Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
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Breaking down the 40-year history of the world’s most popular art form, one video game at a time
Pong. The Legend of Zelda. Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band. Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For each of the 40 years of video game history, there is a defining game, a game that captured the zeitgeist and left a legacy for all games that followed. Through a series of entertaining, informative, and opinionated critical essays, author and tech journalist Jordan Minor investigates, in chronological order, the innovative, genre-bending, and earth-shattering games from 1977 through 2022. Minor explores development stories, critical reception, and legacy, and also looks at how gaming intersects with and eventually influences society at large while reveling in how uniquely and delightfully bizarre even the most famous games tend to be.
From portly plumbers to armor-clad space marines and the speedy rodents in between, Video Game of the Year paints individual portraits that, as a whole, give readers a stronger appreciation for the vibrant variety and long-lasting impact of this fresh, exciting, and massively popular art form. Illustrated throughout with retro-inspired imagery and featuring contributions from dozens of leading industry voices, including New York Times bestselling author Jason Schreier (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels; Kotaku), Max Scoville (IGN), Rebekah Valentine (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Devindra Hardawar (Engadget), this year-by-year anthology is a loving reflection on the world’s most popular art form.
Featured Games: 1977 – Pong; 1978 – Space Invaders; 1979 – Speed Freak; 1980 – Pac-Man; 1981 – Donkey Kong; 1982 – Pitfall!; 1983 – Dragon’s Lair; 1984 – Tetris; 1985 – Super Mario Bros.; 1986 – Dragon Quest; 1987 – The Legend of Zelda; 1988 – Mega Man 2; 1989 – SimCity; 1990 – The Secret of Monkey Island; 1991 – Sonic the Hedgehog; 1992 – Wolfenstein 3D; 1993 – NBA Jam; 1994 – Super Street Fighter II Turbo; 1995 – Donkey Kong Country 2; 1996 – Super Mario 64; 1997 – Final Fantasy VII; 1998 – Metal Gear Solid; 1999 – System Shock 2; 2000 Counter-Strike; 2001 – Halo: Combat Evolved; 2002 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; 2003 – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; 2004 – World of Warcraft; 2005 – Resident Evil 4; 2006 – Wii Sports; 2007 – Rock Band; 2008 – Spore; 2009 – Uncharted 2; 2010 – Super Meat Boy; 2011 – Minecraft; 2012 – Telltale’s The Walking Dead; 2013 – Depression Quest; 2014 – Destiny; 2015 – The Witcher 3; 2016 – Pokémon Go; 2017 – Fortnite; 2018 – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; 2019 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; 2020 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons; 2022 – The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
From the Publisher
Publisher : Harry N. Abrams (July 11, 2023)
Language : English
Paperback : 296 pages
ISBN-10 : 1419762052
ISBN-13 : 978-1419762055
Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
Dimensions : 7.6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
Customers say
Customers find the book provides context for historical video games. They appreciate the creative and well-illustrated artwork. However, opinions differ on readability – some find it enjoyable and fun, while others find it difficult to read and political topics brought up too often.
12 reviews for Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
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Pcgarza –
Good book
Christmas gift for son who loves the history of video games and says this book has some great information.
Timmy P –
Great Read, Awesome Art, Questionable Publishing
This book was a blast to read. I love the depth of detail Jordan Minor gets into for each of the titles. I found it easier to enjoy once I got into the late 90s and had a stronger connection to titles he was writing about. He found a way to talk about the most impactful games of each year and finds ways to talk about other games of note; whethere it be an “extra life” section or talking about the franchise elsewhere. Also worth mentioning that the artwork for each title is just spot-on, creative and fun.The publishing of the book is where I raise any kind of red flag on this product. Ive attached some photos of problems in the book. The back end of the book seems to be falling off the binding despite me taking good care of the book. Throughout the book you may find a few “x”s in boxes representative of a character the publisher didnt have in their font. I saw this a few times. Things dont have to be perfect but the big glaring x seems like someone didnt spot-check this before sending for final copies. Lastyly, there are pages in the front and rear where the fill on the font from left to right changes color. In the photo it looks fine, but honestly it was somewhat difficult to read these pages.I recommend this book to gaming fans but hope future editions can be published at a higher quality!
Sarah –
Great book for those with any interest in video games.
Great book with loads of information for those with any interest at all in video games. It was interesting to read about how different games and gaming systems have evolved over the years.
MovieGuy –
Fun Book For Old-Timers Like Me
The appeal to me is the nostalgia of this book. I’ve been alive through (so far) the entire history of video (and computer) games, so it’s definitely a fun trip down memory lane. Good pictures, good articles, fun book for old-time gamers like me. Definitely an awesome coffe-table type of book.
SeminolesandGatorsLivingInPeace –
Like a coffee table book good but shallow
Like a coffee table book good but shallow
Nathan Phillips –
It’s not reviews but an analysis of the Cultural Impact of a Game per Year
The book is wonderfully illustrated and provides great context for a single game going back to 1977 with a bonus game each year in a section called Extra Life. The Extra Life section also provides inputs from other game journalist, designers, and musicians regarding the game highlight, other games from the year, or games derived from the game of the year.It’s a great easy read not super deeper but a contextualization of some historically important games. It’s not a review but a gaming culture impact.Nathan
Darryl Daisey –
Great Trip Down Memory Lane!
A great read that flooded me with memories of video games from the past. A must have for even casual video gamers.
Karen –
Well-paced, brief review of Gaming History
A nice dive into games of the year, according to the author, over time. Scant on detail but engaging all the more for it, this is a book for video game enthusiasts of all kinds.
Client d’Amazon –
Un livre agreable a lire, on passe un bon moment, que de souvenirs
Curtis J. Harding –
A fun, well-written and inventive dive into one of the greatest games of all-time – and the essence of what makes them great.Fantastic artwork brings the games to life and bright, full-coloured pages pop and make the book as much a joy to look at as to read.Wonderful book.
James McAdams –
I’d heard about this partly thanks to some of the numerous guest-pieces from Giant Bomb, Kinda Funny and MinnMax, and I think I had it in my head that this would be “just” a coffee table book, and while you can read it that way – just dipping in here and there for the titles that most interest you – there is actually a strong throughline that takes you through the whole book. Jordan’s own writing (mostly unknown to me before this) is engaging and clear, and it’s just a delight to read. The illustrations are beautiful too.Really pleased with this, and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.
Amazon Customer –
Meh. Not what I was expecting. A little too political at times. The author must be an activist. Next time, concentrate on games and what made them great only. Theres enough political/social “issues” crap every where else. No one needs to know or cares about someone’s opinion. Whether it’s the author or a game developer