From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades Of Video Game Horror

by Bitmap Books

Overview

From Ants to Zombies is a showcase for the remarkable range horror gaming has achieved, across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s, and over 70 hardware platforms, from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox Series X. 

More than 130 horror titles are analysed and contextualised across thirteen thematically-divided chapters, covering a variety of genres (from rail shooters to open-world RPGs), settings (from haunted mansions to infested space stations) and shades of fear (from creeping existential dread to stomach-churning outbursts of violence). The discussion is enlivened by exclusive commentary from pioneering horror developers such as Keiichiro Toyama (Silent Hill), Jane Jensen (Gabriel Knight), Ken Levine (System Shock 2), Sandy White (Ant Attack), David Riordan (It Came from the Desert), Paul Norman (Forbidden Forest), Graeme Devine (The 7th Guest), and many more. 

panning 600+ beautifully-illustrated pages, From Ants to Zombies offers an opportunity to revisit venerated classics and discover unfairly overlooked gems, tapping into the inexhaustible riches of six decades of video game horror. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838019167
Publisher:	Bitmap Books
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	664
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Founded by Sam Dyer in 2014, Bitmap Books creates meticulously researched, visually ambitious books that bring your classic gaming memories to life. Bitmap partners with game industry figures like Mark Cerny, Ste and John Pickford, Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert, SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda, and many more. Many titles are proudly unofficial, but others are done with SEGA, SNK and Atari, officially-licensed books that come complete with enhanced access and exclusive assets. Bitmap’s best-sellers are: A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games, The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games and The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games.

Table of Contents

• PREFACE 
• FOREWORD 
• INTRODUCTION 
• THE GAMES
• Space Horror 
• Haunted Mansions 
• Terror of the Abyss
• Dark Forests 
• Relentless Pursuers 
• Wayward Children 
• Universal Monsters 
• Nature Unleashed
• Text Adventures 
• Interactive Movies
• Rail Shooters
• Survival Horror 
• New Retro

• GAME INDEX
• THANKS & CREDITS