I liked the art-style of this book and the overall information it shared, but it seemed to drag on a bit for me. There were parts where it felt like I was almost reading a textbook because of the way the dialogue was which took me out of it a little bit. I still think there are people that will like it, and maybe understand some of it a little better, so I would give it at least 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
Unfortunately it did not land for me. The premise behind the discussion of the history of video games was silly and annoying, and the text suffered from what I believe was poor English translation.

The authors become part of the story in this time-traveling graphic novel adventure through the history of video games. Clearly a work of passion, the book is packed with charming Easter eggs that will amuse gamers around the world.

For context, I’ve been a gamer for most of my life. Some of my earliest gaming memories are of playing Pac-Man and The Simpsons game on my mom’s PC. Over the years, I’ve owned several consoles (from the Sega Saturn to the Game Boy Color, PS2, Wii, DS, and more). Now in my 30s, I still game weekly on my Switch and Xbox Series S. I love video games and I really wanted to love this book.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me. The pacing dragged in parts, and the delivery leaned too heavily into encyclopedic detail, which made it feel more like a textbook than a compelling narrative. The timeline also jumped around, which I found a bit frustrating.

That said, the illustrations are great, and the Easter eggs were genuinely fun. I think this will be an enjoyable read for many.

[Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel in exchange of my honest review.]

The Age of Video Games is a vibrant and accessible graphic novel that chronicles the evolution of gaming with wit, heart, and visual flair. Blending pop culture nostalgia with educational insight, Jean Zeid and Émilie Rouge guide readers through decades of innovation, from arcade classics to online multiplayer and beyond.

Through dynamic illustrations and a playful time-travel narrative, this book makes complex history digestible and fun—perfect for classrooms, libraries, and lifelong gamers alike. A creative and engaging resource that celebrates the past while inspiring curiosity about the future of gaming.

Thank you to Jean Zeid and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC!

This cover and art style really drew me in, it’s really cute and fun, I loved it! I’m not much of a gamer except for playing the basic and popular games like Super Mario from time to time. Therefore it sounded really interesting to read about video games and maybe learn a thing or two about the old days. I’m fairly young so it was cool to learn about the first video games etc. It was also really fun when reading about games I already know and learn new things about them. I did not now that Super Mario was originally Jumping Man. I also liked the backstory and that the characters went from game to game and were in them, they even had costumes! And the bickering between the expert and the computer about facts was a fun addition. It made it more cool that it’s not just a straight up non-fiction book. I also liked that there were some lingo that was explained near the end, my little brother uses words like that and I have never known what they meant, but now I do! With all this said I felt from time to time that there were a lot of information about people and years, and technical terms I did not know which made it a bit hard to read and I found myself not wanting to pick it up from time to time. I really can’t remember any of the information except for what I see as the fun stuff because it was so much. I think I will still gift this to my little brother when it gets published because he loves video games and knowledge and would probably appreciate it more than me. I think I might not have been the right person for this book as I’m not much of a hardcore gamer but I think this will be a hit amongst the right people.

This is a creative nonfiction graphic novel on the history of video games. I’ll start with the pros:
Interesting tidbits on game development, tech innovation, commercialization, and the names behind it.
Trivia on what inspired beloved characters and cult following games.
The massive shifts in popular game modes throughout time.
The creative way in which this information is presented (as time travelling characters that pop into momentous times in video game history).

What it could be better:
The colors were dull considering the exciting subject material.
Some parts were a slog to read and I found it hard to get back into the story.
There were some parts where the audience is treated as very knowledgable on the subject, but other times definitions of basic gaming jargon was offered (like farming, and tanking). What irritated more about this was that it happened after midpoint of the game. If your audience doesn’t know that after reading half the book, they would have dnf’d.
Overall, I’m glad I read it but it could use improvement.

Are you a big fan of video games and want a fun story that takes you through the history of gaming? This book is perfect for you—or anyone curious about how video games began and evolved over time. The main characters guide you on a journey through gaming history in an engaging and educational way. I’ll definitely be getting this book for my son—it’s a great, fun resource for homeschooling! The art is vibrant and complements the information perfectly, making the learning experience enjoyable and easy to follow.

This is perfect for videogame fans and novices alike. It makes a great non-fiction graphic novel as the author and illustrator literally draw themselves into the story and time travel through the evolution of video games. They have a handheld videogame device that serves as a wikipedia fact-checker, named Robicheaux (Roby). This was so interesting to me as a child of the 90s who casually played Mario Brothers and Sonic, and even remember playing a knock-off game of pong and Dungeons and Dragons on our basement atari console. My grandpa bought a used atari game in the 90s and the grandkids loved playing retro games even before it was a thing.

Then I must have missed all of the games that game in the 2000s and 2010s because it was all new to me, but I loved learning about technology, music, and art converging through this medium. The book is a page turner, with Emilie and Jean keeping the reader entertained, and interjecting their own feelings about the games. They deliver humor and nostalgia in equal measures, then even deliver a bit of action at the end of the book!

I really enjoyed this and will recommend it to everyone I know who likes videogames!

This was honestly a very interesting concept. Emilie Rouge's illustrations were fantastic, often adapting to the styles of the games and titles being discussed. As someone who is a casual gamer, I was really excited to read this graphic novel. Jean Zeid is clearly an expert, and I'd like to read a more detailed book by him.

I'm stating all this because the book was honestly very dense and uninteresting. I remember following Crash Course Gaming History when they ran that series, and enjoyed every episode. I genuinely felt like I learned a lot there. But with this graphic novel... it felt more like info dumps. At some point, I started losing interest because the information wasn't easy to follow. The frequent going back in time sort of muddled the chronology for me. Plus, almost none of the humour made me laugh.

The book is too surface-level to appeal to enthusiasts, and too dense with info-dumps to appeal to casual readers and gamers. I really wanted to like this one, but I found it just okay. I'm rating it a 3-star because the illustrations are genuinely great, and the info—if you can pace yourself—is actually quite interesting if consumed in smaller bites.

This was a fun, nostalgic romp through video game history, most of which I was lucky enough to experience firsthand. I've read plenty of books on the topic, but this book really stood out because of the creative art and narrative style it employed. I enjoy graphic novels, but sometimes they can feel more marketed toward children. This book managed to walk the line between fun and informative perfectly.

The age of video games it´s a very complete exploration of the world and history of video games, presented in a graphic narrative format that is used sparingly.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC. Very detailed documentation on the history of video games.

This book was a relatively fun read.

I loved the graphic novel format - it was perfectly fitting for the theme.
I loved the humorous details and some of the interactions between side characters.

What I didn't like was how the book was filled with data (dates, names, and events) that were absolutely chaotic and had no logical consistency for me.
I understand that it is hard to organize such a big pile of information, but I got completely lost in it, and felt like I was going through an ADHD dictionary half of the time.

I did learn a lot of interesting facts, which I will definitely research further, because most of the things were only lightly touched upon.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for granting me this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Age of Video Games offers a solid overview of gaming history with some insightful moments. It’s informative, but lacks the deeper analysis or storytelling flair that could’ve brought it to life. Great for newcomers, but seasoned gamers may crave more depth and nuance.

The Age of Video Games is a super fun read! This graphic novel takes the reader on an adventure through the history of video games to the current day of e-sports and YouTube commentary. I had a great time following Jean and Émilie’s adventure and also learned a lot about little-known creators.

The book breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly as the authors/characters discuss video games even as they are pulled into something resembling a game. This set up is a wonderful way to introduce discussions about video game tropes while also presenting real history. It’s also a fun way for the reader to follow the narrative.

The Age of Video Games is an excellent resource for anyone interested in video games and their history.

This review is my honest opinion of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy for me to read in advance of the publication date.

This book is a fantastic introduction to the history of video games. This graphic novel does a fantastic job at balancing the amount of information shared and the art. Speaking of the art - they did a great job, the illustrations are suer cute. This book is great for people who know nothing about video games and for video game fans who are looking to learn more about what's lead up the to the games we have now.

This book includes not just information about past games, but information about the people who created them, from the small developers to the big companies that have become household names.

I would like to thank McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

This is an engaging and well-researched graphic novel about the history of video games. The Age of Video Games not only covers the history of video games and how they came to be, but also the impact they have on society. The combination of graphic novel and non-fiction is such a fun and accessible way to learn about a topic. I will admit the dialogue between the two characters was a bit silly at times, but it provided a good break and helped keep me focused and engaged with the topic.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the digital ARC.

How better than to tell the story of the history of video games, but in the form of a graphic novel. This book helps us travel through time to find out the history of video games.

The storyline is informative, but not overwhelming with too much information, it has just the right amount to get a basic knowledge but have some fun trivia pieces as well. (I thought I was being smart when I was telling my partner about some of the stuff I learnt - forgetting that he is a video game nerd and knows it all already).

I regally enjoyed this book. It’s pretty and will be good for all ages.

The Age of Video Games is exactly what it says on the tin. A graphic novel that explores the history of video games from Pong to joysticks, 8-bit to VR it offers a lively illustrated exploration into its conception and evolution.

This graphic novel uses the narrative style of having the author and illustrator be "characters" in the book. One asking questions and the other being the guide through the history. This style has it's good moments but in general it falls flat. The jokes don't land, the dialogue is clunky and the chronology isn't always chronological. It was a good idea but a poor execution.

The art style is nice enough. It is quite simplistic but it does it's job.

I had a good enough time reading this and I did learn some things. Though it is also quite dense and could have been more light.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Unfortunately this wasn’t as exciting of a graphic novel as I was hoping for going into it. The characters didn’t vibe well with me and it was a bit awkward at times. It really felt like it was just jam packing all the information into every page where it felt like I was studying for a test and having to memorize all the important names and dates and events. The art style was really nice and I enjoyed the little side kick as a fun ice breaker between the two main characters but this one just didn’t do it for me.