Ah, the Game Boy. The handheld videogame system by Nintendo that started it all. First releasing in Japan and North America in 1989, the Game Boy was a wonderfully modest 8-bit system that spawned a revolution in gaming (and portable electronics in general), and was home to well over 1,000 released titles across the big three regions (US/EUR/JPN). Lately, I have been enjoying a few books from the gents at Bitmap Books who are based in England. Near the end of 2020, they released a really impressive book called Game Boy: The Box Art Collection, that covers over 350 games in beautiful, archival quality. Let’s have a closer look, shall we?
With compilation books like this, and the Super Famicom/SNES Visual Compendium I recently reviewed, choices have to be made, and logistics taken into serious consideration. These platforms have very large libraries, and a huge number of quality titles to choose from. Bitmap worked with several renowned Game Boy experts and collectors to pull together the images and information contained within these 372 pages to give us a wonderful look at what Game Boy had to offer. Hardcore completionists and collectors would no doubt like to see follow-up volumes someday with more or all of the library, but what’s offered here is excellent nonetheless.
The book begins, appropriately, with a Preface written by Bitmap, introducing us to the joy that lie in the pages ahead. This is followed by a Foreword from Jean-Jacques Calbayrac, known as Gameboycameraman online, who tells us of his fond personal memories of how the Game Boy helped shape his youth. As his handle implies, he enjoys taking photos with one of the Game Boy’s many accessories, the camera. He shares his 14,336 pixel images online, and ten of his images are contained in the two-pages of his Foreword.
Following that is a long-form essay on the history of the Game Boy. The read is about ten pages long, including beautiful photos of the hardware. Anecdotes, and portions of interviews from the late Gunpei Yokoi and others are included. Reading about Gunpei’s talent and his confidence and push within Nintendo to see the Game Boy become a reality was inspiring. I loved the part where a Nintendo Staffer informed Gunpei that a new handheld was released in competition to the Game Boy. Rather than being concerned, Gunpei simply asked if the screen was color or monochrome, and upon finding out that it was color, he was sure the Game Boy would dominate it, which it indeed did (due in part to the poor battery life of the competitors). Hardware iterations and accessories are covered as well in this enjoyable read.
The last article before the box art begins features two prominent European Game Boy collectors, Michael Lynch and Vincent Haucourt, who share their memories and takes on what makes the Game Boy and its artwork so special.
Starting with page 22, we get into the meat of the book — page after page being dedicated to a single game. Each featured game has its title, front box art, publisher, year of release, and six smallish (but perfectly adequate) in-game screenshots included. Of note, this book is apparently the first published attempt at translating the Japanese game names into rōmaji. To be honest, I didn’t even know what rōmaji was before getting into this book, but as a western reader and collector, I appreciate Bitmap going the extra mile to have these game names professionally translated. I also have to give special mention to the six in-game screenshots that are shown for each game, too. Anyone that has ever picked up an old game box first takes in the front artwork, and then immediately flips to the back to see what the actual game looks like. Having just the front box art to look at would have been ok, but having in-game screenshots on the very same page to supplement is awesome, because it immediately gives you much more information on what kind of game it is. This is very useful for making decisions about what games you might want to add to your backlog next, for example, as well as for Japanese games that are unfamiliar to me since I can immediately get a vibe for what the gameplay is like.
Scrolling and reading through the next 350+ pages in this book is a treat. My nostalgia was tingled, my backlog grew because I found more games I never knew about that I want to play someday, and I found myself just building a deeper sense of appreciation and awe for this 8-bit monochrome wonder. Sure, not every game looks appealing — the horse track games on this system or any other for example look insanely boring, for example. But on the other hand, I found games like Burial Fighter Deluxe, Choplifter III, Jelly Boy, Probotector 2, and others, that I want to explore further. Anyway, at the conclusion of the book is an index that helps you find the specific title you’re looking for (the games are also presented in alphabetical order, too).
In typical Bitmap Books quality, the packaging the book arrived in was impressively stout, protecting the entire book including its corners from any chance of wear as it made its way across the Atlantic. After unboxing, the square-shaped book measuring 9.8″ on each side was revealed in its metallic silver textured cover with metallic blue foil glory. I loved how the kanji for the book name is also given on the front cover. The thread-sewn binding and lithographic printing give the book the usability, durability, and high-res I have come to expect from Bitmap. Additionally, the PDF they emailed me while my book made its trek in shipping was much appreciated and very convenient, and that’s something they provide for all of their books.
Whether for yourself or as a gift, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection is a beautiful book celebrating and documenting one of the most important pieces of portable tech ever created. Copies of the book are available on their site now, priced at $39.99, and it makes an excellent addition to any collector’s library.
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