Reviews
The Influential Video Game Designers series aims at a gap in interdisciplinary games studies: the game-'auteur.' To date, video games are considered goods-produced in economics without authorship. However, a close look shows that the 'object' of the video game comprises not only modes of production or economics, but also the perspective of a maker. In this sense, the first volume of the series, about the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is conceptually and theoretically the right decision: Miyamoto is a game designer who is rather unknown to public, but certainly popular and ever-present (at least to a general audience) with his games. To discuss the work, aesthetic preferences, and strategies of production of a man who could be addressed as one of the 'father figures' of game design is the right decision. The book itself is not only a must-have for everybody interested in gaming culture, game design or the Japanese gaming industry, but also a great way to remember when you wasted your free time (and your coins) by playing Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong., The Influential Video Game Designers series aims at a gap in interdisciplinary games studies: the game-'auteur.' To date, video games are considered goods-produced in economics without authorship. However, a close look shows that the "object" of the video game comprises not only modes of production or economics, but also the perspective of a maker. In this sense, the first volume of the series, about the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is conceptually and theoretically the right decision: Miyamoto is a game designer who is rather unknown to public, but certainly popular and ever-present (at least to a general audience) with his games. To discuss the work, aesthetic preferences, and strategies of production of a man who could be addressed as one of the 'father figures' of game design is the right decision. The book itself is not only a must-have for everybody interested in gaming culture, game design or the Japanese gaming industry, but also a great way to remember when you wasted your free time (and your coins) by playing Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong., Shigeru Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda really gets at the heart of Miyamoto's influence on the gaming industry ... Providing a great understanding of Shigeru Miyamoto's role in the gaming industry, it's a book that also gives readers an understanding of the history of gaming as a whole, as well as the many influences one influential designer can have ... it provides a fascinating look at how the gaming industry has evolved through the years., "The Influential Video Game Designers series aims at a gap in interdisciplinary games studies: the game-'auteur.' To date, video games are considered goods-produced in economics without authorship. However, a close look shows that the 'object' of the video game comprises not only modes of production or economics, but also the perspective of a maker. In this sense, the first volume of the series, about the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is conceptually and theoretically the right decision: Miyamoto is a game designer who is rather unknown to public, but certainly popular and ever-present (at least to a general audience) with his games. To discuss the work, aesthetic preferences, and strategies of production of a man who could be addressed as one of the 'father figures' of game design is the right decision. The book itself is not only a must-have for everybody interested in gaming culture, game design or the Japanese gaming industry, but also a great way to remember when you wasted your free time (and your coins) by playing Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong." -- Rolf Nohr, Professor of Media Aesthetics / Media Culture, The Braunschweig University of Art, Germany "Historians of digital games have until now lacked a critical assessment of the game industry's most famous and influential designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. This certainly held us back, but Jennifer deWinter has at last removed the problem with this balanced account of his achievements. The rest of us will have to get busy and build on her outstanding work." -- Henry Lowood, History of Science & Technology Collections and Film & Media Collections, Stanford University Libraries, USA "With this book Jennifer deWinter and Carly Kocurek have made an enormous contribution to the study of videogame history, design and aesthetics. This is not only due to the work's novel focus upon a single designer, but also due to the forensic manner in which they unpack the complex relationship between Miyamoto's oeuvre and the material conditions which influenced every design decision. Written in an engaging, concise style, this is more than just a book for academics: it is essential reading for any designer or fan of the medium." -- Steven Conway, Lecturer in Games & Interactivity, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia "I came to this book knowing very little about Miyamoto, but, like anyone else who's been playing video games since he was a kid, and having played at least a dozen of his titles, several are permanently burned into my brain. DeWinter lays out his many influences, from his time exploring caves in the rural region where he grew up to his time as a teenage banjo player. There were multiple moments when I came across some new (to me) piece of information about Miyamoto, thought back to a game of his - in some cases, one I haven't played in years - and felt the cognitive click of recognition." --Jessie Singal, The Boston Globe " Shigeru Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda really gets at the heart of Miyamoto's influence on the gaming industry ... Providing a great understanding of Shigeru Miyamoto's role in the gaming industry, it's a book that also gives readers an understanding of the history of gaming as a whole, as well as the many influences one influential designer can have ... it provides a fascinating look at how the gaming industry has evolved through the years." -- Games Fiends "As Influential Video Game Designers: Shigeru Miyamoto stands, the book is a must-read for young game designers and those who may be considering entering the field. The book provides the greatest insight I've ever read on the history, philosophy and creative process of perhaps the most beloved game creator in industry history." -Patrick Scott Patterson, SyFy Games
