LudoScience

History of videogames (focused book)

Author(s) : Brian Ashcraft, Jean Snow
Editor : Editions Pix'n Love
Publication date : 06-22-2009
Language : french

This book is dedicated to arcade video games in Japan. Each of the 9 chapters of this book is dedicated to a specific kind of arcade game: UFO Catchers (mechanical games where you have to catch objects with a grip), Puriruka (improved photo booths loved by teenagers girls), rhythm games, shoot'em ups, fighting games, games of chance (Pachinko, Mahjong...), dedicated arcade games (for those seeking adrenaline through Taikan games), retrogaming (arcade games from the 80's and 90's still played today), and games featuring collectable cards. Each chapter briefly details the history of this kind of arcade games, and highlights its most famous titles. Moreover, the book also follows several expert players, from Yuka Nakajima, the 30 years old mother queen of UFO catchers, to Daigo "The Beast" Umehara, arguably the best Street Fighter player in the world. Written in a easy to read style, this book, also featuring loads of pictures, is a deep dive inside an unknown but interesting videogame subculture. A captivating book, full of unique information about what is happening inside the Japanese "Game Centers."
This book is the French translation of an English-written book titled "Arcade Mania", published in 2008.