SECOND BITNESS: VIDEO GAMES GROW UP

Sergej »Sneti« Hvala

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First Bitness covered the “childhood” of video games—from arcades and the ZX Spectrum/Commodore 64 through early PC gaming—ending in the mid-1990s with the arrival of PlayStation and Lara Croft, when games entered pop-culture mainstream and began shedding the “kids’ medium” image. But the climb toward being both mass entertainment and respected art was far from over. Second Bitness moves into the next (even more exciting) phase, where growth after 1995 was rapid on every front.

This large, highly illustrated book is structured in five parts. It starts with the rise of the CD, the launch of Windows 95, 3D accelerators, Duke Nukem, and the big real-time strategy boom. It then covers Diablo, Blizzard, Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64, Half-Life/Valve, and Baldur’s Gate/BioWare. Next comes the internet and online multiplayer, early MMORPGs, arena shooters, Dreamcast, Counter-Strike, and Deluxe Ski Jump. A later section looks at PlayStation 2, movies based on games (including those by Uwe Boll), LCD monitors, esports, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Grand Theft Auto. The final part turns to Xbox 360, modding, God of War, the rise of casual players, PlayStation 3, the growth of indie games, Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, and finally Apple’s iPhone—framed as a second major surge of games into pop culture.

It also gives space to the Slovenian scene, featuring in-depth interviews with Matjaž Požlep (Arxel Tribe), Boštjan Troha (ZootFly), and Dušan Kastelic (creator of SKB Papi), plus a memorable interview about early iPhone “smuggling.” Across roughly 80 essayistic, critical, and occasionally poetic chapters, the book aims to spark nostalgia while helping readers place games in a wider cultural context.

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PUBLICATION DETAILS

LANGUAGE	BINDING	EDITION	ISBN	YEAR	PAGES
Slovenian	Hardcover		N/A	2026	396

OTHER NAMES

Second Bitness: Video Games Grow Up

Druga bitnost: videoigre odraščajo

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TAGS

Authors: #SergejHvala

Publishers: #Jazbina (Jazbina Publishing House [Založba Jazbina])

Languages: #Slovenian

Format: #Hardcover

Accessibility: N/A

Year: #Year2026

Genres: #GeneralHistory #GlobalPerspective

Companies:

#ArxelTribe (Arxel Tribe)

#Blizzard (Blizzard)

#Valve (Valve)

#ZootFly (ZootFly)

Public Figures:

#BoštjanTroha (Boštjan Troha)

#DušanKastelic (Dušan Kastelic)

#MatjažPožlep (Matjaž Požlep)

Games:

#CallOfDuty (Call of Duty)

#DukeNukem (Duke Nukem)

#GodOfWar (God of War)

#HalfLife (Half-Life)

#Warcraft (World of Warcraft)

Misc:

N/A