Game History Books
High-quality books that celebrate and preserve video game history
I write hardback books about video game history. They're celebrations of gaming's past and present, with deep-dives into entire genres, re-appraisals of the classics, and explorations of hidden gems.
Keep going to check out all my published video game books so far, and how you can add them to your own collection at home.
Go Straight: The Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat 'em Ups
A 450+ page journey through almost 40 years of brawler action
Taking its name from Streets of Rage 2's iconic stage one song, Go Straight is a celebration of the beat' em up genre. From its beginnings with 1984's Kung-Fu Master, the book features over 200 releases that take readers right up to Streets of Rage 4 in 2020. Featuring heavyweights like Final Fight, Double Dagon, Battletoads, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the book dives into making-of facts, detailed impressions, gameplay tips and plenty of trivia for fans of the genre to enjoy.
Featuring a foreword by Double Dragon creator, Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Go Straight is the ultimate guide to a genre that continues to go from strength to strength.
How to get a copy
Head on over to publisher, Bitmap Books to grab a copy of Go Straight. They're an awesome company that does amazing books on gaming history. Grab yourself a copy while you can!
Run 'n' Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters
500+ pages of run 'n' gun shooter history from 1978 to 2023
Run 'n' Gun is my second video game history book for publisher Bitmap Books. Across 500+ beautifully designed pages, the book spans over 40 years of run 'n' gun shooters.
It's full of making of facts, gameplay tips and mind- blowing trivia for over 350 games. It covers such classics as Contra, Metal Slug, Gunstar Heroes and Sunset Riders, as well as modern hits like Cuphead, Blazing Chrome and The Binding of Isaac.
The book opens with guest forewords by Mega Man's Keiji Inafune and Cuphead creators, Chad and Brad Moldenhauer. It also has guest features by Chris Scullion, Kurt Kalata, Sega Lord X and Graeme Mason.
Lock, load and get ready for an action-packed journey with Run 'n' Gun!
How to get a copy
Publisher Bitmap Books is offering two editions of Run 'n Gun: the standard edition and a special edition that comes in an individually numbered ammo crate (only 1000 will be made!)
Head on over to their store and grab a copy now!