The Games of a Lifetime by Julian "Jaz" Rignall - Book Review

To say that I have been looking forward to this book since it was announced would be an understatement. I have read, and reviewed, many histories focused on video games, but this one held the promise of being truly special because of who the author is and his role in the UK games magazine industry of the 1980's and 90's. Was The Games of a Lifetime worthy of such anticipation?

As someone whose childhood years spanned the 1980's, reading about the author's early life resonated greatly with me. Growing up around Stanley and Consett after the latter's steel works were shuttered in 1980 defined the period known as "Thatcher's Britain" very differently from the more economically protected areas of the UK, and it's this socio-economic framing that makes the Jaz's journey from rural Wales to the US all the more interesting. 

But as we continue through the years in this highly polished 400-plus page tome, there is much more than just the "wasn't it grim?" trope that people who have never actually experienced the horrors of the that government (and I'm not just talking about those who could afford a Beeb either - joke, btw) trot out. No, we're here for the games, as well as to find out just how good this guy's taste in music and books actually is. Oh, and the curse of micro-management. Yeah, right with you there...

Told chronologically, each chapter zeroes in on a particular title to which is given a whole page for a frankly glorious screenshot. What follows is a mix of detail about the selected games, anecdotes on the gaming industry, the author's personal life and career, rumination's on games that didn't quite make the author's grade but are still worth mentioning, and any other topic of interest whose inclusion is more than justified. 

From the glory days of the arcades, via the then cutting edge 8- and 16-bit computers, to the mass market home console scene, the man's love for gaming is never in doubt, and the enthusiasm and passion I remember so well from reading Computer and Video Games, and Mean Machines/Mean Machines Sega is still obvious in the text here. His style is easy to follow and packed with humour too, and where he does voice his thoughts and opinions, it's done so confidently yet with care. Well, mostly, because when fuckwits are gonna fuckwit, you got to call them out (and maybe ask some why they became politicians in the first place...). 

There is much to learn about the early games media industry too, as well as some links that, whilst I was hazily aware of them, had never actually clicked before - Chris Anderson for one, whose attempt at a magazine business (Amstrad Action, how I loved thee back in the day) and it's "future" successes, you may have heard of. That and some website called IGN... I loved the behind the scenes details of ZZAP! 64 (NEC PC-8021's indeed), as well as the fast and furious days of the later EMAP titles. As an aside, ZZAP!  64 is still a going concern, now published as part of the range of magazines from Fusion Retro Books, and whose sister publication, Fusion Magazine,  your humble scribe contributes to. Look, if I can't get a plug in my own blog post, what's the point???!!! Also, Battletech!!! 

The Games of a Lifetime is the finest autobiography/games history book I have ever read. The tone is pitched perfectly between the personal and the career aspects of Jaz's life, and I cannot stress enough how refreshing it was to see a different voice to the growing repository of the videogames history texts. It would also be highly remiss of me if I didn't highlight the touching foreword by Richard Leadbetter, the sublime artwork from Wil Overton and Gary (from Army of Trolls), as well as the efforts of those who helped with the screenshots and other imagery within. 

The Games of a Lifetime is one of those tomes that should appeal to everyone with an interest in videogames - for those who lived through those times, it's a pure nostalgia trip as well as a reminder of how bad things really were if you happened to live anywhere not in the Home Counties. For those too young to have had the "joys" of secondhand smoke, three (later four, oooohhhhhh!) TV channels, and a fascination with the colour brown, it will entertain and inform as to how the games and associated media industries developed from a particular UK perspective during their early years and beyond. I loved it, and this will remain a fixture in my gaming-related library for years to come. Bravo to Mr Rignall, those who contributed in delivering the final result, and to Bitmap Books for publishing yet another corker. 

You can pick up a copy of The Games of a Lifetime from the usual physical and online bookstores, as well as the likes of Forbidden Planet in the UK, and direct from the publisher's website here, where you'll get to experience the frankly nuts quality of their packaging. 

You can also follow the author on X/Bluesky via the following handles: @JazRignall and @jazrignall.bsky.social, and the publisher via @bitmap_books and @bitmapbooks.com respectively. 

Blake's 7 Production Diary Series B by Jonathan Helm - Book Review

Well, I guessed correctly, as on Christmas Day, I unwrapped this lovely book and promptly had to place it on a shelf as it was considered poor form to sit reading it through the seasonal family gatherings. Damn!

Fast forward a few weeks and the time was taken to slowly savour what turned out to be a cracking follow up to the Series A volume. It feels like there are even more photographs and illustrations, and the gang behind what will hopefully become a four volume set have outdone themselves.

Through some 300 plus pages, you will discover how the creation of a follow up to a highly successful series of television became fraught with inter-personal tensions, re-casting, and doubts about the future of the show. As a production diary, the reader feels they're accompanying the cast and crew as these drama's play out, and whilst the overall result was as good as the first series (in your scribe's considered opinion), the continuous challenges over budget spends and some individual's particular approaches to their job had soured things a tad. 

One cannot help but feel for David Jackson for the way his character atrophied, and the way in which Brian Croucher tried gamely to inhabit a role already warmed by another. Hey, he did a great job in highly difficult circumstances and based upon the narrative presented here, truly deserved better. The travails of making an obviously inadequate budget stretch are also pure TV production gold, and just goes to show that almost anything is possible with the time and effort, as well as being genuinely amusing to read about. What may look laughable now to modern day audiences more than passed muster back then, and in one's humble opinion, there is a charm and timelessness to practical effects and model work that CGI lacks. That and CGI ages very poorly in all but the most exemplary of instances, but that's a discussion for another time. 

That being said, it was not all doom and gloom, and the various reminiscences are a joy to discover - Gareth Thomas with his costume shenanigans, and the general approach to the show's creative choices are particular highlights. Those and the seemingly traditional nightly booze ups whilst on location shooting duties. The inclusion of boxouts for deleted scenes and dialogue, as well as an episode by episode synopsis, are also highly informative.

Once again, the design of the book permits zero criticism, and the combination of publicity photographs and behind the scenes captures are a wonderful mix for a show, and a time, long ago. As with the Series A diary, all profits from this tome go to charity, and it should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway, this is an essential purchase for Blake's 7 fans and fans of science fiction shows in general. You can pick up your copy from here. Roll on Series C!

And just to spoil you lucky people, here's a rather lovely cast photo to be on your way with!