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As an older millennial, I vividly remember receiving my first Nintendo NES system. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my parents were secretly taking the console—and Super Mario Bros.—out every night to play, then hiding it back in the closet until Christmas morning.
My mother jokingly calls herself an vid-diot and loves games of all kinds. Card games, board games, video games, she’s down to play. She was the kind of mom who, if you said, “Hey Mom, I’m on level eight. I’m almost at Bowser’s castle. I have 99 lives and a full inventory—can you please leave the TV on for me?”—there was a 50/50 chance that you’d either wake up to find she’d beaten the game, or that the TV was still on, patiently waiting for you to finish.
If you asked my dad the same thing, he’d likely get confused and accidentally turn the TV off. It was never malicious—he just never really got video games the way my mom did.
Good Game, No Rematch is both a history of video games and a subtle, hilarious biography of every awkward millennial adult trying to navigate modern life. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “Try being a people-pleaser who doesn’t understand how to people”—a line that perfectly encapsulates my life.
The book traces the evolution of video games from the perspective of the millennial generation, for whom the NES was a defining piece of childhood. Many books on video game history attempt to cram too much into one volume. While that can be ambitious, it often makes the narrative overwhelming or dry. This book smartly narrows its focus, making the material engaging and accessible throughout.
Before reading this, I didn’t know much about Mike Drucker. I’m not a huge TV person, so I hadn’t connected his name to the well-known shows he’s written for. But now, I’m off to explore his body of work. His writing is sharp, witty, and genuinely funny—it makes you feel like you want to hang out with him. (Well, sort of—I’m kind of agoraphobic and not particularly fond of leaving the house.)
In any case, if you grew up playing video games, love reading, and find comfort in shared nostalgia—or you’re just trying to survive adulthood as an elder millennial—this book is absolutely for you.
On sale now, you can get your copy here.
Thank you to the author Mike Drucker, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!
P.S.- if you’re an audiobook girlie like me, this one is author narrated and excellent!!
As always, I encourage you to read this one for yourself and formulate your own opinion.
Feed The Bookworm 