[We’re back again with another super-cool PWYW video game eBook Storybundle – one that has been percolating for the last four months or so! This particular one – the seventh in the series so far – includes a bunch of gems I’m super happy to be bundling up for your reading pleasure. See below for announce, also my ‘curator comments’ on each book.]
Continuing its popular “pay what you want” ebook bundles, StoryBundle is very proud to present the Video Game StoryBundle 7.0 – the latest in the series of its acclaimed ebook bundles. Curated over the past 4 months, this specially picked set of 8 fascinating game culture & history books once again features a multitude of great titles for a fraction of their retail price.
The basic purchase tier ($3 or above) for the Video Game StoryBundle 7.0 includes Matt Bell’s ‘Boss Fight Books’ tome on Baldur’s Gate II – a wonderful blending of personal stories, game history, and design insight around the seminal BioWare PC RPG classic, as well as ‘Shooter’ – an eclectic set of fifteen longform articles on first-person shooters and their ilk, with a foreword from Far Cry 2’s Clint Hocking.
Also available at this tier is ‘Video War’ from Stephen Manes, a 1983 Young Adult fiction book about attempts to ban a video game arcade, made specially available for this StoryBundle from the height of the classic arcade boom, and ‘Stay Awhile & Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo’ by David L. Craddock, an incredibly exhaustive look at how Blizzard North & Blizzard Entertainment came together and made all-time great action RPG Diablo.
The higher-tier rewards—available at the higher payment tier of $12 or your local equivalent—include ‘Game Boy World: 1989’ from Jeremy Parish, in which the retro game writing all-star presens a book chock full of exclusive pictures, insights, and details on the genesis of the first breakout handheld game console, plus ‘Boss Fight Books: Metal Gear Solid’ from Ashly & Anthony Burch – a hilarious and thought provoking double-act romp through Hideo Kojima’s original PlayStation masterpiece.
In addition, you’ll get ‘HG101 Presents: The Unofficial Guide To Konami Shooters’ from Kurt Kalata, with everything from Gradius through Time Pilot and beyond getting exhaustive profiles, and finally, ‘MONA’ from Leigh Alexander, wonderfully illustrated by video game artist Emily Carroll – a ‘tribute to Silent Hill 2’ that’s simultaneously gloriously compact, and a lot more than that description implies, with a bonus audiobook of the story read by Leigh.
The initial titles in the Video Game StoryBundle 7.0 (minimum $3 to purchase) are:
- Stay Awhile and Listen by David L. Craddock
- Boss Fight Books: Baldur’s Gate II by Matt Bell
- Shooter by Patrick Lindsey and Reid McCarter
- Video War by Stephen Manes
If you pay more than the bonus price of just $12, you get all four of the regular tomes, plus these outstanding books:
- Game Boy World 1989 by Jeremy Parish
- Boss Fight Books: Metal Gear Solid by Ashly & Anthony Burch
- HG101 Presents: The Unofficial Guide to Konami Shooters by Kurt Kalata
- Mona by Leigh Alexander and Emily Carroll
- Mona (Audiobook Version) by Leigh Alexander and Emily Carroll
Finally, both the optional charity and the curator’s full cut from this bundle will be going to the Prisoners Literature Project (http://prisonlit.org/), a vitally important all-volunteer, non-profit group that sends donated books – over 2,000 per month in more than 800 packages – directly to prisoners throughout the United States.
The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi and some .pdf) for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
- Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
- Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
- Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
- Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity.
- Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you’re not just getting four books, you’re getting eight, plus a bonus audiobook!
StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook.
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[Simon’s curator blurbs for each of the books!]
Boss Fight Books: Baldur’s Gate II – Matt Bell
Video War – Stephen Manes
“After I was alerted (via the ‘Golden Age Arcade Historian’ blog) to this 1983 Young Adult fiction book about attempts to ban a video game arcade, I tracked down its author, and managed to get it made specially available for this Storybundle! Released at the height of the arcade craze, it was actually banned from the B. Dalton book chain for foul language (!), but is a fascinating artifact of its time – and a really fun teen drama read!”
Game Boy World: 1989 – Jeremy Parish
“For all its ubiquity, the Game Boy has actually been relatively ignored when it comes to history and design analysis. Luckily, retro game writing all-star Jeremy Parish has created this ode to the Game Boy’s first year, specifically converted to Kindle format for this bundle, and it’s chock full of exclusive pictures, insights, and details on the genesis of the first breakout handheld game console.”