Good Game, No Rematch - by Mike Drucker (Hardcover)

About the Book

"At the ripe age of three, Mike Drucker got his very first Nintendo console--the Nintendo Entertainment System--and he was hooked. Every video game felt like a new chapter was opening in his life, expanding his world for the better and--sometimes--for worse. Final Fantasy VII, for example, helped him navigate the pitfalls of an early crush. And Dance Dance Revolution taught him how to almost, kinda move his body appropriately to music. Mike split his career between gaming and comedy, landing an internship with Saturday Night Live, playing Wii Sports with the cast and crew, and then a job at Nintendo, where he named an iconic character in the Legend of Zelda series. Then he returned to comedy with a job writing for The Tonight Show, never forgetting the video games that brought him there. In this fond and joyful memoir, Drucker combines ridiculous personal stories and fascinating gaming history to explore the poignant ways that electronic entertainment can save us from ourselves. Good Game, No Rematch is a love letter to video games and the people who play them, from a very nerdy voice in the world of comedy." --Provided by Publisher.

Book Synopsis

*An Inside Hook Book You Should Be Reading This April*

"Funny, genuine and knowledgeable about something that meant so much to all of us." --Ben Schwartz

A hilarious and nostalgic memoir about the video games that entertain and inspire us, and even hold the power to transform our lives, from an Emmy(R)-nominated television writer, stand-up comedian and former writer for Nintendo.

At the ripe age of three, Mike Drucker got his very first Nintendo console--the Nintendo Entertainment System--and he was hooked. Every video game felt like a new chapter was opening in his life, expanding his world for the better and--sometimes--for worse. Final Fantasy VII, for example, helped him navigate the pitfalls of an early crush. And Dance Dance Revolution taught him how to almost, kinda move his body appropriately to music. Mike split his career between gaming and comedy, landing an internship with Saturday Night Live, playing Wii Sports with the cast and crew, and then a job at Nintendo, where he named an iconic character in the Legend of Zelda series. Then he returned to comedy with a job writing for The Tonight Show, never forgetting the video games that brought him there.

In this fond and joyful memoir, Drucker combines ridiculous personal stories and fascinating gaming history to explore the poignant ways that electronic entertainment can save us from ourselves. Good Game, No Rematch is a love letter to video games and the people who play them, from a very nerdy voice in the world of comedy.

Review Quotes

"Mike's two loves are comedy and video games. I'm not saying this book will be any good but it certainly would be better than anything else he wrote."--Seth Meyers

"Mike Drucker is charming and hilarious, so it's not a huge shock that his memoir is also charming and hilarious. Like all the best memoirs, it's got love, heartbreak, daddy issues, bad wedding decisions, and the real story behind how one of The Legend of Zelda's most iconic characters got his name. (Seriously, Mike, why isn't that on the cover?) I had a lot of fun reading about Drucker's adventures through life and video games and you will too."--Jason Schreier, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice, Press Reset, and Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

"Video games were my life growing up. I loved them endlessly and spent more time with them than actual humans. So when you find another person who understands games deeply like this. Understands what an achievement it is to beat the jet ski level of battletoads or TKO Mike Tyson or cry a tear when Palom and Porom were turned to stone, you feel like you have met a long lost cousin. Michael Drucker is such a cousin. He knows so much about games, he might as well have starred in the Wizard. To have someone be this funny, genuine and knowledgeable about something that meant so much to all of us... I cannot wait to keep reading."--Ben Schwartz

"I wish I'd gotten to play video games with Drucker. His hilarious recollections of his encounters with video games, and how they both helped and hindered his life, is such a fun read."--Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend

"Mike Drucker isn't just one of the funniest people in games, he's also one of the most knowledgeable people about games in games. I know few people who have gone from translating Nintendo games to writing rinky-dink Internet talk shows to penning jokes for a staple of American television. In fact, I only know one person who has done that because his talent can carry him anywhere in the world, and his name is Mike Drucker."--Greg Miller, former editor and video host at IGN, co-founder of Kinda Funny


"Mike takes us on a beautiful journey through the world of video games in a way that no one else could. Writers and comedians are the best at video games because it is our go to activity when we are procrastinating being a writer or a comedian."--Roy Wood Jr., former Daily Show correspondent

"Mike Drucker is the only person I know with whom I can get real about Regina, Saskatchewan."--Samantha Bee, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

"Mike Drucker is the funniest person I know, and so obsessed with video games that he is also simultaneously the saddest person I know. This book is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, and also chock full of tips for beating the hottest games, straight from the pros at Nintendo!! Buy it!!"--Adam Conover

"This book is a goddamn riot... One of the best writers I know has a book, and perhaps the greatest recommendation I can give is that rarely has heartbreak been so funny, and rarely has comedy been so heartbreaking. Don't be surprised if you find your own face in this remarkable mirror."--Gail Simone

"[A] raucous trip through mushroom kingdoms and final fantasies...even casual gamers will find this a hilarious treat."--Publishers Weekly

"Entertaining and filled with video game minutia...This quirky memoir will appeal to aspiring comedy writers and comedians, as well as video game aficionados interested in the evolution of one of America's favorite pastimes."--Booklist

"Good Game, No Rematch is Mike Drucker's account of his lifelong obsession with humanity's newest, weirdest art form. Lucky for us, it has a number of things going for it. 1) It's extremely funny. 2) It's knowledgeable about the history of the medium in an appealing, lightly worn sort of way. 3) It's sometimes--possibly, often?--really sad. 4) It contains an improbably moving story that hinges upon Street Fighter that made me wish I could hug my own dear departed father. Please read it."--Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives

"More than just a memoir, this book is a love letter to the evolution of gaming culture, an introspective dive into how video games shaped his identity, and a riotous exploration of the sheer absurdity of life...Drucker's sharp wit and heartfelt nostalgia make this a must-read for anyone who's ever blown into an NES cartridge, preordered a game with allowance money, or spent an irresponsible amount of time customizing their Animal Crossing home."--The Geekly Grind

"A candid and bittersweet read."--Inside Hook