This exhaustively researched history of Nintendo was a highly interesting read. In some ways, it was painful. As a kid who grew up with a deep love of Nintendo, it was a little disheartening to learn about some of the tactics they employed in their rise to complete dominance of the video game and toy consumer markets. As a child, I had no concept of Nintendo's business practices, which were at times extremely heavy-handed, aggressive and borderline-illegal. Looking at this period of time in retr

This exhaustively researched history of Nintendo was a highly interesting read. In some ways, it was painful. As a kid who grew up with a deep love of Nintendo, it was a little disheartening to learn about some of the tactics they employed in their rise to complete dominance of the video game and toy consumer markets. As a child, I had no concept of Nintendo's business practices, which were at times extremely heavy-handed, aggressive and borderline-illegal. Looking at this period of time in retrospect was fascinating.



I've dinged this book down to four stars because some of the language used by David Sheff is highly dated. I did not read the updated edition of the book, so I cannot speak to the changes that were made. Also, I just can't let Sheff get away with stating that Super Mario World was a subpar game in comparison to Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis. Blasphemy :)



There are not many books on the history of the video game industry, and this is one of the best you can buy. It goes into great detail on Nintendo's origin as a playing card manufacturer, their incredibly humble beginnings in America, the brilliant strategies they employed to infiltrate a difficult market, and their continued success against all odds. The detailed account of bringing Tetris to global audiences was particularly interesting, and gave some insight into the business dealings of Cold War era Russia as it attempted to interact more broadly with the global market.



Highly recommended for either history buffs or gamers, and a special thanks for my in-laws for the gift.