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Books for Video Gamers
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items This is a list for people like me who love video games and reading. These are several of my favorite books about video games in general , about specific titles, or even ones that let you embrace a favorite game in a new way (such as cooking!)
Sections
5
Artbooks
CookBooks
Tie-in Books
Gaming History
General Gaming Books
Artbooks
Books that focus on the art of a particular game. These are beautiful to look through.
The Cuphead game utilize a very distinctive art style that invokes a 1920s-1940s style often seen in early American cartoons. As a result, it has garnered a lot of acclaim for its art but also how it has been utilized in video game form.
The Art of Cuphead
This is a stunning art book based off the art from Final Fantasy VII: Remake (which is an incredible game, I might add). If you're a fan of Final Fantasy VII this is a great addition to your libabry.
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Material Ultimania
The adorable pink guy has his own artbook! I've been playing the kirby games since I was a kid and this art book is great for capturing his legacy.
Kirby: Art & Style Collection
This is a great artbook for Zelda fans (I got this for a friend a few years back). It includes art from the very first Zelda game up through Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts
Full disclosure, Dragon Quest is my all-time favorite game series, so the 30th anniversary art book has to be on this list. This features a huge array of art from the series, drawn primarily by the late Akira Toriyama.
As of this writing, the 40th anniversary is looming closer so a more updated version may be on the horizon.
As of this writing, the 40th anniversary is looming closer so a more updated version may be on the horizon.
Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition
CookBooks
Cookbooks inspired by everything from video games to movies, tv shows and more have taken the book sphere by storm. Here are my personal favorites as someone who also loves to cook!
I love Stardew Valley and absolutely love this cookbook. There was a lot of love that went into it, and recipes are sorted by season and feature many of the recipes you can make in the game. The recipes taste really good too! If you're a fan of the s...
The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook
Final Fantasy XIV is a very popular (and for good reason) Massive Multiplayer Online game (MMO). This cookbook features severally really good recipes that show a level of care that went into crafting recipes representative of the game. It even has an...
The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook: The Essential ...
This is a pretty good cookbook featuring around 80 different recipes from the game or inspired by the game. The recipes from drinks to appetizers, to entrees and are designed for a variety of skill levels in the kitchen.
The Witcher Official Cookbook: Provisions, Fare, and ...
This is a great cookbook for anyone who enjoys the Fallout game series. There are a couple really good recipes in here and a few that are quite unique.
Fallout: The Vault Dweller's Official Cookbook
Tie-in Books
These are book tie-ins to popular games that are well-written and worth reading.
This is a pretty good book tie-in to the Final Fantasy series. It looks into the past of Aerith and Tifa before the events of the game.
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts (Novel)|Hardcover
This is a great book for fans of the Halo franchise. It follows the origin story of Spartan John-117, aka Master Chief and of his heroism in leading the resistance against humanity’s possible extinction.
Halo: The Fall of Reach
This is a really well-written manga adaptation of the Legend of Zelda Orcarina of Time. This is a multi-volume series.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -Legendary Edition
This is a prequel story of Andrew Ryan, a driven immigrant and industrialist. He would go on to build the underwater utopia of Rapture as a safe haven free from government control, censorship, and moral limits on science. However, the city gradually ...
BioShock: Rapture|Paperback
This story follows Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as a Witcher. Through several interconnected stories, the Witcher faces several challenges including fighting deadly beasts, treacherous sorcery, and morally ambiguous human conflicts while c...
The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher
I have to throw in this one as a long-time Final Fantasy VII fan. This contains several short stories that serve as an epilogue to the ending of the game.
Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile
Gaming History
Books that focus on the history of video games as a whole or about popular series.
This is the first book in a two part series covering the history of video games. This is a well-written and illustrated book and an essential read for anyone interested in history and video games.
The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 1: From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond . . . the Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World
This is a three part series that provides information and the history of Final Fantasy I-15. I got the entire series a few years ago and still flip through these wonderful books.
Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive (Volume 1-3)
While this book is getting to be a little outdated, its still a great read for fans of the mario franchise.
Super Mario Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years
Japanese Role Playing Games (or JRPGs) are easily my favorite type of video games and I've been playing them since the late 90s (thanks Pokemon). I love this book because it captures how JRPGs were introduced and became popular in the west, while foc...
Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West
I'm a long-time Kingdom Hearts fan (I actually bought a PS2 just to play it when it was first released). I love this book because of its rich history, information and image---which also makes it a must read for Kingdom Hearts fans. It's worth noting ...
Kingdom Hearts Ultimania: The Story Before Kingdom Hearts III
General Gaming Books
These are my favorite video game books that don't fit nearly into any other categories but I highly recommend.
Full disclosure, this is an expensive and heavy book but worth a read. In it, Pat Contri has worked with several other game historians, experts and reviews to compile information about every Super Nintendo game released in the United States.
There is also an ultimate guide for the NES and N64 library.
There is also an ultimate guide for the NES and N64 library.
Ultimate Nintendo: SNES Library Guide (1991-98)
Game translations weren't quite up to par back in the day. This book clearly illustrates some of the worst translations, some of which have become popular memes.
Retro Game Super Translation Selection
This is a fantastic book full of easy and fun cross-stitch patters. It's beginner friendly and full of patterns veterans can enjoy.
Stardew Valley Cross Stitch Guide
This is a fun book full of bad game translations.
This be book bad translation, video games!