Video Game Documentaries and History
As video games and history are two of my favourite hobbies, a combination of the two was a no-brainer. I love watching documentaries about specific games or genres, reading articles about behind-the-scenes. In this article I’ll try to promote some of my favourite YouTube channels I follow and books I’ve read who provide interesting content and insights concerning this subject.
YouTube channels
nerdSlayer Studios
A channel famous for the “Death of a Game…” series. It covers the timeline and uncovers the facts that led up to the “death” of MMO Games and, sometimes, gaming companies. The episodes are very well researched and extremely enjoyable to watched. I’ve personally rewatched some of them multiple times!
Indigo Gaming
A channel that offers reviews, retrospectives etc. I discovered it due to the PHENOMENAL documentary on the Cyberpunk genre that deserves its own article but didn’t give much thought initially. However, I saw yesterday their last year’s coverage of the history of God games and was taken aback. I’ll definitely check out more of their documentary pieces in the near future.
Chris Davis
A channel that I discovered when I was bored and wanted to check out on one of my favourite game genres in there, Isometric CRPGs. He has a whole series on the subject, covering notable games in almost hour-long presentations, featuring both gameplay, a gamer’s insights as well as historical facts surrounding the development of the games. A must-follow channel for fans of CRPGs.
Lockstin & Gnoggin
Not a channel I really follow, since most of the videos are not for me. However, they’ve put out the most extensive and well researched history of the Fire Emblem series that I’ve seen. It is definitely a must watch!
Books
The Legend of Zelda — A Complete Development History by Ishaan Sahdev
A historically accurate account of the development of the whole Legend of Zelda franchise based on interviews and behind-the-scenes materials. It’s available to read for free in this link or in PDF form in this link. You can read my Goodreads review here.
The CRPG Book by Felipe Pepe
A huge tome containing a lot of reviews and insights on the history of computer RPGs, dating from the start of the genre in 1970s until 2015. A collective work of love and a must have of anyone who considers themselves an RPG lover. Many tears were shed while reading about classic games of my youth plus learned about a lot of gems I missed due to being too young at the time. Check it out here. When I manage to finish this, I’ll add my Goodreads review link here.
Golden Joystick Presents A Hideo Kojima Book the Ultimate Guide to Metal Gear Solid
A book with multiple interview pieces of Hideo Kojima, reviews of the games in the Metal Gear series and several behind the scenes material worth reading it. If you like the Metal Gear Solid series or Hideo Kojima, this is a must. You can read my Goodreads review here.
And that is all folks! If you have any book or documentary proposal, I’ll be more than happy to hear it in the comments!
