankly bizarre. It’s not “Hey, I’m going to write a book about video games and never mention Everquest or Ultima Online” bizarre, but still — pretty frickin’ weird. Beyond the games that are forgotten or dealt with shallowly despite their importance, Minor also has some games that are inexplicable. Spore, game of the year? Even as a Maxis-that-was fanboy I have to shake my head. Another game is included that no one has heard of beyond its role in a controversy that only reddit trolls care about, but it gives Minor the opportunity to fully mount his soapbox and dispensing the same shallow, boring takes as everywhere else on the internet. Given the repeated slights to PC games, I imagine a console gamer would enjoy this collection more.
Related:
Replay: The History of Video Games
The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech, which highlights games that dominated particular systems.
Masters of Doom, Prepare to Meet thy Doom, and Jacked, David Kushner. Histories of id software, Rockstar, etc.
Sid Meier’s Memoir, Sid Meier
Related:
Replay: The History of Video Games
The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech, which highlights games that dominated particular systems.
Masters of Doom, Prepare to Meet thy Doom, and Jacked, David Kushner. Histories of id software, Rockstar, etc.
Sid Meier’s Memoir, Sid Meier
January 26, 2023
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
This is a very interesting take on the history of video games. Rather than just list the most popular or award-winning game of a given year, the book lists what is deemed the most important, influential, revolutionary or otherwise transformative game that came out year. The nostalgia for the early games of the 70s and 80s made for some of the best chapters, and those of the 90s on provided many details I would never have known otherwise. Each chapter is pretty short, so you could easily choose to sit down and just read about one or two years in a few minutes. In addition to the main games listed, most chapters include secondary entries intended on being further informative about that game and others not included as a game of the year. However, while some of those subsidiary entries relate directly to that chapter's title, or at least its theme, many of the secondary columns seem randomly placed. The one big drawback of this book is, it was obviously imagined as being a hardbound coffee table-like volume. For the copy I read on Kindle the text was ridiculously small, and it wasn't really text, it was an image, so you can't adjust the size of the text. The secondary entries are even worse, with smaller print and on a puke-green background making them even harder to read. My biggest disappointment came when I discovered that the chapter I most wanted to read, Resident Evil 4, abruptly ended mid-paragraph - there was definitely a page or more missing, as there appeared to be in the chapter on The Walking Dead game. Hopefully those missing pages will be corrected before publication. Because of these issues, I would rate this 3.5* rounded up to 4.
This is a very interesting take on the history of video games. Rather than just list the most popular or award-winning game of a given year, the book lists what is deemed the most important, influential, revolutionary or otherwise transformative game that came out year. The nostalgia for the early games of the 70s and 80s made for some of the best chapters, and those of the 90s on provided many details I would never have known otherwise. Each chapter is pretty short, so you could easily choose to sit down and just read about one or two years in a few minutes. In addition to the main games listed, most chapters include secondary entries intended on being further informative about that game and others not included as a game of the year. However, while some of those subsidiary entries relate directly to that chapter's title, or at least its theme, many of the secondary columns seem randomly placed. The one big drawback of this book is, it was obviously imagined as being a hardbound coffee table-like volume. For the copy I read on Kindle the text was ridiculously small, and it wasn't really text, it was an image, so you can't adjust the size of the text. The secondary entries are even worse, with smaller print and on a puke-green background making them even harder to read. My biggest disappointment came when I discovered that the chapter I most wanted to read, Resident Evil 4, abruptly ended mid-paragraph - there was definitely a page or more missing, as there appeared to be in the chapter on The Walking Dead game. Hopefully those missing pages will be corrected before publication. Because of these issues, I would rate this 3.5* rounded up to 4.
August 20, 2023
I like to play video games but, I don't keep up with the new games as much as I would like to and I am not that knowledgeable about video game history so most of the games on the list of video game of the year from 1977 to 2022 were new to me.
I had heard of pong, space invaders, super Mario Bros, pac-man, and other games on the list. Also I have not played vary many games on the list.
My favorite part of the book was the extra life page after the game of the year where different people wrote about their favorite video games. I was not familiar with any of the people who wrote about their favorite games but, I am sure they are well know to someone.
One of the reasons I picked of the book was because of its colorful color cover. It sure stands out. When I first started reading the book I did not realize that the object on the front cover was a video game controller. And I also liked the illustrations for each game.
So after reading Video game of the year I know about a lot of new to me video games. And now I want to play them all.
I suppose I do wish that the book had a page listing all the games talked about in the book so I would not have to flip through it to see all the games mentioned in the book. There is the the table of contents at the front when I can look to see the game of there year but, there is no page listing the games mentioned in the extra life sections.
I had heard of pong, space invaders, super Mario Bros, pac-man, and other games on the list. Also I have not played vary many games on the list.
My favorite part of the book was the extra life page after the game of the year where different people wrote about their favorite video games. I was not familiar with any of the people who wrote about their favorite games but, I am sure they are well know to someone.
One of the reasons I picked of the book was because of its colorful color cover. It sure stands out. When I first started reading the book I did not realize that the object on the front cover was a video game controller. And I also liked the illustrations for each game.
So after reading Video game of the year I know about a lot of new to me video games. And now I want to play them all.
I suppose I do wish that the book had a page listing all the games talked about in the book so I would not have to flip through it to see all the games mentioned in the book. There is the the table of contents at the front when I can look to see the game of there year but, there is no page listing the games mentioned in the extra life sections.
September 9, 2023
It's a lovely collection of essays and art - and the art (one big illustration per year/game, with the occasional smaller separate one) is really fun. The essays are fine, but mostly too surface-level, IMO.
Maybe I wasn't quite the target audience for this book? But then, for who else would it be, if not nerds who have been deep into video games for years? I feel like the more "casual" readers would be not interested enough to dig in, while folks like me are disappointed that it doesn't dig deeper.
Still, it's an enjoyable read, perfect for picking up for the five minutes or so it takes to go through one year/game and then putting it back down again... or going for another one.
I'd definitely recommend going for the physical version over an e-book as the illustrations are such a highlight.
If I could, I'd be generous and give it 3.5 stars, but I'll be harsh at the moment and round down.
Maybe I wasn't quite the target audience for this book? But then, for who else would it be, if not nerds who have been deep into video games for years? I feel like the more "casual" readers would be not interested enough to dig in, while folks like me are disappointed that it doesn't dig deeper.
Still, it's an enjoyable read, perfect for picking up for the five minutes or so it takes to go through one year/game and then putting it back down again... or going for another one.
I'd definitely recommend going for the physical version over an e-book as the illustrations are such a highlight.
If I could, I'd be generous and give it 3.5 stars, but I'll be harsh at the moment and round down.
April 15, 2024
A neat time capsule, I particularly enjoyed the early history of the 70s and 80s. One of my favorite things about reading books dedicated to games is I'll learn about a few I've never even heard of. It's exciting and surprising!
I think Minor is a good writer, and I appreciated how he interjected historical perspective and key players with each game's writeup, rather than simply "this game was good." The original art dedicated to each game was a nice touch and some of the font colors/text choices added a brilliant flair, making it a quick read.
But some of the ordering choices were really strange. Some games I disagreed with, sure, but then the green pages featuring random quotes from gaming personalities didn't seem to fit all that much. It felt like Minor was trying to have his cake and eat it too. Plus, he bashed Geno from Super Mario RPG. Hell no!
I think Minor is a good writer, and I appreciated how he interjected historical perspective and key players with each game's writeup, rather than simply "this game was good." The original art dedicated to each game was a nice touch and some of the font colors/text choices added a brilliant flair, making it a quick read.
But some of the ordering choices were really strange. Some games I disagreed with, sure, but then the green pages featuring random quotes from gaming personalities didn't seem to fit all that much. It felt like Minor was trying to have his cake and eat it too. Plus, he bashed Geno from Super Mario RPG. Hell no!
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September 18, 2023
I love that this book exists, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't also let me down.
Naturally, there were quite a few games chosen that I didn't agree with, but that didn't affect my enjoyment. My biggest complaints are that there are no screenshots from any of the games, and a lot of the "history" was just not that interesting. I was also confused why the end of each chapter had other people chiming in about games. At first I thought this was a place for, say, the 2nd and 3rd runner up games to be mentioned, but the years never matched at all, and some of the reviews were actually about the very game that was already highlighted in the chapter! It just seemed edited very oddly.
Naturally, there were quite a few games chosen that I didn't agree with, but that didn't affect my enjoyment. My biggest complaints are that there are no screenshots from any of the games, and a lot of the "history" was just not that interesting. I was also confused why the end of each chapter had other people chiming in about games. At first I thought this was a place for, say, the 2nd and 3rd runner up games to be mentioned, but the years never matched at all, and some of the reviews were actually about the very game that was already highlighted in the chapter! It just seemed edited very oddly.
April 11, 2024
3.5/ 5.0 Stars rounded up to 4.
Jordan Minor takes us on a nostalgic journey through video game history. We loved the artwork throughout each chapter that lovingly painted a portrait of each game for each year that was chosen. We also loved how detailed and thorough the author was with his selections and the reasonings behind them. If you are a fan of videogames you owe it to yourself to pick this book up!
For more on our thoughts check out The Nerdy Reads Podcast Episode 51: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2153743/14...
Join our discord and talk books and all things nerd culture: https://discord.gg/PWRcd72SNf
Jordan Minor takes us on a nostalgic journey through video game history. We loved the artwork throughout each chapter that lovingly painted a portrait of each game for each year that was chosen. We also loved how detailed and thorough the author was with his selections and the reasonings behind them. If you are a fan of videogames you owe it to yourself to pick this book up!
For more on our thoughts check out The Nerdy Reads Podcast Episode 51: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2153743/14...
Join our discord and talk books and all things nerd culture: https://discord.gg/PWRcd72SNf
September 23, 2023
With as popular as video games are, it’s mind boggling that there aren’t more great books that dive into their history. This is why I always pick up any video game book that looks interesting when it comes out.
This is a very entertaining book that goes into the author’s game of the year choice from 1977-2022. It also has input from a lot of other video game reporters/creators/other people you may have heard of. You may disagree with some of his choices, but they are still fun to read and the artwork that accompanies each entry is great.
This is a very entertaining book that goes into the author’s game of the year choice from 1977-2022. It also has input from a lot of other video game reporters/creators/other people you may have heard of. You may disagree with some of his choices, but they are still fun to read and the artwork that accompanies each entry is great.
October 18, 2023
Video Game of the Year is the best video game history book.
More than just a list of notable titles from gaming's relatively-young history, Author Jordan Minor takes a holistic approach in analyzing how games are constantly in conversation with each other and with the cultural zeitgeist of any given year. Complete with an impressive suite of guest excerpts and lovely illustrations, Video Game of the Year is an easy purchase for any gamer's book shelf and a fun read for anyone trying to better understand the medium.
More than just a list of notable titles from gaming's relatively-young history, Author Jordan Minor takes a holistic approach in analyzing how games are constantly in conversation with each other and with the cultural zeitgeist of any given year. Complete with an impressive suite of guest excerpts and lovely illustrations, Video Game of the Year is an easy purchase for any gamer's book shelf and a fun read for anyone trying to better understand the medium.
April 7, 2024
La gran mayoría de ensayos contenidos en este libro son muy buenos y suelen enfocarse en los elementos más interesantes de cada juego, incluso si son realmente externos a este como el escenario cultural en que emergieron o como influenciaron juegos futuros.
El problema es que no me dijo nada nuevo. Eso no es culpa del libro, es que yo vivo tan metido en el mundo de los videojuegos que prácticamente ya sabía todo esto y eso causo que, en ciertos momentos, me resultara aburrido.
10/10 a su presentación, color y maquetación. Eso sí.
El problema es que no me dijo nada nuevo. Eso no es culpa del libro, es que yo vivo tan metido en el mundo de los videojuegos que prácticamente ya sabía todo esto y eso causo que, en ciertos momentos, me resultara aburrido.
10/10 a su presentación, color y maquetación. Eso sí.
July 15, 2023
It's definitely a coffee table book, the chapters are fairly short with some nice art. There's some stuff that feels like filler, or just the opinions of various writers without many compelling observations. But there's also some great fun facts and stories and lovely art as well. It's not mindblowing, but it's a nice book to leaf through for anyone curious about video games. I really like the author's voice and will enjoy having this in my apartment.
November 19, 2023
This is an official list, it's the author's opinions on what should be the "game of the year" for each year. But that's the fun, you can agree or not. What's most interesting is that the author provides an explanation for why he chose each one. I enjoyed reading about games I hadn't heard of and why they're significant. One small quibble is that the author seems to young to have lived through all these years so he's looking back historically when he discusses games of the 70s and 80s.
January 23, 2023
I'm not much of a gamer, but I wanted to preview this for our collection. This is a beautifully designed year-by-year chronicle of video games, from Pong to Pokemon Go (and more). While some might argue over the selected games, gamers of all kinds will enjoy this entertaining look at video game history.
July 24, 2023
The task of picking the best of gaming each year is a daunting one, one that Jordan Minor boldly takes on. The book manages to be approachable to both die hard gamers and potential newbies as well, offering a brief but informative history lesson of over 40 video games, discussing why they made a vital impact on gaming. It’s a fun read for anyone curious about gaming.
December 19, 2023
This book was everything a non-fiction book about video games should be, fun, informative, and written with a palpable love of the subject matter.
The book was slightly stronger when covering the earlier days of video games where pointing to the most impactful game of the year felt more objective and less messy. Throughout deft writing, wit and humor kept this book from getting dull or too repetitive, and when the author's voice and personal experience came through (something I'm usually dubious about in non-fiction) the book felt elevated from a mere long form list into a valuable meditation on video games as a whole.
The book was slightly stronger when covering the earlier days of video games where pointing to the most impactful game of the year felt more objective and less messy. Throughout deft writing, wit and humor kept this book from getting dull or too repetitive, and when the author's voice and personal experience came through (something I'm usually dubious about in non-fiction) the book felt elevated from a mere long form list into a valuable meditation on video games as a whole.
March 31, 2024
I loved this book. It is so much more than a list of games with some interesting anecdotes that I though I was getting when I picked it up from the library. Minor clearly loves gaming but is not afraid to highlight the darker side and address political issues head on.
I also really enjoyed the anecdotes.
I also really enjoyed the anecdotes.
December 10, 2023
Fun and digestible read from an author who clearly understands the subject.
As others have noted, some of the design choices are odd to say the least. Rainbow text on black paper was unreadable in poor lighting.
As others have noted, some of the design choices are odd to say the least. Rainbow text on black paper was unreadable in poor lighting.
April 25, 2024
Somewhat confusing formatting, sudden tonal shifts, and inconsistency in the level of research put into the essays brought down what could have been a super fun read, but I love the topic and the passion.
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