Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984

by Van Burnham

A gloriously illustrated history of the videogame and its legacy for both our mindscapes and video technology. It was a time when technology was king, status was determined by your high score, and videogames were blitzing the world... From Pong to Pac-Man, Asteroids to Zaxxon—more than fifty million people around the world have come of age within the electronic flux of videogames, their subconscious forever etched with images projected from arcade and home videogame systems. From the first interactive blips of electronic light at Brookhaven National Labs and the creation of Spacewar! at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; to the invention of the TV Game Project and the myriad systems of Magnavox, Atari, Coleco, and Mattel that followed; through the rise of the Golden Age of videogames and forward into the imagination of millions, Supercade is the first book to illustrate and document the history, legacy, and visual language of the videogame phenomenon. Exuberantly written and illustrated in full color, Supercade pays tribute to the technology, games, and visionaries of one of the most influential periods in the history of computer science—one that profoundly shaped the modern technological landscape and helped change the way people view entertainment. Supercade includes contributions from such commentators and particpants as Ralph Baer, Julian Dibbell, Keith Feinstein, Joe Fielder, Lauren Fielder, Justin Hall, Leonard Herman, Steven Johnson, Steven Kent, Nick Montfort, Bob Parks, Carl Steadman, and Tom Vanderbilt.

Genres: Video Games, Games, History, Art, Gaming, Nonfiction, Technology

448 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Van's MySpace page can be found at http://www.myspace.com/vanburnham. She is a former contributor to Wired magazine, lives in Los Angeles, and has a large arcade collection.

Reviews

[Fresno Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful representation of the visual imagery of old school console and arcade games

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sought this out for Nick Montfort's contributions and for the subject matter. What I found was a disjointed coffee table book with editing problems and black pages that absorb oils like crazy.

Van Burnham edits the collection and presumably writes the copy for the myriad games (arcade and home) that dot the pages in timeline order between 1971 and 1984. A broad selection of guest authors fill in the rest, and these articles range from fairly interesting to mailed-in copy.

A few of the articles are broken over multiple pages for no reason that I can see, and one of these has the wrong last page listing. This wasn't the only error, as the index had incorrect locations for some of the games.

In summary, some nice information and some nice pictures that trigger a lot of memories, and a presentation that left a lot to be desired. Glad I can return it to the library.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coffee table sized behemoth (make smaller books!) is a wonderful resource on arcade games and consoles that ruled the early days of the arcade and takes you all the way up to the video game crash and resurrection thanks to the NES.

It contains tons of beautiful full screen images of most of the classic games and systems with some getting a detailed description and more attention than others.

I highly recommend this for all gamers (especially old heads like me) and this will be a perfect addition to your bookshelf

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

a big awkward book. not content wise. its difficult to read. it's big and awkward...just like me.
its has a nice history of arcade games and i was expecting a bit more of the history instead of pages of game screens but it definitely scratched a nostalgic itch of a time at smoke filled loud bowling alleys playing games like bad dudes or altered beast.
the binding on the book sucks though. i'm scared to open it too wide lest it fall in half.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful collection that shows the range of technology and creativity in the early arcade era. The commentary is not especially deep, though there are a couple of lovely essays by some of the creators behind various favorite games like Q*Bert. But the sheer number of games and platforms — many unsuccessful — makes it clear just how much was happening in a very short span of time.

[I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid coffee table book about early video game and arcade history. The information is occasionally too brief and some of the photos are “artistic” ie) blurry / pixelated messes but overall this is a really fun read for aficionados. Looking forward to a follow up !

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY thorough documentation of the early days of vidya games with lots of good photos & screen shots. The comparisons to "modern gaming" circa 2001 (when the book was published) are sometimes jarring to this 2024 reader, but what history book isn't outdated the second it rolls off the presses?

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations, skipped most of the text but my tech-oriented brother-in-law seemed to like it.

[RAMIREZRJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

video games are my favorite hobby at the moment, I consider myself very good at many games

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good but not great history of the time period in question (and earlier!) made memorable by the book's incredible design and lavish full-color images (it's heavy, however, and being a university press book, the glue holding together the spine is quite flimsy, and may come apart). likely the best resource on this era that will ever see the light of day.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly engrossing for anyone, like me, who came of age during the rise of the video game. Both the home console and the video arcade are covered in detail from the extremely obscure to the ubiquitous cultural icons. Built around a timeline that incorporates product launches, business deals, oddball trivia, and software launches one would be hard pressed to find a more complete picture of an era viewed through the prism of video games. Visually stunning, with a foreword and introduction that situate the rise of video games within the larger framework of emerging computer technologies, while at the same time providing an exciting backdrop for the remainder of the book. I love this book!

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic and gorgeous read, a high-level visual history of classic video games. With excellent screenshots, box art, and images of consoles, the author does a great job of covering the birth of video gaming as we know it. Great graphic design and just enough in-depth text make this a great coffee table book with quality meat on its bones. Even though the book itself is more than a decade old, the presentation and design feel pretty fresh for the material. Highly recommended.

Production note: my paperback copy didn't have a strong enough binding and tore away from the cover. Looking at Amazon reviews, that seems to be an issue with this edition throughout. It is probably worth picking up the hardcover version if you want this volume to last.

[Peter Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about video games have generally turned into self-promoting art books for games that weren't that great in the first place. This book, while matching the heft and visual design of any of these books, turns its eye to the past and explores all the early games along with the first video game systems and gives them the coverage they deserved. Certainly my nostalgia for these games informs my love for this book, but I think the book gives these games the long overdue respect they deserve (in some cases, more than they deserve) in a coffee table book that I think anyone with fond memories of the late 70's/early 80's arcade and home video gaming scene would love to display in their house.

[stephoto604 · Rating 4 out of 5]

had so much fun reading this... even tho it is an over-sized coffee table book not necessarily the easiest to cozy up with in bed! Really interesting to learn the history behind different consoles and games that I love playing!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most golden memories of my childhood are captured in this book. I suppose that says something about me, but I'm not the least bit ashamed.

[Jonathan Keiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to fully absorb this coffee table book, but it's amazing photographs and completely relevant contributors make it an amazing piece of work. I love it.

[Steven Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certainly the best coffee table book on the history of arcades. This book has the prettiest layout, the most photographs and some good articles.

[Morbus Iff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book that smudges too easily.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

a visual treat bringing u t a world of how videogames and how they get their look

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great visual history of the early video game era. Recommend reading with gloves -- the black pages instantly absorb fingerprints!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings back lots of memories of lost quarters.

[Brian Depaola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great visual aid to truly enjoy the time period, especially if you've lived it.

[Selso Xisto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous photography