(I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review.)

Minesweeper is a history of the titular game, using it to examine, in microcosm, the evolution of video games in general over the last several decades. It began as (ostensibly) a tool designed to teach players how to use a mouse, back at the dawn of home computing; it then sparked a moral panic over lost productivity, developed a contentious competitive scene, spawned a number of imitators, and finally came to exist as just another ad-filled casual game among many (though you can remove the ads for a subscription fee).

The book is fairly short, not outstaying its welcome on a narrow topic, and the writing style is engaging, making this a quick, fun read for those interested in the history of video games. A "Notes" section at the end documents the writer's extensive research, laying out sources (including his interviews of key figures in the history of Minesweeper) chapter by chapter. ( )

Two stars is a pretty harsh score for a book that really does exactly what it promises and does it in a readable way. But I was kind of expecting that the reason there was a book about Minesweeper was because there was a good story behind Minesweeper, and really there isn't. It was pretty boring and I gave up after 70 pages. Sorry Kyle! ( )

I have never considered myself a gamer, but that doesn't mean I never played Minesweeper. Everybody played Minesweeper, or so it seemed in the 90s. I got pretty good at it, if not as good as J.K. Rowling. I also don't usually read books about software, but this was fascinating, not just for the history of the game and its fanbase, but also for what it revealed about the corporate vision of Microsoft and where games came to fit in a company that had always regarded itself as serious and business-oriented. I see that Boss Fight Books also has one on Warcraft; that may be next.

Fascinating read, both about the beloved game itself (the memories...) and about commercial, software development, and gaming politics and cultures trough the 90s. Fun for those who played or grew up with the game on their machines.

A quick, serviceable read with some interesting insights into the competitive Minesweeper community. There were moments when I wished Orland would stretch a bit more - for instance, in a section on embracing the inherent randomness within Minesweeper, he says that he'll "leave it to the poets to figure" out what kind of life lesson to take from this. I would have enjoyed seeing him grapple some more with the philosophical implications here - likewise, I thought there was a missed opportunity to dig into the psychology of the interesting characters in the Minesweeper community, especially as it pertains to the split over memorizing boards. For the players who left the Minesweeper community, do they miss it? How are they scratching that itch these days? What is it like to willingly separate from a community that's been a large part of your life for years, in order to maintain what you see as the integrity of the game? Many unanswered questions that I think could have led to a more compelling book. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a simple overview of the history itself, this is a good option. ( )