[This review will be posted on my personal site, http://suzeish.blog on March 14, 2025, and on my StoryGraph and Fable accounts, both @suzeishreads , on March 14, 2025]

“It’s all fun and games in Mike Drucker’s new memoir”

I was vaguely aware of Mike Drucker as somebody whose BlueSky posts about video games I’d spotted in passing, someone who was followed by a lot of accounts across a variety of niches that I also followed but whom I didn’t really know anything about. I’m a simple creature – when I hear the phrase “video game memoir,” something is activated in me, and so of course I had no choice but to check out Drucker’s latest, “Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games.”

It starts with that force which pulls upon us all: nostalgia. When Drucker reminisces about his gaming origins, beginning as a small child haplessly zapping too close to the screen at Duck Hunt and moving on in much the same trajectory as the rest of us did in our nascent video gaming lives, it’s easy to remember myself there, fondly(?) looking back to the days of my sister furiously pitching N64 controllers at my face when she lost a match in Super Smash Bros., back to the days when the house we all wanted to hang out at was whichever one had a set of dance pads set up in the basement, and back to the days when, our family lacking the kind of money that buys brand-new games, every cartridge I owned was from the secondhand sale bin at Blockbuster, resulting in sometimes eclectic gaming tastes and sometimes in my having played the sequel in a series but not the original.

This is what makes the first part of GGNR pleasant: it’s not so much that hearing about the specifics of Drucker’s video game origin story is exciting or unique, it’s that it pulls you back into your own past, remembering the games that you were playing during those formative years, whether they were the same as Drucker’s or filling in your own narrative (maybe you were a Genesis kid, waves sadly). This is a fairly soothing way to spend a cold day in your blanket fort.

The second part of GGNR takes us through Drucker’s pupation and metamorphosis, nerdy butterfly-like, from video game player to video game industry writer. This part was less enjoyable to me, because if the joy of the first part of the book was using Drucker’s memories as a springboard for my own, the details of his professional career cease to be relatable. It felt like it boiled down to, “I had a quick succession of cool writing jobs, and I met cool people and had a cool time!” It was pleasant enough to read, but in that sort of vanilla, not terribly exciting “That’s nice for you” way.

All in all, in these heavy times we’re living in, I was hoping for something fluffy and positive to read, and ‘Good Game, No Rematch’ was definitely that! Who would I recommend this book to? If you grew up loving video games and have a long afternoon free where you want to get cozy with an easy-breezy book that’ll make you fondly remember how bad you were at Sonic the Hedgehog as a kid and activate that latent part of you that always thought you could make games as a career, then I’d definitely recommend ‘Good Game, No Rematch.’

If a book is about any sort of 1990s nostalgia, (that's right kids, I am from the 1900s) then I must admit that I am not impartial. This is especially true when it comes to Mike Drucker's Good Game, No Rematch. After all, this is about his lifelong love of video games and how they have touched every aspect of his life. I had feelings. I had flashbacks. I could feel the Nintendo controller in my hands. I'm not saying this book changed my life, but I am saying this book made me relive a lot of it.

Drucker has such a varied life that you have probably seen or heard his work somewhere. He is a stand-up comedian, worked for Nintendo, IGN, and wrote for shows like SNL, Full Frontal, and The Tonight Show - Jimmy Fallon version. If there is anything that everyone would agree with about the book is that Drucker completely gives himself over to the video game theme. Every chapter makes the connection somehow. I've read plenty of memoir-type books which promise something that they quickly jettison a conceit whenever it becomes inconvenient. Not so with this one.

Drucker is very funny (which is great!) and incredibly self-deprecating (be nicer to yourself, Mike!). It creates an easy tone in his prose even while you question the legitimacy of the shots he takes at himself. Sometimes they are truly a man looking at his own failings, such as when he discusses his extremely thin skin at work. Other times, his self-flagellation is clearly something only he sees. You don't get to do the things he does without having some true warmth that people are attracted to.

The biggest question for most people is probably whether or not this would be enjoyable if you were not a 90s video game dork like myself. I think there is still plenty here for you. Drucker's family stories are near universal such as relationship with his father. It isn't strained, but oh lord his dad would have been a lot happier if he liked sports. A short chapter on the loss of a friend is short but poignant. So yes, you don't have to be a video game nerd to enjoy this....

...but I would also be lying if I didn't point out that a good amount will be over your head. Seriously, the chapter on Bioshock comes out of NOWHERE and I loved it. In summary, this is a fun book for normies, but goodness gracious it's a must-read for video games nerds.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.)

Good Game, No Rematch
Mike Drucker
Release: 04/01/2025
Read: 11/01/2024 to 11/25/2024
310 pages/NetGalley Review ARC

A mere background of the authors background to video game and the new advancements that have been brought to the gaming world. He has had his fair share of systems especially almost all of the Nintendo products including the failed products; The author then goes on to speak about the new ones that we know and love like Minecraft or Fortnite. He plays those to and seems to really love building in Minecraft. I learned about old advancements then, I knew nothing about and I guess that just shows my age.
I loved all the aspects about the book. I just wished it had some order to it. The personal experiences made it pop, but, I did feel like it dragged on a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is a combo part-biography, part-random thoughts written by stand-up comedian and comedy writer Mike Drucker. I actually wasn't familiar with the author prior to reading the book so I didn't know what to expect.

I really enjoyed the biography portion describing the author's childhood and overall history of playing video games. Moving through his career was also interesting, including a short but important stint at Nintendo. The random thoughts sections were hit or miss for me depending on the topic - but I think different people will like different parts interesting depending on their experience.

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up playing video games and wants to feel a bit of nostalgia.

I really appreciated Mike Drucker sharing their story with the reader. The concept was perfectly done and enjoyed the use of video games and was invested in what was going on. I enjoyed getting to read this and hope Mike Drucker writes more.