Retro Video Gamer

Hello everybody,

Many of you may know me and many of you may not, I was the creator of a couple of Atari digital publications a few years back. The Atari Gamer Magazine and the Atari ST Gamer Series found over @ https://www.greyfoxbooks.com and the AtariCrypt Atari ST Magazine

I had decided that I had given the Atari community some great product to enjoy and decided I wouldn't produce anymore Atari content in the near future, but recently had seen some products that completely fit the bill in a direction I wanted to go in for quite some time and have returned and began work on a new book publication I am very passionate about and just knew this had to be done due to the complete lack of the Atari 8-bit computer range and its incredible software, so with that I present to you all a new Atari publication in the works.



The Sales Pitch

The books premise will be to cover a huge majority of classic third-party Atari 8-bit software from such amazing software houses, like Datasoft, Broderbund, First Star Software, English Software and a selection of commercial homebrew games plus many more for the first time giving these games the exposure in a visual compendium never seen in a format of this type before. The Book will also deliver a selection of Interviews with Game designers who worked on the Atari 8-bit computers and other unannounced additions to the book that you will see when released. I will also be profiling three Atari 8-bit machines the Atari 800 - Atari 800XL and the Atari 130XE home computers with additional photography of these computers throughout the book as well as a choice selection of Atari related Peripherals. With the completed publication completed, I will be taking the product to a crowdfunding platform in order to allow this publication to become a physical book for all Atari 8-bit fans and vintage computer enthusiasts that share an interest in the Atari 8-bit Home computer. Also to help the project meet its goal I will be working very closely with http://www.rhayadercomputers.co.uk in order to create some very unique and fantastic perks to add to the book that will not be available anywhere else so there is a lot of stuff in the works for this project.


The Book Previews

When creating something like this I am all about the visuals of a product and want to give the best experience in seeing these wonderful pieces of art and code and gameplay become one, so with that each game covered in the book with include on the left a remastered image of the Box or cassette inlay artwork with a 200 word write about the game and a single screenshot of the games in action, I have chosen not include any Offical Atari-branded games in the book due to facing a possible Cease and Desist violation order against the book that could prevent the book being released and will be going through under fair usage and investigative journalism allowing this to be successful as an Unofficial Visual History of the Atari 8-bit. This was something I decided I would do after what Atari had placed against Marc Oberhäuser and his Atari related publication. So please enjoy the previews of the some of the games that will be included in the book.


How can YOU help?

With this project been a very serious undertaking, I decided who better to make this truly happen then the Atari community itself? I am looking for contributors to the book, whether it be a contributing game review of 200 words for games that will be included in the finished book and have your name credited and mentioned in the contributors section of the book, as well as an seasoned photographers with Atari hardware that would be willing to contribute photography of physical Atari hardware to be included throughout the book with full accreditation given for all imagery used. I wanted to open end this project to my fellow Atarians to help produce the best Atari 8-bit publication ever created, I'm also on the look-out for exclusive interviewees willing to share their thoughts and experiences creating for the Atari 8-bit platform, I have a few leads at the present, but the more the merrier for inclusion in the book.


I wish to personally thank you all for your time here, and hopefully we can make history with this book, I truly wish to go all out in a blaze of glory with it and with your help we can, so please get in touch with me via PM here @ Retro Video Gamer or support@atarigamer.co.uk if you can help with this project, all will be included within the book as the main contributor.


Thanks, everyone for your time

Kind regards

Darren.

Creator of the Atari Gamer Magazine Series
www.AtariGamer.co.uk
Please support the magazine today!

Good luck! I can't really help out too much but I'm definitely down for a copy when it's finished. :)

You know I am here to help, I would like to add a review or something, i can be a published game writer then that loads claim to be lol.

Looks awesome, you have at least 4 books you can go with Darren, you have the talent, i think your scared you won't be successful, I am telling you now, you will, get the first one out and you will be laughing.

This looks fantastic.  I can't help by providing information but I can proof read if you need the help.  :)

Thanks everyone , truly appreciate the support, I am 100% committed to this production and will be seeing it through if it kills me, I've had a huge amount of help with it in such a short period of time, I have a professional proofreader commissioned to make sure everything goes to plan, and with this one done, I will then finally get out the Coin-op book out too and then the world is my oyster on future books with both the RVG brand and the Greyfox Books label.

Again I can't thank you all enough 👐

Hello everybody,

It's been months in the making and now has come to big day, well tomorrow actually 😊. I am extremely proud to announce that the Kickstarter crowdfunding for the Atari: a Visual History start at 10am CET - 20th of April 2019

I am extremely proud of the achievement and work on this first book under the "Greyfox Books" first debut publication and especially proud to have Retro Video Gamer as one of its amazing endorsers and sponsors. I will update this post tomorrow with the link to it's page and hopefully will have some of you along for the trip with me as I venture into the the world of bringing something special to all Atari fans around the world.

I also wish to thank TrekMD and Zapiy for their fantastic contribution to the book, its means an awesome lot to me that you guys helped me on this project.

Thank you guys 👍

Awesome news!  Congratulations!

Thanks fella, it's a big achievement to have gotten this far. I'm sure many though it was going to be vaporware, but no..this had to get made.

Good, because I want to have it on my bookshelf.  :)

Looks indeed fantastic.

Is there something like this about Amiga existing? Don’t mean the compendiums, them I have. An Amiga gamer magazine would be awesome.

The Kickstarter project is now live , please head over and visit http://kck.st/2VWXiNo and let's make some magic!

Wow, the Early Bird is already gone!  That's cool!

Yeah, it is off to an awesome start 🤗

Hopefully, it keeps going at the same pace.

Looks great! Good luck.  :)

It’s going great guns so far.

Pledged as you knew I would.


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Almost at $8000 already.  That is excellent!

Yes, truly delighted with the incredible interest and support I'm getting for it and about bloody time the Atari 8-bit gets the limelight now, I'm fed up seeing ZX spectrum and C64 books taking all the kudos. This Book is the definitive Atari 8-bit book for fans and the likes, this is something in here for everyone. I guarantee you. :)

PS, did I mention the printing is lito graph printing..super quality stuff.

That's awesome!  Here's to a successful Kickstarter! 

Any help or ideas on promoting this please post here.


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I'm assuming this has been posted to social media.

Yes mate.


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Just backed it. :)

I am a little worried about the goal, Greyfox. Is that the minimum that you need to get the first run printed?

Thank you Shadow for your awesome support, the total amount is to cover the printing costs + shipping from the printers directly as these will not be getting sent to me to redistribute. The pledge gift ate also being created by third-party vendor delivering all perks plus shipping them too, then we have Kickstarter's 10% of the fund. So there will be about 1-2,000 for investment in surplus stock, packaging and funds going towards advertisements in the relevant magazines to help it get more coverage and whatever is left after that will go towards to funds on the Coin-Op Arcade Guide book, if success ill be launching that in September

It’s going well so far. Loads of promo been done so best to give it a few days to grow organically and the. Hit the promo again.

Fingers crossed.


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This got funded, so congratulations Darren!  Looking forward to the book! 

That was close! Good job. :)

It went down a storm over on AA, lol.

To put it mildly!  Of course, the storm has not abated yet.

I doubt it will mate lol.

Passion blinds people sometimes.


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Yes, I read a couple of sour comments on social media and some of that was from a former member of this site. I will never understand all the pettiness that comes forth when someone is trying to genuinely create a piece of work that we will all enjoy. I look forward to seeing my name in print 😉😝

I don't understand either but this is how people can be.

Quote from: TrekMD on June 11, 2019, 15:21:11 PM
I don't understand either but this is how people can be.

Not us, thankfully 👍🏻😎

Actually some of the comments aim at the book are valid and Darren knows my opinion on them, a few mistakes on his part aloud people to pull the book apart, I am not sure the tone of it was justified, the comments and so on in some cases merely pointed to a few errors of judgement and again, unlike most people Darren stood up and took it on the chin but again, and I must stress, some of it was said in the wrong way.

Anyway, you all can hear it first, Darren is in discussion with a well known ex gaming magazine editor to edit the book, once this is confirmed and official then it will be announced via the KS page.

Got my book a few days ago. Looks great Greyfox, thanks! :)

Mine arrived today!  The book does look great!  Can't wait to read through it!

Firstly, I wish to thank you both and all the incredible Kickstarter backers they believed in me and the project, It was some journey with great aspirations of trying to fulfil what has been lacking in a video game book for the great Atari 8-bit computer that more or less went under-appreciated for the last couple of year while the c64 and ZxSpectrum got book galore! I needed to address that.

So it has be an amazing experience and learnt so much in the way these things are done and managed and have a remaining surplus stock that is available for those that missed the kick starter and wanted a piece of the Atari: Visual History experience from Greyfox Books,  so if anyone reading this is curious please visit the website @ www.greyfoxbooks.com

And for those of enjoying the book, it would help the book tremendously if you, when you have completed the book lent us your thoughts of the book in the review section of the site. I would highly grateful. Again I can't say thank you enough. It's still sinking in..I'm actually an author and publisher now..😲

This is a super cool book, some of you would have read negatives around the web, Darren acknowledge them, he sort to fix them and appointed a well renowned editor to fix a lot of issues, designs were fixed, and much more, yes... some people will find issues if your looking for them, for me this book is one excellent first attempt.

I suppose I'll be the one to write a review of it.  ;)

In the interest of being impartial, that is probably the best idea lol.