My Shelf

My first console of many. Even though over the years I have always leaned more toward the PC Master Race, the NES was the first console I had at home as a kid, and I have huge respect for what it represents in video game history. It also carries pure nostalgia for me: some of my first proper gaming sessions are tied to it. I mostly associate it with Super Mario Bros. 3, a game I played for countless hours without ever finishing it. Since you could not save the game and my mother never let me leave the console turned on, every attempt meant starting again from the beginning and trying to get further than the previous time, faster and faster. On my shelf I keep it with two controllers and three games: Super Mario Bros. 3, Popeye —terrible— and Ice Climber, which I also played a lot in co-op with my sister.

I own quite a few art books, but this one is special because Expedition 33 went straight to the very top of my gaming life. The first trailer already caught my attention; by the second look, I was sure there was soul in it, something that feels increasingly rare in this industry. And when I finally played it… at last, something that made me feel. As an art book, I especially like that it is not just a collection of beautiful images: it includes a lot of development material, with contributions from many different members of the team, and offers a real glimpse into the creative process behind one of those games that will define an era. And yes, I am fully on board with calling it the best game of the decade. Maybe even that is underselling it.

There are probably not that many books about gaming, regardless of the angle, so I wanted to highlight this one more for what it represents than for its specific story. Play Nice offers a look at the transformation of a purist Blizzard, a company where game creators were in charge, challenged each other, and kept trying to hook players again and again. But it also shows how the ambition of the industry, corporate growth, and money slowly transformed that soul into what we have today, where absolutely nothing remains of those beginnings. I have never considered myself a Blizzard fan, even though I have played many of their games; if I had to choose just one, I would not hesitate: StarCraft. I wish there were many more books about video game culture and the industry behind it.

I have been subscribed to the Spanish magazine GTM for years for several reasons. The first is to support a project where the editorial line is sustained by subscribers, not by advertising or by the industry itself. The second is that, as a physical object, its materials and design quality are far above average. I also like that it does not focus only on current news and game criticism. Its pages include opinion pieces, video game history, interviews with studios, and conversations with relevant figures, which makes it feel closer to a cultural publication than a simple magazine about new releases. And even then, when it comes to reviews and criticism, I often do not agree with their perspective at all. Even so, I would recommend it to any lover of the video game industry.