Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play - Hardcover

by Keza MacDonald (Author)

An exuberant, behind-the-scenes look at the designers and the company that brought us Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, and so much more, illuminating Nintendo's singular ethos, its massive cultural impact, and the innovative solutions behind its creative triumphs

"Comprehensive but never too dense, informative but approachable, and packed with an unwavering passion for Nintendo that I'd wager even the company's biggest detractors would find infectious. In short, if you want to learn about Nintendo, this is the book to do it." --Jim Norman, Nintendo Life

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

In Super Nintendo, lifelong gamer and a renowned video games journalist Keza MacDonald traces Nintendo back to its quirky beginnings in 1889. Leaping from game to game, she 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.

MacDonald 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. Along the way, she provides a close-up look at the company's 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.

Author Biography

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.