In the process of gradually whittling down the "to be read" pile, I've managed to finally finish the third volume in Mel Croucher's planned Gamers pentalogy, so with a smidge of free time available, here's a quick review.
Gamers 1 focused on the those who's actions defined the basic elements of video games, the second on the machines that made up the golden era of the home micro computer, and this third entry takes on the concepts of play on demand.
As before, we have a nicely printed book of some 170-plus pages divided into the requisite twenty ghosts, each of which is handled with a few pages of text and some accompanying imagery. There's no colour but that doesn't impact the quality of the eye candy. Mr Croucher repeats the format that has served the series well so far in that each ghost "speaks" for themselves, describes their history, and their connection to the core theme of the book.
Beginning with King Midas, there's very much a wide array of ghosts to read about, as well as quite the journey through history, from 740 BCE all the way up to 2009, and King Pig from Angry Birds. Yep, it's certainly varied. It is also highly informative, although I would council caution if using this as a single point of reference. Ghost 12 aka Reginald Fessenden's story, for example, is not as clear cut as his inclusion here states. A minor detail, perhaps, but as always when using sources, cite and verify them where you can! Nevertheless, you will find this an educational read, and one that had me searching online for more information on this group of ghosts.
As per the first two books, Gamers 3 was funded via a Kickstarter campaign, and there is the Hall of Fame and Roll of Honour for higher tier backers, before the author's bibliography and details of the entire Gamer's range round out the final pages.
At the end of my review for volume 2 back in April, I did wonder whether the presentational style of the series would outstay its welcome. Well, I'm rather relived to say that it hasn't with this entry, and I am looking forward to reading the next volume, subtitled Robots and Rebels. This is indeed good timing as there is a Kickstarter currently running for volume 4, which will end on November 3rd. You can check that out here, and if it appeals, considering giving it your support as I have.
This is another great read from Mr. Croucher, and I have no qualms in recommending. You can find details of Gamers 3 on the publisher's website here, with links to the various online stores it can be purchased from when the time comes.
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