This is a book which provides an extensive listing of video and computer games from 1962 to almost the present day. Its coverage includes arcade, console and home computer titles. It begins with a very short introduction to the book comprising an introduction, a guide to the layout of the reviews and an explanation of the five star (*) rating ascribed to each game. These are simple and to the point, and while the author is to be commended for giving over as much space as possible to the game entries, this reviewer would have preferred a little more on the intended book readership.
The main entries cover over 330 pages in a two column layout. The entries are all engagingly written, with references to related titles, sequels or predecessors to those games also covered. The clear joy of gaming is well expressed in Fox's prose which is easy and informative to read, and includes the odd personal anecdote. While for some this may detract from the objectivity of the guide, it adds a considerable empathy on the impact and value games can have within a person's life. The coverage of the titles is clearly not intended to be a be a blow by blow account of what each title seeks to achieve or contains, but a guide to the gaming and entertainment experience that each one engenders. Entries range in length from a single brief paragraph for some minor titles, to page long coverage for the more significant ones.
Any rating system, especially in an area with as active a user community as gaming, is always going to be contentious. One person's five star game may be another's nightmare. For example, this reviewer is not an especial fan of sports games and consequently would be unlikely to award them exceptional scores. However, for the majority of entries it is satisfying to note that Fox has assigned fairly objective scores with true classics recognised as much as modern leviathans. Thus digitally-dusty delights like Manic Miner (4*) fare just as well as modern classics such as Mass Effect 2 (5*).
It is in the area of sequels for titles that some issues are raised. Certainly Fallout 3 (5*) is a wonderful title, and yet the original Fallout is only referenced but not covered. Curiously other titles have their first iterations as the focus, which is strange as in cases like Just Cause (3*) when its sequel is considered to be both critically and experientially superior. In the case of Thief: The Dark Project (4*), it is understandable that the original genre busting title should be the sole main entry. However, when one turns to the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series with entries for the original GTA (4*), Vice City (5*) and GTA IV (5*) it is questionable why GTA III lacks coverage, given that this is widely regarded as the moment that the series' impact on the gaming world became significant. This reviewer is not arguing that such pre-eminent gaming experiences as Vice City are not worthy of coverage, but it does raise slight questions over the objectivity of the author's selections.
The centre of the book contains 32 pages of colour plates with screen shots of key games, chronologically arranged, from 1962s Spacewar to 2011s L.A. Noir. As a historical perspective it is a fascinating and at times nostalgic tour through the evolving visual experience of gaming. As a ride through this reviewer's gaming life, it provides a rich nostalgic experience.
Five appendices and a glossary conclude the book with the first two providing 24 pages of video game and computer/console releases arranged chronologically by year of release. Appendix 3 which lists game designers alphabetically with the titles they have produced is a gem, providing information that is not relatively easy to obtain elsewhere. Appendix 4 is a page long limited list of awards conferred on games. While it is not comprehensive in terms of awards available, it is a useful guide to dig back into the main part of the book for key titles. The final appendix is a brief two page guide to running older games through emulation, retro-hardware and other approaches.
The book concludes with a four page glossary to commonly used gaming terms such as Deathmatch, FPS and Respawn. While all are common parlance for the average gamer, the novice to the field would do well to read this before attempting to read the book's entries. There is no index although Appendix 1 does highlight those titles which can be found in the main body of the text. Cross-referencing from within entries is simple and effective, using emboldened text to direct the reader to elsewhere in the book.
Having read this delightful book this reviewer can conclude that it would be suitable for any public library seeking to develop its collections in popular and technological culture. The readability and accessibly of the text is high, as is the accuracy of the information included. No single book can, or perhaps should, attempt to provide a totally comprehensive guide to video games, but what this title has achieved is to provide extensive coverage on the most culturally significant and relevant titles of the past 50 years. While in terms of serious game scholarship and analysis the reader might need to look elsewhere (to perhaps James Newman's Videogames (Newman, 2013)), there is no doubt that anyone wishing to learn more about this diverse field would gain much from consulting this work. As indeed would any gamer, seeking a chance to wallow in nostalgic delight over the hours spent in these challenging and engaging virtual worlds.
