too much Fun: The five lives of the commodore 64 computer
Out December 10th, 2024.
Selected by Polygon among "The 6 best video game books of 2024".
Available as paper book online or at your local bookstore: MIT Press, Amazon US CA UK DE IT JP FR ES, Saxo (Denmark), Bokus (SE), Thalia (DE), Blackwell's (UK), Penguin, B&N, Bookshop, Indigo, BAM.
Ebook: Kindle, Apple Books, Google Books, Kobo.
This site contains supporting material for the book, including videos and running programs. Select chapters in the menu.
Scheduled talks
- December 5th at Videojogos’24.
- December 12th at MADE in Oakland CA and online.
- January 30th at Dansk Dataforening, Copenhagen.
- Feb 7th online at ROMchip.
- Feb 20th at New York University Game Center.
- Feb 25th at CMS/W, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- March 11th at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen (in Danish).
- March 21st at Aarhus University.
- Mar 27th at Subotron, Vienna.
Podcasts and interviews
Reviews
"Considering C64 history through the 'Five Lives' is a conclusive theory that can well explain how the C64 came to its long and fortunately still ongoing life: .. It remains very much to be hoped that this easily and entertainingly readable C64 history book will find attention far beyond the Commodore fan scene."
Return Magazin
"Too Much Fun, or to give its full title, The Five Lives of the Commodore 64, is thus unsurprisingly split into five distinct chapters: who the computer was for; how the machine became a platform for arcade-like games; the demo scene and pushing the machine beyond its boundaries; how the machine stayed relevant against newer technology; and how and why its limitations are still embraced today. Its overriding goal and argument is – as per the title – that the weight of evidence shows the machine was and still is too much fun to have been wildly consigned to the bin of history via previous accounts."
ZZap64
“Commodore founders' personalities are expertly presented in this recommended book that offers insight into how and why corporate and marketing decisions were made.”
Library Journal
"You might get the impression that [Too Much Fun] is a simple revisiting of the C64 in the time of its heyday—but it’s actually a much stranger book than that. . . . [Juul] keeps surprising you with original bits of data journalism. . . . I highly recommend Too Much Fun. It’s both a needed corrective to other history books, and a book in a category all its own."
Polygon
Endorsements
“Jesper Juul has provided a long-needed addition to the Platform Studies series. It's a wonderful book, as readable as it is informative.”
Jimmy Maher, author of The Future was Here: The Commodore Amiga
“A beautiful, sincere, and rich account of everything that makes this influential computer so special to me: that unique punk stew of technology, creativity, culture, people, and zeitgeist.”
Gary Penn, editor of Zzap!64; inaugural Games Media Legend; author of Sensible Software 1986–1999; Creative Director at DMA Design
“In this standout contribution to the Platform Studies series, Juul illuminates the overlooked career of the Commodore 64 home computer by integrating the perspectives of hardware designers, marketeers, game programmers, demo creators, and retrocomputing enthusiasts.”
Thomas Haigh, lead author of ENIAC in Action and A New History of Modern Computing
“As someone who has a wealth of knowledge on this subject, this book is 'highly recommended reading,' so do not hesitate—just buy this book and rejoice.”
David John Pleasance, musician, former Managing Director, Commodore UK, author of Commodore: The Inside Story