Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2e

Matt Barton's outstanding history of computer role-playing games is now out in a second edition. I haven't read the whole thing yet (it's HUGE), but the last ten years have brought about some enormous changes and tons of new games to the genre. This is kind of funny to me, as Matt had kind of closed the previous edition on a down note, thinking the era of quality single-player RPGs had come to a close.Oh, Matt... The indies, the kickstarters, all that was only beginning to hit its stride. He admits to the failure of his crystal ball and rectifies things with a vengeance in this new edition, featuring a lot more content, color screenshots, and a lot more colorful commentary. (And to be fair... in some small ways, he has had his own influence over recent developments. So he's been helping to make the history he's recording. Smart way to get a ringside seat, Professor Barton!)Besides the new material, the original book has been revised and refreshed. I haven't compared all the changes yet, but like the original it covers the origins and "evolution" (I hate that term, but ... such as it is) of the genre. Aside from the dice-and-paper origins, it also goes back into the early mists of history, uncovering the ancient predecessors of modern games as they existed on university mainframes  in the 1970s (and were frequently deleted by administrators, making this a very challenging area of research). Matt traces the different styles and influences through almost fifty years of history, maintaining both objectivity as well as letting his absolute love of the subject matter show through.Matt has always had an entertaining writing style, but the assistance of Shane Stacks and the additional commentary throughout has made this *anything* but a dry read. After all, it deals with an obsessively fun style of game, so it ought to be a fun read, right? Mission accomplished!If you love computer RPGs, and especially if you have a place in your heart for the old retro classics, you will love this book.

one thing that surprised me was the formatting: I expected a coffee table book with mostly screenshots and illustrations - but alas this is not a book for the casual reader - it's formatted like an university textbook (a playful one with jokes and such) and somewhat reads like oneoverall a great book - the print quality is superb and it goes deep in the subject matter

Dungeons & Desktops 2E is far more than an updated version of the original 2008 CRPG tome -- it has so much new content, it is essentially a new book. Comprehensive, well-researched but written in a highly accessible and often entertaining style, D&D 2E is a love letter to the CPRG fan (casual and fanatic) and every bit the trip down memory lane gamers hope it will be and then some. You can easily tell that authors Matt Barton and Shane Stacks 'really' love CPRGs but make no mistake, D&D 2E is much more than a passion project ... there is a wealth of information here, including tidbits that could only be found from actually interviewing developers (and indeed, both Barton and Stacks do so on a regular basis, each hosting popular social media channels/shows and regularly featuring legends of gaming) and it is all presented in a logical manner. Anyone interested in media studies, cultural history, or just something fun to read will find much to love here. The full color screenshots of the games being discussed are a nice touch. If you are interested in and care about gaming history, D&D 2E is a must read. Highly recommended!

This book is essentially a comprehensive compendium exploring the history of computer role-playing games all the way from the early Ultima days to the modern Kickstarter era. It is informative, well-written, educational and occasionally funny. It is also heavy enough to kill a rat should you desire to gather your party and venture forth on such a quest.

The first edition was already a useful and enjoyable resource for folks like me who enjoy computer gaming history, but this new one takes it to another level. Lots of new information, historical context, and even full color illustrations this time.

Must read for any modern CRPG old school or new. I follow Matt on his Youtube Channel MattChat and has interviews with many developers of classic games. Very good read!

I loved this book. I read the first edition and when I heard about a revision, I eagerly searched for it. I'm a long time CRPG fan, starting with Wizardry on the Apple II Plus through the Ultima series. I still remember how excited I was to play Baldur's Gate after a long CRPG drought and agree with Matt that Baldur's Gate 2 is probably the best CRPG in history.This book was a much needed refresh. The CRPG industry has evolved considerably since the first edition and we've seen some amazing games in the last few years such as the Divinity Original Sin and Pillars of Eternity games.I would give this book 5 stars... except the price is staggeringly high. I've bought many Kindle books in the $10-15 price range, of similar length to this book and of arguably comparable content in different ways. As of today, this book costs $53 for the Kindle version with the physical paperback being $60. I don't know who set the price for this book but it is well outside the range of what people typically pay for books.I wound up renting the book from Amazon for a month and quickly reading through it . To add insult to injury, the Kindle version isn't even supported on Kindle devices and it is not formatted for smaller devices. I didn't have access to a tablet so I wound up reading the book on my phone, constantly zooming in to read and zooming out to change pages.This was inconvenient but it is testament to how much I wanted to read the book and how much I enjoyed reading it. I hope that the authors can influence the publisher to lower the price and make the book accessible for a wider audience.

I especially love the first chapter. Seeing details about how it all started, on something most of us did not have a chance to experience first hand (but who later experienced ourselves through internet muds , so we can relate), was really enthralling.

Les livre est ce que je voulais, de bonne facture même si il est important de noter que la couverture est souple. Par contre, le livre coute 60€ à l'heure de ma commande et Amazon le met dans une enveloppe en carton sans AUCUNE protection, c'est inadmissible ! Heureusement il est arrivé à peine abimé, mais c'est quand meme rageant, on dirait qu'il n'est pas tout à fait neuf.

I read the first edition many years ago and enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure what the 2nd edition would bring to the table but I was very pleasantly surprised, additional content, updated and revised text and colour screen shots. For anyone interested in the history of CRPGs, I thoroughly recommend this book. It is entertaining, educational and above all, downright interesting, I thoroughly recommend it.

Arrived from the 8th level of Hell, in awful condition. Good job Amazon! As to the tome, other than some cringe-inducing "banter" between the two authors, the prose is clean, the information presented clearly and the color plates wonderfully nostalgic. I don't think it's worth eighty dollars (especially if it arrives damaged!) but ymmv.P.S. yes: I could have asked for a replacement. No, I did not think the replacement would arrive any less mangled....

I smell a conspiracy !!!

Well written book that has a wealth of knowledge on CRPGs. You can read it front to back or look up different eras of games. I like Matt's observations and reviews. He also has a great youtube channel called Matt Barton: Matt Chat where he interviews developers and such if you're interested.