It is rather interesting to pick up a non-fiction book after having read so many fiction ones. You kind of expect the writing to be a certain way, though in my experience, writing for non-fiction material can be just as captivating as fiction material; case and point, Game Over.

I believe I heard about this book on a message board and the second I saw that something like it existed, I had to have it.

What Game Over is, is a detailed history of the Nintendo Company, but in many ways it is also a history of video games themselves. They take us through the humble beginnings of video games in special arcade buildings to the inevitable market crash, then back up to the dominant force it is today, or was a few years back (this book only covers up to the Nintendo 64 era).

When I first picked up this book, I knew very little about the video game industry aside from the fact that I loved video games, but through the reading of this, I have pretty much learned all the major events that took place.

The book starts with a little introduction of what has made Nintendo as famous as it is, then it quickly shifts gears into the company’s humble beginnings as a playing card manufacturer. It was through the efforts of Hiroshi Yamauchi, the former president of Nintendo that this company sky rocketed to the most well known video game company in the world.

Like I said, though, this also gives a great view of games outside of Nintendo. We see the rise and fall of Atari and how Nintendo’s own NES system saved the console industry from certain death. We see the rise of Sega’s own blue hedgehog and with it Nintendo’s first real competition. And even up to the creation of the PlayStation. Many people may not know this, but the PlayStation was originally meant to be an add-on to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was only switched to a stand alone console after Nintendo metaphorically stabbed Sony in the back by making a deal with Magnavox. So PlayStation fans actually owe their gratitude to Nintendo’s mistakes. Not something Nintendo should be proud of, but an interesting fact none the less.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written in a way that is very similar to a fiction book, and the facts flow seamlessly into your head. I found myself routing for Nintendo to succeed in the industry and in a large number of court battles, even though I pretty much already knew the outcome.

            The downside is somewhat near the ending. When a lot of these court battles take the center stage. They are interesting, but after you read one, you pretty much read them all. I also want to point out that in the Press Start to Continue version (the original was simply titled Game Over) the chapters by Andy Eddy are completely pointless. By the time I reached his chapters I just didn’t care anymore.

            What I would really like to see are new chapters added by the original author, David Sheff, detailing the newest round of home consoles. But I guess that is just Wishful Thinking.

            I definitely recommend this book to any fan of Nintendo, or video games in general. It is a great way to learn the history of video games with a seamless and entertaining writing style.