- Lost in Cult

The Console Chronicles

By Lost in Cult
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The Console Chronicles will take you on a unique journey through the history of gaming platforms.

Fifty years ago, the home console was an anomaly that predated when everyone around the world knew the name Nintendo. With each passing generation, consoles evolved, their pixels exchanged for polygons. Over time, these machines gained popularity and brought the beginnings of a new artistic frontier. Consoles enabled split-screen chaos, late-night LAN parties, and interlinked online play – connecting friendships worldwide.

The Console Chronicles is the ultimate tribute to not only five decades of home console gaming, but to the incredible people, and their remarkable stories, which make our shared history special. Telling tales of sibling rivalries and disruptive ideas, personal resonance and technical triumph, this is a celebration of every system that you hold dear.

Words and art by:

Christian Donlan

Ashley Esqueda

Julian Rignall

Damien McFerran

Sara Heritage

Alex Olney

Alana Hagues

Mer Grazzini

Dan Adelman

Alicia Haddick

Stephen Maurice Graham

Adam Koralik

Raul Higuera

Brendan Hesse

Suhaila Karim

Plus many more!

Made in collaboration with Hookshot Media. This edition published in partnership with Expanse, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

Format: E-book
Release Date: 12 Sep 2024
Pages: None
ISBN: 978-0-00-865660-7
Lost In Cult is an independent book publisher and design studio based in the United Kingdom dedicated to celebrating video games as a culturally significant art form. Lost In Cult puts the industry’s best writers and artists in conversation with the medium’s most important works and creators to examine their rich, often-overlooked history. With a dual emphasis on long-form prose and bespoke artwork, Lost In Cult challenges curiously-minded games enthusiasts to consider the field differently, exploring themes and ideas which conceptualise both perennial classics and overlooked gems through contemporary lenses.

Praise for Lost in Cult's The Console Chronicles: -

”'Even if you think you’re a veteran of game console history, I can almost guarantee you’ll find something here that you didn’t know about before.” - TheGamer

”'Throughout the book you’ll find a comprehensive history of consoles” - in addition to stories capturing the human and personal side of them, from tales of bootleg Sega Dreamcast titles to the magic of midnight launches that dominated 2000s-era gaming.' - FastCompany

”'The Console Chronicles doesn’t merely recite the canon of video game console history to you. The essays cleverly weave in personal stories related to the people connected to these consoles, whether they directly worked on them or have close personal connections to them, and it’s this human element that brings the chapters to life.” - TheGamer

”'If you too are seeking a return to the halcyon days of video game hardware, this is where you’ll find it.” - FastCompany

Praise for Lost in Cult's A Handheld History: -

”'The book offers plenty of visual stimuli. From vintage poster design and retro illustrations to satisfying breakdowns of console hardware, there is something inspiring for everyone.” - Creative Review

”'Each piece encapsulates the feelings of joy and playfulness that come with portable gaming, whether it’s trading Pokémon with your mates on the school bus or exploring vast worlds on a tiny matrix screen from the sanctuary of your bed.” - Thumbsticks

”'As someone who grew up near-exclusively on handheld gaming, seeing the personal stories, anecdotes and a timeline of the medium played out in one unique and weighty book was enough to bring a tear to my eye.” - GGRecon

”'This book lays out a timeline of handheld gaming since the beginning, with vibrant displays showcasing each device and their impact. The release serves not only as a collection of history, but also a study of aesthetics over the years.” - Screenrant