Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald

01 May, 2026

My 2026 reading progress has been brutal, to put it bluntly.

I've read just four books this year, and back in January I had a goal to get to 36. I need to ramp things up in a big way if I'm going to hit it.

Today I finished reading Super Nintendo, by Keza MacDonald. This is a quick nonfiction read where MacDonald tells us the history of Nintendo through the development of many of the company's most successful and well-known franchises.

I heard about the book because of the Triple Click podcast I like to listen to, even though I'm not much of a gamer these days. I still appreciate the creative process that's required to make games, and I'm always interested to hear more about the nitty gritty details of that.

This book wasn't as in the weeds on the actual development of specific games as I was hoping for¹ but it was still an interesting read that shed a lot of light on the ethos behind the company and some of the key figures who have made Nintendo what it is.

It's a pretty fast read and a fun one if you have any interest at all in video games, Nintendo in general or are a fan of one of the 10 specific franchises that get some attention throughout the book. For me, Zelda and Pokemon were pretty formative childhood games.

Maybe this will get me to pickup Tears of the Kingdom again—if I can find some time.

Overall: 50

I use the 20-80 scale to rate things.

Highlights

• "But if you look closely at the history of the company and its creative output, you’ll see one key factor that defines Nintendo—and, I would argue, feeds our love of video games more broadly. It is an unwavering commitment to fun. Nintendo games, as their designers will tell you, are intended to make us smile, to inspire delight. They make money, but they also make memories."
• "Developers sometimes question the value of knowing how a game is made. Many of them would prefer us to enjoy the fruits of their labor, without seeing all of the effort and wrong turns along the way. And for commercial reasons, gaming’s biggest companies are often secretive about the processes of game design, fearful that others will steal their methods. But as someone who has spent all these years reporting on games, meeting hundreds of developers, and visiting tens of studios, I can say that my admiration for the people who make games only increases with my understanding of how they do it. I find immense value in learning how the things we love are made."

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