Price: $7.99
(as of Nov 24,2020 03:50:02 UTC – Details)
“Mechner’s journey is a universal one for anyone creating something brand new… I’m excited to revisit these journals in newly illustrated form.”– Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram
The creator of one of the most innovative and best-selling video games of all time gives an unvarnished look into the process in this one-of-a-kind compilation.
Before Prince of Persia was a best-selling video game franchise and a Disney movie, it was an Apple II computer game created and programmed by one person, Jordan Mechner. Mechner’s candid and revealing journals from the time capture the journey from his parents’ basement to the forefront of the fast-growing 1980s video game industry… and the creative, technical, and personal struggles that brought the prince into being and ultimately into the homes of millions of people worldwide.
Now, on the 30th anniversary of Prince of Persia’s release, Mechner looks back at the journals he kept from 1985 to 1993, offering new insights into the game that established him as a pioneer of cinematic storytelling in the industry. This beautifully illustrated and annotated collector’s edition includes:
— 300 pages of Jordan’s original journals
— Present-day margin notations by Jordan adding explanation, context, and affectionate cartoons of real-life characters
— Archival visuals illustrating the stages of the game’s creation
— Work-in-progress sketches, rotoscoped animation, screen shots, interface design, memos, and more
— A full-color 32-page “Legacy” section in which Jordan and fans share Prince of Persia memories from the past 30 years, including the Ubisoft games and Disney movie
The Making of Prince of Persia is both a tribute to a timeless classic, and an indelible look at the creative process that will resonate with retro-gaming fans, game developers, and writers, artists, and creators of all stripes.
From the Publisher
Sobering and inspiring
“With these journals, we can track the development of Prince of Persia from a few penciled squiggles to a global franchise. For anyone aspiring to create a game–or any endeavor that takes months and man-hours–Jordan’s journal is sobering and inspiring.”
—John August, screenwriter, author, host of Scriptnotes podcast
The honest chronicle of adventure
“The engineer in me loved his description of the technical challenges and solutions, and the entrepreneur in me loved the honest chronicle of his emotional adventure. I’m excited to get to revisit these journals in newly illustrated form.”
—Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram
An unvarnished window
“The Making of Prince of Persia is also an unvarnished window into the creative process, with all its excitement, toil, setbacks, doubts and triumphs. A fantastic read.”
—D.B. Weiss, writer and co-creator of HBO’s Game of Thrones
A present-tense diary
“It is not a retrospective; instead, it is a present-tense diary written by the creator throughout the creation of his most influential work. It is a humbling and inspiring record of what it was like to make one of the best video games of all time. I love these journals.”
—Adam “Atomic” Saltsman, game designer and creator of Canabalt
A beautifully illustrated and annotated 30th anniversary collector’s edition that includes:
300 pages of Jordan’s original journalsPresent-day margin notations by Jordan adding explanation, context, and affectionate cartoons of real-life charactersArchival visuals illustrating the stages of the game’s creationWork-in-progress sketches, rotoscoped animation, screen shots, interface design, memos, and moreA full-color 32-page “Legacy” section in which Jordan and fans share Prince of Persia memories from the past 30 years, including the Ubisoft games and Disney movie
About the author
Jordan Mechner is a game designer, screenwriter, graphic novelist, and author. Widely considered a pioneer of cinematic storytelling in the video game industry, he created Prince of Persia, one of the most successful and enduring video game franchises of all time, and became the first game creator to adapt his own work into a feature film with Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. He also created the games Karateka and The Last Express. Jordan’s books include the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Templar (a New York Times bestseller); his 1980s game development journals, The Making of Karateka and The Making of Prince of Persia; and his recent sketchbook journal, Year 2 in France.
About the publisher
Stripe Press publishes books about economic and technological advancement. Stripe partners with hundreds of thousands of the world’s most innovative businesses—organizations that will shape the world of tomorrow. These businesses are the result of many different inputs. Perhaps the most important ingredient is “ideas.” Stripe Press highlights ideas that we think can be broadly useful. Some books contain entirely new material, some are collections of existing work reimagined, and others are republications of previous works that have remained relevant over time or have renewed relevance today.
Other titles by Stripe Press:
High Growth Handbook by Elad GilThe Dream Machine by M. Mitchell WaldropStubborn Attachments by Tyler CowenRevolt of the Public by Martin GurriAn Elegant Puzzle by Will LarsonGet Together,by Bailey Richardson, Kevin Huynh, and Kai Elmer SottoThe Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard W. Hamming
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