Books like Masters of Doom

Visti

I want books! But specific books! Or rather, specific types of books.

I just read Masters of Doom and loved it. The early videogame history, the real-life intrigue and the technical sections all really appealed to me, but I'd like more of the same type. Early computer-technology or game-technology or rise-to-power kind of deals.
I know there are a bunch of bill gates biographies and stuff like that and I'd be into that, but I don't know which one to pick.

As I said, I'd like something with at least mention of the technical aspects - programming, hacking, etc. As an aside I really enjoyed speeches by Kevin Mitnick on youtube about the rascally things he did back in the day. Technical history mixed with a personal story and humor. Anyway, I hope you get the gist and know some books, so please recommend me some!

admanb

Have you read Hackers by Steven Levy? Read that, for sure. Just For Fun, about Linux Torvalds, is decent.

There are not very many books about early videogame history, because those books are generally going to be written by journalists in the field, and gamejournalismlol.

Visti

Oh, I have actually read Just For Fun. Really enjoyed that as well. I'll check out Hackers! Thanks.

More recommendations welcome, of course.

Bullio

Possibly Game Over Press Start to Continue. It's about Nintendo's history. I haven't personally read it because it seems to be out of print and and the copies I have been able to find are really expensive.

Elin

Bullio wrote: »

Possibly Game Over Press Start to Continue. It's about Nintendo's history. I haven't personally read it because it seems to be out of print and and the copies I have been able to find are really expensive.

It's very good. There are copies still in print under a different name; Game Over: How Nintendo zapped an American industry, captured your dollars, and enslaved your children.

The title sounds negative but, unless the author totally rewrote the book, it's not anti Nintendo. There's also a fair bit of Atari history in the book.

Arch Guru XX

Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic by Brad King and John Borland fits the bill pretty nicely. Starts off with D&D and uses that as a thread to get into early game development. It covers more ground than Masters of Doom (more people/companies, more games) but is definitely similar thematically.

Orestus

I really like this genre as well and have read a bunch of these types of books, although tbh I did not enjoy Masters of Doom that much.

My favorite is The First Quarter by Steven Kent, it was written in 2001 and basically goes from Spacewar through PS1. Its out of print but there are a bunch of used copies on Amazon for $20.

I really liked Game Over as well, although I think that the "Press Start to Continue" version is actually newer than the "enslaved your children version" (Amazon seems to think so). I read this about 5 years ago and couldn't find a cheap copy, so I went to a library and read it there (they still have those right?)

For Christmas I received both 1000 and 1 Videogames You Must Play Before you Die and Extra Lives: Why Videogames Matter but haven't gotten to them yet.

Elin

Orestus wrote: »

I really like this genre as well and have read a bunch of these types of books, although tbh I did not enjoy Masters of Doom that much.

My favorite is The First Quarter by Steven Kent, it was written in 2001 and basically goes from Spacewar through PS1. Its out of print but there are a bunch of used copies on Amazon for $20.

I really liked Game Over as well, although I think that the "Press Start to Continue" version is actually newer than the "enslaved your children version" (Amazon seems to think so). I read this about 5 years ago and couldn't find a cheap copy, so I went to a library and read it there (they still have those right?)

For Christmas I received both 1000 and 1 Videogames You Must Play Before you Die and Extra Lives: Why Videogames Matter but haven't gotten to them yet.

Press Start is newer, but it's just a few updates. I was going off the fact that my library district doesn't have Press Start (even as an inter-library loan) and they do have the Enslaved version.

I'd also recommend Grand Theft Childhood, a well researched book on videogame violence and children. A lot of good points in there if you come up against the "vidjia games is the debil" crowd. There's another book in that vein that I can't remember offhand, I'll look it up when I get home.