Book Spotlight - Video Game of the Year
Video Game of the Year (2023) by Jordan Minor is probably my favourite out of my recent batch of video game-related reads. The book dedicates a chapter for every year from 1977 to 2022 to a different game that can arguably be considered the most prominent game released that year for the impact it had, and often continues to have today. Each chapter consists of an essay that guides readers through that game's development history and release, often folding in wider details about the sociocultural, technological, and games industry landscape that shaped it. The book begins during the dawn of video gaming with 1977's Pong and continues steadily throughout all of the video gaming eras ahead, delving into arcade hits, 2D and 3D technological innovators, console war champions, indie gaming underdogs-turned-main event, massive mainstream studio blockbusters, and so on. The format is an absolute blast, and I love Minor's explanation in the intro that there's the serious reason (providing a much-needed comprehensive overview of the history of games and their significance) and the real reason (gamers are all about meaningless yet fun competition... truer words have perhaps never been said) for it. The book feels like a grand festival of video games and their cultural impact, with Minor's main chapter essays being followed up by an alternative pick for an impactful game released that respective year and accompanied by a parade of guest writers brandishing their own unique takes on games over the years. I loved how these sections and contributor pieces, delightfully categorized as "extra life" essays, provided an additional chance to highlight games that still hold a lot of significance even if they don't snag "game of the year" status.
However, I've already said all of this without even mentioning another major part of why I love it: the absolutely gorgeous art and design of the book! Wren McDonald's full-page colour illustrations for every game featured each year, alongside spot illustrations throughout, are a complete joy. I also think each art piece plays an essential role in inviting readers into the feeling of experiencing each game. There are excellent byte-sized written descriptions that introduce each game and its objective; and I think the accompanying illustrations introduce how it feels to actually play the game, to emotionally experience it. Video games are generally such a highly visual medium, so conveying what they are about in a satisfying way with just words alone can be a challenge. Is this game a single-player survival horror shooter for the PC meant to give you the chills when you're alone at night? Or is it a chaotic console party game where friendships are frivolously tested over multiplayer motion-controls madness? Even if you've never experienced one of the featured games before (which is bound to be the case for virtually anyone reading through the book, unless you somehow have played every video game ever), McDonald's illustrations can easily and accessibly clue you in with a glance.
This book is so much fun while also packing the needed substance of excellent games criticism to uplift the understanding of games as "cultural, historical, and artistic expressions", as Minor noted in an AMA/Ask Me Anything thread for the book on Reddit. Appreciated it a ton, and would look forward to more like it!