The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #034
The BEST SNES ads. Some translated manga. And more than 50 new books catalogued!
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
Behind the scenes, it’s been a big week for the archive. We’ve catalogued more than 50 new books since the last newsletter thanks to our team of amazing volunteers. And a long-standing issue with the website has FINALLY been resolved, so I’m feeling great about things.
Announcements are quite a bit little lighter this week, but I’ll be really curious to hear what stands out for you guys. Be sure to leave your comments below, or come on by the Discord to chat books and video games.
Don’t have a ton of time this weekend, so let’s keep it short and dive in!
📰 News & Highlights
A great collection of Amsterdam University Press publications have gotten the Paperback treatment this week over at Routledge. On top of being Open Access, physical-book lovers can get these various GameStudies/GameDev books at a much more affordable pricepoint. The books include:
The Pop Theology of Videogames: Producing and Playing with Religion
The Playful Citizen: Civic Engagement in a Mediatized Culture
Additionally, for aspiring Game designers, Storytelling For Video Games Using Bitsy has officially released this past week from Palgrave Macmillan. Written by Megan Condis and Bobby Schweizer, this jargon-free guide takes you step-by-step though the design process, tutorials, and exercises in your journey to publish games.
Limited Run Games has just announced the Hi-Fi Rush Project Armstrong Edition which goes on pre-order starting Jan. 16. This edition comes complete with a hardcover art book featuring over 90 pages of Tango Gameworks art.
Crossing the pond over to France, Omaké Books has a very nice treat. Les meilleures publicités de la Super Nintendo sets out to share more than 150 old school advertisements for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom, straight from Japanese and Western magazines of yesteryear.
Disney’s Twisted Wonderland gets another headline this week with the release of Twisted-Wonderland - La Maison Octavinelle T02. First published back in 2024 in Japan, this one is slowly making the global translation rounds with the English edition slated to hit shelves next month.
Also getting its French release this week, courtesy of Mana Books, is Elden Ring : Le chemin vers l’Arbre-Monde T09. In this entry of the gag manga, the conquest of the Altus Plateau finally begins!
From Planeta Cómic, Spanish readers can enjoy Super Mario Aventuras 32. Originally published in Japan back in 2005, this volume wraps up the Super Mario Sunshine story arc, and takes readers into the hotly anticipated Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arc. A very cool series that’s still getting new entries over in Japan!
Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t realize Inazuma Eleven was based on a video game franchise. I’ve been skimming over them for years. Well, now that I know, I guess the manga earns a place in these newsletters, starting with the Spanish translation of Inazuma Eleven Ares #4. This one is also from Planeta Cómic.
RBA Italia continues to put out a release each and every week as part of their translated Videogiochi Leggendari series, this week celebrating Diablo. Diablo: La Grande Battaglia Infernale explores the dark fantasy world of Diablo, from its early days with Silicon & Synapse through the demonic chaos of Diablo III and the broader legacy that has shaped modern hack-and-slash gaming.
Heading over to Japan, we have the first official Weekly Famitsu issue of the year with 週刊ファミ通 2026年1月22日号 No.1930. The cover spotlights miHoYo’s free-to-play action RPG, Zenless Zone Zero, with a big feature inside. This issue also reflects on 2025, with a lens ahead to 2026.
The latest entry in Shinyusha’s 100% MOOK Series has hit shelves, and it comes in the form of the Pocket-sized Minecraft Latest Data Book 2026 Edition (ポケットサイズ マインクラフト最新データブック 2026年版). There’s certainly no shortage of Minecraft books continuing to cluster Japanese bookshelves, and I love it!
And following up from the hit ‘what if’ manga series, ELDEN RING 遠き狭間の物語 1 (ヒューコミックス) - Vol. 2 released in Japan this week. Alternate lore from The Lands Between, this volume has you wondering what if Alexander fought the Tree Sentinel? What if Patches met a young demi-human boy? What if you could catch a glimpse of Millicent’s journey? This one will inevitably be translated into a whole host of languages, so hang tight for a localized version coming soon to a bookstore near you!
Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.
Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!
📚 Behind the Shelves
Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.
My Saturday morning’s are quite routine. My wife and I usually get up early, head down to the coffee shop, and then do our weekly grocery run. Afterwards, I sit down to watch the Electric Playground content that I grew up with, that’s being re-released on YouTube weekly (#PlayForever!). This week, host Victor Lucas, spotlighted some old PaRappa the Rapper interviews, and played a bit of PaRappa 2, which inspired me to dig around for some books. From comics to strategy guides to song books, I catalogued everything I could find.
The quest to catalogue every Prima Games guide continued this week, with huge help from our volunteers, Fran and Nathanial.
Our biggest challenge has been finding quality images of the covers. Some of the older Prima Guides are barely findable on historic eBay listings, which adds a lot of legwork to polish up the images. As part of our outreach, we came across an opportunity to help with this, but it would rely on someone in (or close to) Rochester, NY. If that sounds like you, reach out - I’d be very interested in chatting!
And of course, as always, a smattering of other additions graced the site along the way.
Perhaps one of the most mundane adjustments of the week is what’s bringing me the most joy. After months of frustrating conversations with Wix, they’ve finally fixed that hair-pulling button alignment issue. For longtime readers, you’ll remember my dismay back in Vol. #019 when their update skewed the layouts on every page. As of this week, all is back to normal and peace has been restored.
This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.
💡 Book Spotlights
Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.
If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - REDO FROM START (USA & JAPAN)
Andrea Pachetti (2025); Microzeit Publishing; Non-Fiction, Game History
"I had originally intended to start with the CRACKER books, but Paul Norman’s eyes….they drew me in."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - A Brief Legal History of the Video Game (Une Brève Histoire Juridique du Jeu Video)
Geoffray Brunaux (2025); Mare & Martin; Non-Fiction, Game History
"...sets out to recount the history of the video game industry, not through sales numbers or nostalgic releases, but through the courtroom battles that helped define one of the world’s most influential entertainment sectors."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - The Best Life Adventure Games
Jupiter Hadley (2025); Pen & Sword Books - White Owl; Non-Fiction
"The Best Life Adventure Games isn't just a catalogue. It's a love letter to the art of slow, thoughtful play."
🙏 THANK YOU for Reading
That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.
As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.
And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.
Until next week — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)