Super Nintendo - by Keza MacDonald (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

What magical mushroom could have turned an unassuming playing card company into one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century?

"A breezy, colorful trip through the history of Mario, Zelda, Metroid and much more. Keza MacDonald adroitly weaves personal observations with original reporting to tell a fascinating story that's packed full of delightful anecdotes (did you know that Splatoon's stylish squids started off as blocks of tofu?). This book paints a vivid picture of the most important company in video games." --Jason Schreier, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice, Press Reset, and Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

Super Nintendo is an exuberant ode to play and the epic story of the company that has redefined it--Nintendo's quirky beginnings in 1889, its singular ethos, its endlessly innovative leaders and developers, its massive cultural impact, and, most of all, the video games themselves, which have inspired joy and creativity in millions.

A lifelong gamer and a renowned video games journalist, Keza MacDonald digs down to Nintendo's experimental roots, tracking the company's rise with each new revolutionary product. She draws on private interviews with icons like Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, who continues to leave his stamp on the company, and takes readers on a trip to the secretive Nintendo HQ--making her one of the few Western journalists to have set foot inside the building.

Leaping from game to game, Super Nintendo tells the remarkable story of the people who brought us Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and more--not to mention the SNES, N64, Game Boy, Wii, Switch, and a host of other wacky gizmos--and charts the delights they've offered over the decades. Along the way, MacDonald uncovers the driving force behind these creative triumphs: a willingness to take risks and place long-term success over short-term profits.

A carousel of wonders, Super Nintendo whisks you back to the couch in the den, a controller in your hands for the very first time, staring up at a screen of infinite possibilities.

Review Quotes

"MacDonald writes brilliantly about videogames, and this is a great book." --Charlie Brooker, creator and writer of Black Mirror

"I thought I knew everything there was to know about Nintendo before I read Keza's book--and I literally used to work there. It's fun, it's fascinating, and it only makes me love Mario even more." --Mike Drucker, author of Good Game, No Rematch

"I've read and admired Keza MacDonald's work for years, so it's no surprise that this book ranks high among the best things ever written about Nintendo. She's incisive about its corporate history and revelatory about what it actually took--culturally and technically--to create its incomparable games. Anyone who cares about interactive entertainment will be surprised and delighted by this book." --Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

"Keza MacDonald pulls back the curtain on the Nintendo dream factory, providing a fascinating look into the minds and culture that defined my childhood and so many others." --Walt Williams, author of Significant Zero

"Nobody knows Nintendo like Keza MacDonald. This engrossing book is both a personal history of playing the greatest games in the world and a fascinating, insightful look at what makes this company tick. An absolute must for all gamers." --Keith Stuart, author of A Boy Made of Blocks

"This is cultural history at its most generous: Nintendo not as corporate monolith, but as dream factory, mythmaker, and companion to childhood. Keza MacDonald presents an electrifying blend of criticism, reportage, and affectionate storytelling about the company that shaped not only how we play, but also how we imagine." --Simon Parkin, author of The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad

"Gaming history written with a fan's verve." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

KEZA MACDONALD is video games editor at The Guardian, where she writes the "Pushing Buttons" newsletter. Having previously held editorial roles at IGN and Kotaku, two of the biggest specialist games websites in the world, she is also the coauthor of You Died: The Dark Souls Companion with Jason Killingsworth and regularly appears on TV and radio as a video games expert.