Kohler’s argument — that Japanese games are cinematic in a culturally specific sense, and that you can’t read Mario, Final Fantasy or Out Run without understanding that lineage — has aged into common sense, but Power-Up is the book that did the arguing. Reissued with new material in 2016. Directly upstream of any serious writing on Konami, SNK, or the arcade-era fighter.
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The Reading Room
Power-Up
How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
Still the best single book on Japanese game design as a coherent tradition rather than a basket of properties.
- Author
- Chris Kohler
- Published
- 2004
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Pages
- 320
- Shelved
- Essential