Author | Lightnews

Imagine if the Pokédex was a medieval bestiary...

These two, gorgeously illustrated grimoires, have kicked off their crowdfunding campaign.

Learn more about this very cool project in this week's Newsletter 👇

@simondethuillieres.bsky.social @martinforet.bsky.social @lachocoline.bsky.social

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #038

Gotta Read 'Em All! 5 big Pokémon book news stories, plus Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and more!

buff.ly

February 10, 2026 at 2:18 PM

Reposted by The Video Game Library 📚

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Volume #038 of the Newsletter is out❗️

📕 #HidekiKamiya is getting a new #ArtBook!
📘 A congrats to @mackeza.bsky.social on #SuperNintendo!
📗 5 brand new #Pokemon projects to peruse
📙 More #DragonQuest books hit Japanese shelves
📓 Bzzz....bzzz....books about #MisterMosquito!?

...and much more! 📚

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #038

Gotta Read 'Em All! 5 big Pokémon book news stories, plus Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and more!

thevideogamelibrary.substack.com

February 10, 2026 at 2:05 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Volume #038 of the Newsletter is out❗️

📕 #HidekiKamiya is getting a new #ArtBook!
📘 A congrats to @mackeza.bsky.social on #SuperNintendo!
📗 5 brand new #Pokemon projects to peruse
📙 More #DragonQuest books hit Japanese shelves
📓 Bzzz....bzzz....books about #MisterMosquito!?

...and much more! 📚

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #038

Gotta Read 'Em All! 5 big Pokémon book news stories, plus Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and more!

thevideogamelibrary.substack.com

February 10, 2026 at 2:05 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

1800. KONAMI ALL PRODUCTS 1998
(コナミ年鑑’98)

👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/konami-...

1998 was a big year for #Konami. They hit a home run with #MetalGearSolid and revolutionized the rhythm genre with #DDR. So to celebrate, it only made sense to start releasing these annual catalogue yearbooks.

February 8, 2026 at 2:20 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Love this bit of trivia, Richard! Thanks so much for sharing 🙏

February 7, 2026 at 11:33 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

1799. AGE OF EMPIRES STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS
(Age of Empires Strategien & Lösungen)

👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/age-of-...

By 1998, #AgeOfEmpires was getting a ton of literary love, mainly in the form of guidebooks. This included quite a few German publications, like this one from #SYBEX.

German strategy guide cover for Age of Empires featuring bold red text over a historical battle illustration with warriors, weapons, and shields. Includes highlights of game tips, attack and defense strategies, and CD-ROM content such as campaigns and scenarios, with a yellow banner promoting an AI file editor.

February 7, 2026 at 10:22 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Ya. Chairs didn't really come into fashion until the early 2000's according to this book

A young boy plays Sonic CD on a Sega CDX demo station at an event, holding a controller while watching Sonic run through a vibrant, tropical level on the screen. The booth is marked with blue signage and a five-minute play limit.

A person sits on the carpet in front of a wood-paneled TV stand, playing Batman Returns on a Super Nintendo. Game boxes and cartridges are scattered nearby, and the screen shows Batman battling Catwoman in a dark alley.

Two boys play a Sonic the Hedgehog game in a dimly lit, wood-paneled room. One lies on a plaid couch with a controller while the other sits cross-legged on the carpet watching the CRT television.

A group of kids gathers around a TV playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2, focused on a Special Stage level. Some children are sitting on the floor with snacks, while others watch wide-eyed from the couch, enjoying the shared gaming experience.

February 7, 2026 at 6:48 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

This isn't the 80's anymore, folks. The 90's means each person needs at least....12 computers

A man in a white shirt and tie types on a keyboard in a computer lab filled with stacked CRT monitors and tower PCs, each displaying blue-screen terminal interfaces. He is focused on the screen in front of him, suggesting a high-tech or administrative computing environment from the 1990s.

February 7, 2026 at 6:17 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

1798. GETTING READY FOR A CAREER AS A VIDEO GAME DESIGNER

👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/getting...

It's 1998, and you're in your school library dreaming about being a #VideoGame designer. Bill Lund has you covered!

#GameDev #GameDesign #Booksky #Gaming

Cover of Getting Ready for a Career as a Video Game Designer by Bill Lund, featuring a man working on a 3D vehicle model displayed on an old CRT monitor. The title is framed in bold purple and white text over a colorful, abstract background.

February 7, 2026 at 6:07 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

I remember asking my dad to go rent me Kid Niki and he came back with Dino Riki.

I still enjoyed it 🤷‍♂️

The NES box cover of Dino Riki.
It has a caveman holding a stone in a hammer, fighting a pink Tyrannosaurus rex, and a purple pterodactyl against the blue background

February 7, 2026 at 2:27 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Very excited to tune into this episode! Haven't thought about #MisterMosquito in YEARS!

The game hasn't garnered much literary love over the years.

We've got: 2 Japanese guidebooks, a Taiwan-published dual-guide, and The Minds Behind PS2 Games which interviews the game's producer, Luke Valentine.

Bright green cover of the "KA Official Guidebook" for the PlayStation 2 game Mister Mosquito, featuring bold Japanese kanji in neon green with a faint outline of a mosquito in the background. The PlayStation and Famitsu logos are visible in the corners.

Illustrated cover of the Mister Mosquito 2: Let's Go Hawaii official guidebook for PlayStation 2, showing a cartoon man sleeping on a lounge chair under a beach umbrella with a mosquito flying toward his face. A tropical beach scene with a palm tree, ocean waves, and a colorful drink on a table sets a relaxed vacation tone.

Split-cover guidebook featuring Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland (牧場物語3) with a cheerful boy and dog by a wooden sign, and Mister Mosquito (蚊) on the lower half with a cartoon mosquito flying over a green spiral pattern. The PlayStation 2 branding appears on both sections, indicating a dual-game strategy guide.

Cover of The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games by Patrick Hickey Jr., featuring a digital illustration of a PlayStation controller over a stylized brain made of circuitry. The background includes box art and developer photos from PS2 games like The Mark of Kri, Shadow of the Colossus, SOCOM II, and Madden NFL 2003, framed in a glowing grid pattern.

February 7, 2026 at 2:06 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

1797. TUROK - ADVENTURE #3: ARENA OF DOOM

👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/turok-a...

In 1998, a series of #Turok junior novels released.

In this 3rd entry, Turok seeks a way home, stages a daring rescue, and fights again in the arena against the most depraved Campaigner yet!

#Gaming #Booksky

Cover of Turok: Arena of Doom by Michael Teitelbaum, labeled as "Adventure #3" and based on the best-selling video game. The illustration shows a muscular hero sprinting through a crumbling, flaming coliseum-like structure, wearing tribal-style gear and a headband with blue and red goggles. In the background, a smaller figure runs behind him while a dinosaur chases close by. Explosions and falling pillars fill the chaotic scene. The title uses bold, stylized fonts with “ARENA OF” in green and pink, and “DOOM” in a vibrant rainbow gradient.

February 6, 2026 at 11:06 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

German, French, Czech, Japanese - lots of global releases this past week! 🌍📚

It's hard to keep track of them all, but we do our best 💪

👉 thevideogamelibrary.substack.com/p/the-video-...

#Gaming #Booksky #VideoGames #FNAF #Pokemon #FinalFantasy #Zelda

Cover of a French educational workbook titled Pokémon – Toute Mon Année de Grande Section: Leçons et Exercices (My Whole Year of Kindergarten: Lessons and Exercises), part of the Les incollables series for ages 5–6. The cover features Pikachu and Eevee cheerfully posing together against a light background with Poké Ball patterns. A sidebar lists subjects like reading, writing, numbers, shapes, and more. The design is colorful and playful, appealing to young learners.

Cover of the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Perfect Guide for Nintendo Switch. The artwork features prominent characters from the game, including Princess Zelda wielding a glowing golden sword, alongside other champions and warriors adorned in ancient Sheikah-inspired armor. The background displays a mystical mural with red glowing patterns and an ominous figure etched in stone. Japanese text fills the top and bottom sections, promoting the guide as a complete strategy book with maps, charts, and gameplay tips. The Famitsu mascot is shown in the bottom left corner, indicating the publisher.

February 6, 2026 at 3:16 PM

Reposted by The Video Game Library 📚

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Imagine a website with EVERY VIDEO GAME BOOK EVER PUBLISHED! 🤯

Well…that doesn’t exist yet. But this one is well on its way!

Reach out if you want to chat for a podcast or article 😊

👇📚👇📚👇📚👇📚👇📚👇

The Video Game Library | All Books on Videogames

The Video Game Library is a site that celebrates books about videogames. From artbooks and children's books to novelizations and biographies. Indie writers to best-selling authors. Atari to Xbox. Come...

www.thevideogamelibrary.org

January 12, 2026 at 4:32 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

1796. GADGET: PAST AS FUTURE - GUIDE BOOKS OFFICIAL EDITION

👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/gadget-...

This 1998 Japanese guidebook for 𝐆𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭: 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 includes a full walkthrough, character bios, CG artwork, and an in-depth interview with creator Haruhiko Shono.

#Gaming #Booksky

Cover of GADGET: Past as Future – Guide Books Official Edition. The artwork features a large, retro-futuristic train with the emblem "Grand Central Railway" on its front, bathed in warm orange and red lighting. The train sits inside a vast industrial structure with metal beams and hanging machinery. The title "GADGET – Past as Future –" is prominently displayed vertically along the right edge. Logos for PlayStation and Takahashi Shoten GAME BOOKS are visible, indicating it's an official guidebook for the PlayStation game GADGET: Past as Future.

February 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Who are some of your favourite animals in Video Games?

@jvlemag.com has announced their 𝐉𝐕 𝐧°𝟏𝟏𝟔 - 𝐒𝐩é𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐮𝐱 crowdfunding campaign, and they're almost fully funded!

More details here 👇

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #037

Last week's cliffhangers revealed - hide your wallets!! Plus a ton of great manga and magazines, and some cool indie projects hitting shelves.

buff.ly

February 5, 2026 at 8:50 PM

Reposted by The Video Game Library 📚

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Volume #037 of the Newsletter is out❗️

📕 The @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social @lostincult.co.uk teasers didn't disappoint!
📘 #DragonQuest creator #YujiHorii gets a manga biography
📗 @jvlemag.com celebrates Animals in games
📙 #Pokémon game history from @jamesbatchelor.bsky.social

...and much more! 📚

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #037

Last week's cliffhangers revealed - hide your wallets!! Plus a ton of great manga and magazines, and some cool indie projects hitting shelves.

thevideogamelibrary.substack.com

February 2, 2026 at 6:53 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Agreed! Awesome work indeed

February 5, 2026 at 1:29 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Oh man, that’s awesome!

February 5, 2026 at 1:28 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Academics from around the world have come together to explore the themes and lore of classics like #Bloodborne, #DarkSouls and #EldenRing in "𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐗"

...and pre-orders are open!

ONE DAY...I will have all the @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social collection on our shelves....ONE DAY... ❤️

The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #037

Last week's cliffhangers revealed - hide your wallets!! Plus a ton of great manga and magazines, and some cool indie projects hitting shelves.

buff.ly

February 4, 2026 at 2:03 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

So exciting! Can't wait 💚

February 4, 2026 at 2:03 PM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

All the latest Japanese #Gaming mags and mooks covered right here 👇 Every single week!! 🎉

thevideogamelibrary.substack.com/p/the-video-...

Cover of Weekly Famitsu magazine, Issue No. 1933 (February 12, 2026), featuring “Code Vein II.”
The cover shows two anime-style characters in fantasy attire—one is a silver-haired man in black and red, standing confidently, and the other is a white-haired girl with red eyes and fox-like ears, sitting pensively. Behind them is a glowing, crimson tree-like structure under a magical sky. Japanese text and promotional headlines celebrate the release of Code Vein II with features and interviews.

Cover of the March 2026 issue of a Japanese kids' magazine 「てれびげーむマガジン」 (TV Game Magazine).
Front and center is Mario from Mario Kart, surrounded by Nintendo characters like Kirby, Luigi, Yoshi, and Minecraft Steve. The cover advertises a DVD with over 5 hours of video, a Kirby game starter guide, and special features on Super Mario Bros. history and Switch titles. The page bursts with color and excitement, tailored for young gamers.

Cover of a Japanese Minecraft command guidebook titled 「マインクラフト神技コマンド超使いこなしBOOK」.
The vibrant design shows various Minecraft characters using flashy special attacks and magic commands, mimicking popular anime moves. The book boasts over 1360 command codes, illustrated examples, and includes manga panels to make learning fun. The layout is energetic, with bright red and yellow borders, catering to kids and Minecraft enthusiasts.

Cover of a Japanese Minecraft-themed book titled 「マインクラフトいきもの図鑑」(Minecraft Creatures Encyclopedia).
Pixelated Minecraft mobs like the Wither, Dolphin, Axolotl, Ender Dragon, Creeper, and Zombie are arranged around a bright green field. The book appears aimed at children, teaching them about all in-game mobs, both animals and monsters, in a colorful and accessible layout.

February 4, 2026 at 1:32 AM

The Video Game Library 📚

@thevideogamelibrary.org

Congrats again to @geedutreix.bsky.social for the release of their "way past cool" #Sonic art book!

A 10-page mini-booklet of doodles compiled from the past year. This one got lots of interest in the latest Newsletter! 👇

I believe shipments are going out today, but there's still time to grab one!