Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 is getting a reissue next year, allowing video game fans to pick up a new printing of the influential book, featuring bonus interviews and a bunch of new contributors.
While the market for video game books is arguably a bit crowded today, with tons of different publishers competing to tell the history of the medium, that wasn't exactly the case when Van Burnham first released Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 back in 2001.
At the time, there were very few options available in bookstores for those who wanted to learn more about the video game medium, with the business books Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari by Scott Cohen and Game Over by David Sheff being two of the standouts to be dedicated to the medium. This is what originally convinced Supercade's author Van Burnham to create a more stylish take on the genre, with the writer envisioning "something with full-color images of playfields and box art, with essays about gameplay and details about their design and development" to stand in contrast to the other books that were mostly comprised of black-and-white text with very little illustrative pictures.
Over the years, the book went on to receive a bunch of accolades from various sources including Playboy, and even ended up receiving a sequel Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1985-2001 in 2021. Now, though, the original book is set to make a return, with all of the original contributors returning, alongside new writers like Art of Atari author and creative director Tim Lapetino, Power-Up author Chris Kohler, the former Next Generation editor-in-chief Tom Russo, and the Digital Eclipse studio head Mike Mika, among others.
The book will also include an essay honoring the legacy of Ralph Baer, the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey who previously contributed to the original edition, but sadly passed away in 2014.
The Kickstarter is live now and has already hit its target of $34,000 with 21 days left on the campaign. If you want to support the project and snag a copy, there are various tiers available, with the cheapest option being the $30 DAY ONE Deluxe Softcover Edition.
In addition to that, Van Burnham is also offering a hardcover version priced at $60, as well as a deluxe special edition hardcover costing $95, which features a bespoke hardboard slipcase.
Van Burnham has stated that any funds raised beyond the production requirements of this project will go toward the ongoing stewardship of the Supercade Collection — "one of the most significant archives of vintage video arcade, console, and computer games, promotional materials, industry ephemera, and game-inspired art " — allowing her to produce more public exhibitions.
You can back the project here. The rewards are expected to ship in September 2026.