The Glow of the Game: Volume One

Before the Game Boy and the home computer, there was the glow: red LEDs behind smoked plastic, blue-green vacuum fluorescent screens and the first grey whispers of LCD. Volume One follows the handheld and tabletop electronic game from 1972 to 1980, from dice that roll themselves to Mattel’s Auto Race, Parker Brothers’ Merlin and Simon.

It covers 138 games, each photographed from the author’s own collection, with a double-page timeline tracing the industry’s journey from Texas to Shenzhen.

What’s inside

• Press start: the preface, and how to read the book
• The Politics of Game Manufacture
• The Geography of the Glow: a double-page timeline of technology and manufacture, 1958–2001
• Design 1970–1979: the decade’s look, in the palm of your hand
• Year by year: 1975 The Journey Begins · 1976 The Age of LED Ignites · 1977 LED Meets LSI · 1978 VFD Takes Centre Stage · 1979 Memory, Light & Sound · 1980 The Rise of LCD Efficiency
• The Players: a glossary of manufacturers across both volumes, and a glossary of terms (LED · VFD · LCD)

Every game gets its own double-page spread: the photograph on the left, its story on the right. A coloured badge shows where and when it was made, followed by the specs, setup and controls, how to play, and three interesting facts.

Look inside

The 138 games in Volume One