ARTCADE – The book of classic arcade game artwork – Book Review
Sometimes we have to face the music and ponder about things that are no longer a part of our daily lives. Consoles have become a common sight in our living rooms or even special ‘gaming rooms’ and thus arcade cabinets are slowly disappearing all around the world. Only certain amusement parks or special arcade halls still have an abundance of these machines, but overall they are becoming a rather rare sight. That being said, over the many years these things were made, they often went hand in hand with beautiful artwork plastered all over the cabinets themselves and it would be a rather big loss for the world if this kind of art would be totally forgotten or destroyed. Luckily, Tim Nicholls dedicated his time to collecting a whole bunch of artwork, and bundling it for our entertainment.
Unlike the other Bitmap Books we received, this one will have a lot less content, text-wise. After a short introduction and an interview you’re pretty much good to go. You’ll be able to enjoy art of arcade cabinets of the last 40 years, where some will immediately ring a bell while others are a bit lesser known, at least in certain areas of the world. That being said, next to each of the artworks there is a small rundown that tells us more about the game in question. It’s fun to see that everything is truly about the art, and not necessarily meant as a compendium that gives you an overload of facts to plow through.
The artwork itself stands out a lot thanks to the glossy paper. This gives it the same shiny feel it had on the cabinets themselves, creating a certain kind of authenticity. Of course, many of the pictures displayed in this collection had to be digitally restored, as some cabinets are simply not in the same shape they were when they were presented to the general public. That being said, the old school vibe that comes off all the illustrations is simply dreamy, where a sudden feeling of nostalgia might take you by surprise. It’s also sad to see that these works of art are no longer a part of the gaming industry, where most covers are now donned with ‘realistic’ looking pictures or lack a certain sense of creativity.
Even though the book itself is mainly pictures and very small snippets of text, you’ll have your work cut out for you as the album spans around 300 pages of artworks. This does not only show the amount of work that was put into creating this collection, it will surely mean that more and more people will be able to relate with certain titles they played years ago, or still play up until this very day.
Conclusion
ARTCADE – The book of classic arcade game artwork is certainly a welcome addition to the collection of those who are into retro gaming or have fond memories of the days when arcade cabinets were still a common sight. Roughly 300 pages worth of art and small descriptions all bundled in a hardcover book, will certainly provide a lengthy trip down memory lane.
ARTCADE – The book of classic arcade game artwork - Book Review,
No Comments