From the creative mind that behind the Vitamag, Switch Player, Ninety Fresh and The Unofficial amiibook, comes an entirely new work by the UK’s very own, Paul Murphy. Having given plenty to the videogame industry over the last decade and have worked alongside many big hitters in the videogame journalism scene, Murphy’s latest creation is an “unofficial companion” dedicated to the Nintendo Game Boy handheld system with a focus that looks back on the “history and iconic games” that graced the Game Boy.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, consisting of 631 backers, who collectively pledged £37,415, the GameBook: The Unofficial DMG Companion, went from being an idea to a reality that is available now and like other Ninety Media creations, the GameBook: The Unofficial DMG Companion, serves as a compilation piece that involves plenty of words from the main author, Paul Murphy, but also features content from Gavin Lane, André Segers, Bobby Jack, Ryan Craddock, Nathan Ellingsworth, Gemma Smith, Shaun Hughes and more.
Furthermore, in true Switch Player and Ninty Fresh, where words alone would not suffice, the pages of this 282-page creation is adorned with stunning photographs and lovingly crafted illustrations that truly captures the spirit of the games they’re representing. While unofficial in nature, given the inclusion of blueprints and technical specifications and extensive articles, the GameBook: The Unofficial DMG Companion feels very much like a guide/details instruction manual that is well worth picking up and making space on your bookcase for, if you view yourself a diehard Game Boy fan.
Still, that’s enough words for now, it’s time to get a good look at the Game Book, so, here it is:
When speaking out on the creation of the Game Book and what prompted it, Ninty Media provided the following on Kickstarter:
Fresh from writing about amiibo in 2021, Paul Murphy felt the need to write about his love for the GameBoy, and revisited many games from the vast repertoire available. What you get here is pure, unadulterated love for the original king of handhelds.
Whilst unofficial projects like this can be considered fair use, the use of trademarks is what usually causes trouble. GameBook isn’t a trademark. It’s just two words put together. Also, the original GameBoy model was labeled DMG-01, which stood for Dot Matrix Game. That’s why it is The Unofficial DMG Companion.
As well as a quintessential list of the best GameBoy games, there will be a historical dive into the platform as well as more in-depth retrospectives on many of the titles that defined the handheld. There’s a tribute to the great Gunpei Yokoi and a foreword from some chap called Steve Jarratt as well. The retrospectives on iconic franchises will be written by some outstanding freelance writers which go into more detail about the definitive GameBoy titles. These features will be accompanied by some mesmerizing artwork.
As the Game Book has already completed its Kickstarter campaign, for anyone who would like to pick up a copy, you can do so via Ninty Media’s very own store with the link below:
GAMEBOOK: The Unofficial DMG Companion
