Guiness World Records 2011 - Gamer's Edition

Over the past few years, the Guinness World Record publishing imprint has brought out a videogame edition. The 2011 edition was released a couple of months ago and, thanks to a 50% discount in Waterstone's, I recently picked up a copy.

Guinness's main tome, originally published to settle pub arguments (instead of, say, fisticuffs) has been around since the fifties. Looking at a copy from those olden days (the one shown in these photos is a copy I have from 1961), there is a stark design contrast between it and those of today. Obviously methods of production, use of photos and colour have changed greatly over the years but the original Guinness Book of Records was a tweedy concern, written by (and, frankly, for) sensible, pedantic  readers.  And kids - kids love that stuff (the Record Breakers TV show ran for thirty years).

Facts and Booze - together at last

The olden days edition was about *facts* - cold, hard, facts - set out in column format, one under another. Just the type of ordered presentation that I imagine would have been beloved by founding editors - and right-wing nutcases - Norris and Ross McWhirter. Rows and rows of ordered facts.

Some facts, yesterday

The videogame edition is less ordered - the McWhirters' shades splutter into their ghostly gin & tonics - and facts jump about all over the page. The basic business of the new book is still, of course, records - in the  Gamer's Edition, shots at geek immortality for high scores, speedruns and the like. Part of the appeal of this book - as with the main volume - lies in the fact that, while some rely on skill and are clearly out of the reach of normal people, there are plenty that you think "hmm, I could have a bash at that". Of course, most people don't do that - I mean, I like Red Dead Redemption but do I really want to play it for 50 hours in a row* - but some readers will do so and then be in following year's edition, starting the whole cycle again.

50 hours to win €1000, between 6

The book itself is 216 pages long and in full colour, with plenty of illustrations. The quality of the printing isn't that great - the finish of the pages is matt rather than glossy, which doesn't help the reproduction of screenshots (something we are only used to seeing 'glossy' be that on TV, monitor or in magazines).  The layout is akin to that used in videogame magazines, with box-outs, lots of photos and text built around them.

Old school scores - pass the gin, Norris 

In a nod to the fact-marshalled past, there are twenty pages of Twin Galaxies scoreboards at the back of the volume, listing high scores and speedruns across a variety of platforms, from the current gen to as far back as old school arcade games (see Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell's duel from King of Kong reduced to simple numbers).

It is a very geeky book but a great one to have lying around to be picked up if you feel like a quick fact blitz.  OK, yes - in the bathroom....

* p103 of the book