While PC gaming has a long and storied history, we do not really hear much about Macintosh computers when it comes to gaming history and that is a shame. Apple has had a long history with gaming since the company first started making computers and even before then when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were working for Atari. As such, it is great to see someone shed a light on this sadly unsung saga of gaming history and Bitmap Books was certainly up to the task.
Bitmap Books has set out to do its part in covering gaming history. With books about RPGs, Unreleased Games and platform histories, the company has a goal of celebrating not just video games, but also the people behind the games whether they be developers, coders, writers, and so on. We have covered Bitmap Books’ A Guide To Japanese Role-Playing Games in the past, as Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups, so now it is time to take a look at The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition.
To begin, this review is a bit different as rather than a physical book, we were sent a PDF version. This was well put together and we were able to navigate the chapters with ease, as well as see the different game art used within. While physical books remain a preferred choice for us, this PDF was one of the most professionally put together works we have seen in a long time, but that said, a physical version of the book is available.
The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition covers the entire history of Macintosh computers in gaming from its inception to the modern day, and along the way, there were a number of details that came up that came off as amazing revelations. From firsthand accounts of the developers involved and a detailed timeline of events, we have a good context for what happened not just to make Mac gaming important, but also gaming in general. The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition shows a platform that allowed innovation in different ways, and just as PCs played a role in pushing games forward, Macs also had a role in helping establish milestones such as Myst and Sim City, and of course led to the creation of AAA franchises such as Halo.
We can take adventure games for instance, since while adventure games had been around for years in the form of text adventure games and soon gave life to graphical adventures, it was the Mac that helped push the point-and-click interface. The MACventures line of games is given a thorough detailing here, and these games which included classics like Déjà vu and Shadowgate laid the groundwork for later Lucasarts games such as The Secret of Monkey Island. A lot of this, it is explained in the book, is due to the design of the Mac which allowed for new interface options.
The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition also includes a number of guest chapters by authors like Craig Fryar, creator of the game Spectre, among others. These chapters allow us to get a better understanding of what went into game development on Macintosh and why decisions were made. Unlike a book about a genre of games, this is a much more direct history book, and thus feels more academic than nature than previous Bitmap Books publications. One addition that stands out is the inclusion of a discussion of Macintosh fandom and fan resources such as magazines, which helped get the word out about the games, such as Mac World.
Of course, The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition covers the big games we all know and love, but also goes further into why these games mattered and the aftermath. Games like Myth and Marathon are highlighted for their importance to the platform when competing against PCs, but sections are also devoted to Pinball and Sports games, which had just as much of a role to play in ensuring Macs would last as gaming platforms. One thing that was truly fascinating to read about was Game Ranger, which was the free online multiplayer service for Mac, which was inspired by games like Quake whose online presence gave rise to eSports. While FPS games from the Mac are not as well remembered, they were in no way lesser in quality when compared to PC FPS games.
As can be guessed from the name, The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition is an expanded edition of the previous edition of the book and contains some great new things. There are 70 pages of new content, including a new foreword by Graeme Devine, co-creator of The 7th Guest, the aforementioned annotated timeline, and a host of more games discussed. What is important to remember though is that the history of Mac games is nowhere near over, and indeed chapters are devoted to showing how Macs are handling gaming in the modern era. With online storefronts changing the game, we can get a good sense of what led Apple to eventually create their Apple Arcade, which feels like the culmination of everything that occurred up to then.
The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition is an essential read for any fan of gaming, or those who want to study history as it happened, and not just rely on poorly sourced articles and videos. Some kudos must be given to Richard Moss for writing this 480-page masterpiece and giving a much-needed spotlight on the history of a sadly ignored platform. I would go so far as to say, that this could be used as reference material for those that are teaching computer history.
Overall, you cannot go wrong with The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition. We wholeheartedly suggest checking it out and we give it our highest recommendation.
Disclaimer: As mentioned, a review copy was provided.