The History of the Adventure Video Game (Hardback)
Imprint: White Owl
Pages: 152
ISBN: 9781399088473
Published: 4th September 2023
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Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!
Adventure video games have provided players with epic and hilarious storytelling for over fifty years. What started from the humble beginnings of text adventures led to a blast of point-and-click and graphic adventure games throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Trailblazers like Roberta and Ken Williams, Ron Gilbert, Tim Schaffer and Dave Grossman brought timeless characters, stories and puzzles to life, lighting the imaginations and wracking the brains of gamers around the world.
This book showcases the companies, games and creators that have made the adventure video game one of the most passionately-adored genres in the medium. In these pages you’ll find histories on influential companies such as Sierra On-Line, LucasArts and Telltale Games, as well as some of the most revered games in the genre.
With a bright future emerging as veterans and newcomers forge ahead with new ideas and visual flourishes for adventure games, there’s never been a better time to become acquainted (or reacquainted!) with a colourful and exciting part of gaming history.
So point your cursor over the start button and click that mouse!
As seen in
MEDIENwissenschaft
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Melanie Dolhun
I'm a huge fan of adventure games and I really enjoyed this book which depicted some of the best of them, separated out mostly by developer rather than having them in precise chronological order. I was surprised Zork didn't feature more heavily, although perhaps that's just because it is one of my own personal favourites. I really enjoyed the nostalgia value of revisiting old games, as well as discovering new possibilities for future games to look out for in the genre.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Jenn Jordan
A fascinating look at the history of my favorite genre of video game that comprehensively examines the most important and foundational games in context.
The History of the Adventure Video Game would make an excellent gift for the casual gamer in your life. If you are that gamer, check the book out for new games that you might enjoy. 4 stars!
NetGalley, Diane Hernandez
It's a fascinating book for both old-school gamers and those researching the genre further.
NetGalley, Jen Shaw
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Céline BADAROUX
A very good and efficient overview of the adventure game history. The many screenshots bring back nostalgia with a hit, and I really appreciated the last part which presented really recent games.
An easy read and a must have for video game students ! All you need to know is in there !
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
I’ve always enjoyed video games and was excited to read a nonfiction book about the adventure video game. It was well-researched and had everything that I was expecting. I enjoyed the way Christopher Carton wrote this and can’t wait to read more.
What a fun trip down memory lane! I played a number of these games growing up and it was a blast to revisit them if only by reading about them. Long time adventure game fans will love the nostalgia of this and fans new to the genre will have so many choices to seek out to play today!
NetGalley, Joseph Jones
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Emma Byrne
A brilliant look at the history of adventure video games. I'm a big fan of these games so enjoyed reading about them all and found some new ones to try! A good read.
About Christopher Carton
Chris Carton is a pop culture fan, with a major love for movies and video games. He’s been playing since birth, finding a passion for games in the Amiga and Commodore 64 systems. When he’s not writing about games and movies, he loves playing and watching them, drumming and spending time with his family. He was born in Galway but now lives in Cork.