Product Description

BradyGames' Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, by Chris Kohler, is a unique book that gives readers an entertaining and authoritative look at the indelible influence the video gaming, particularly, Japanese gaming, has had on the world. Power-Up is the first English-language work of its kind to examine the reasons behind the success of Japanese video games, rather than focusing on the history of video games. Just some of the features readers will find in this book include:

Profiles of some of the most fascinating Japanese video game designers in the industry, along with a critical look at Japanese video games from their earliest beginnings to new, exciting trends that ride the bleeding edge of popular culture.

Explanations on why Japanese video games are unique and why they resonate so well with young American players.

Fresh insight into classic Japanese video games and the elements that made them so different from American games, the origin of Nintendo, Japan's oldest and largest video game producer, Japanese Role-Playing Games, and much more!

In addition, the future of the Japanese gaming industry is also explored.

This product is available for sale worldwide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #579051 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

About the Author

Chris Kohler currently lives in North Branford, Connecticut. He graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in May 2002, receiving a BA in Japanese and the Japanese Language and Literature Prize. His graduation thesis was titled "The Cinematic Japanese Video Game" and earned highest honors.

Customer Reviews

Something about Japan by someone who understands Japan
Kohler has done a very, very good job of surveying the Japanese video game industry.
Unlike other writers who have written game histories, Kohler speaks Japanese and lived in Japan. He covered the Japanese video game market for international publications. Frankly, the depth of his understanding shows throughout this book.
Kohler's interviews are direct and insightful. He managed to get access to many of Japan's leading game designers. As somebody who has read many books about the video game industry, I noticed that Kohler's knowledge of the Japanese language resulted in a more direct style of interview.
Kohler managed to get his hands on the creators of such games as ICO, Parapa, and, of course, Mario.
One thing I will say about "Power-Up" is that it is a specialized book. If you are looking for a general survey of gaming, or a picture book with glossy full-color art, this is not the book. This is NOT a book for folks who want to read about the games they played as kids.
"Power-Up" is a highly-specialized book. I believe that it belongs on the top shelf of ANY collector who considers himself/herself a serious student of video games. This is a resource, like Lenny Herman's "Phoenix," that will be appreciated by hardcore gamers for a very long time.

For fans, by a fan.
I've read a number of video game books over the years, and while most are well researched and informative, they seem to take a cynical or flat out negative tone most of the time. Possibly because they are more focused on the business side of the industry. Not so with this book. A labor of love by a fan who actually speaks and reads the language in which Japanese video games are created, he takes us on a journey from the beginnings of Nintendo in the late 1800's to the modern era without missing a beat along the way. The author also examines aspects of the industry that have gone unexamined in other texts, such as game music and Akihabara. It also includes a number of interviews with leading members of of various aspects of the Japanese gaming world. All in all, it's a wonderful example of what these inds of books can be, and I truly hope to see moreon this subject, both from this author and others, in the near future.

Historical correctness isn't enough
I'm a rather even-tempered kind of guy -- except when I see falsehoods bandied about like truths. I see that all the time in videogame journalism. Not an issue of EGM or Gamepro goes by without me going into a rage at the ignorance of the editors. And the less said about G4techTV, the better.

I stayed calm throughout Power-Up. Chris Kohler certainly knows his stuff. But his writing left me feeling empty -- there's no soul to it nor any brilliant (or even not-so-brilliant) insights. Power-Up is dry to the point of reading like an instruction manual, as another reviewer mentioned, or an assigned class report. When Kohler does digress, he tends to toss in entirely irrelevant and boring trivia (for example, he spends a full page on the installation of FF XI, noting how the PS2 version works with any USB keyboard, not only the overpriced official Sony product).

I've found many of Chris Kohler's articles in Wired (et al) to be both informative and well written, so it's a real pity that Power-Up doesn't make itself deserving of shelf space by Steven L. Kent's The First Quarter. Power-Up's not a bad book, just mediocre.