Game Boy: The Box Art Collection

Game Boy. Never was so much owed by so many to so small

Game Boy: The Box Art Collection, with its wonderful illustrations and commentary texts, succeeds in the difficult task of communicating the essence of the “phenomenon” of the Game Boy portable console.

Sony’s Walkman was a revolution for the enjoyment of music, so the Game Boy is for videogames.

For any “veteran” gamer as I am – my first console was a Mattel Intellivision and I am a still “alive and kickin'” gamer today – this well crafted book succeeds in a little miracle: it excites, triggers memories and reminiscences.

In my experience it means the day my brother and I gave to my little sister a Game Boy console and Tetris cartridge as gift for her 8th birthday.

Two years ago she gave to me her beloved Game Boy with an half dozen cartridges: it works flawelessy.

Game Boy is a sturdy console and Tetris is still the best ever “killer app” for any console to the present days.

For novice gamers or simply curious readers, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection is an extremely interesting book if they are interested in illustrated art and in videogames history, of course.

There’s no denying it’s tapping into something with a nostalgic twist, but it is more than a bunch of memories of the “good old days”. Nostalgia confers a lens to look backwards and forwards, to reminisce and project.

Are we really nostalgic for the past?

I think it’s a mistake to read this book letting us to drown in pool of nostalgia, pitting our longings and speculations against one another.

Nostalgia is a catalyst, a good start for the possibility to look at the present, enjoy it and imagine the future without loosing the memory of the past.

Leafing through the pages, which include images and informations of a rich selection of Western and Japanese videogames, you can recognize both popular and successful franchises and discover little gems or – for westeners tastes – weird titles.

It’s time your Game Boy stops dreaming of electric sheep and comes to life again.

This 372 pages book is a work of passion and respect for videogames not only as a form of entertainment, but as a new medium and new visual art expression. If you have an interest in visual art or in videogames, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection is an essential reading both to get an inspiration and to explore further.

Originally posted as users review on Bitmap Books site

The Game Boy – The Box Art Collection

by Bitmap Books

Hardcover + pdf, 372 pages, published in 2020

ISBN13 9781838019136

Edition Language: English

The Game Boy – The Box Art Collection, Bitmap Books