Keza MacDonald for Super Nintendo

An exploration of the cultural phenomenon that created Mario, Zelda and Pokemon, by a leading voice in the world of video games writing.

Nintendo's video games occupy a special place in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Every player has forged a connection with a game, feeling that unique rush as they immersed themselves in a virtual world in pursuit of that most human of impulses: the desire for entertainment.

Keza MacDonald explores Nintendo's legendary roster of games – as well as consoles such as the SNES, Gameboy, Wii and Switch – drawing from decades of interviews with their creators and the people whose lives have been changed by them. She tells the story of how this unassuming playing card company, founded in Kyoto in 1889, became a dominant cultural movement of the twenty-first century.

Offering unparalleled access to the inner realms of the company, Super Nintendo captures the love that so many of us feel for video games – and reveals what that love tells us about being human.

'Here is a book bursting with love. Bop your head against it and see if a shower of gold coins comes out.'
Sam Leith, The Haunted Wood

'A vivid picture of the most important company in video games.'
Jason Schreier, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

'MacDonald writes brilliantly.'
Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror

Keza MacDonald is the video games editor at The Guardian, for whom she also writes the 'Pushing Buttons' newsletter. She has spoken about games extensively on radio and television and has presented a Radio 4 documentary on the history of games. The author has spent two decades writing about how they are made, how they are played, and how they connect people to each other all over the world.