Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Y'know, other stuff, Sinclair related.
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Audionautas
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Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Audionautas »

Hi all!

Due to my interest in all Spectrum related stories, I recently purchased a brilliant book titled Gaming the Iron Curtain.
How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games by Jaroslav Švelch (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/gaming-iron-curtain). I can't remember exactly how I came across an interview with the author (https://iforum.cuni.cz/IFORUMENG-815.html). However, after reading it, I knew his book was to become the source of information about the ZX Spectrum on former Czechoslovakia I was looking for, and so it is. And not only that, the stories and experiences told in this book could be extrapolated to other Socialist countries of that time.

The ZX Spectrum and his role on spreading microcomputing in former Czechoslovakia during the 80s is key all over this amazing book, packed with lots of stories and lovely anecdotes from back in the day. Maybe the book is a little bit priced, but here we are not talking about a fan publication done with little research, on the contrary, this is a serious and academic study on the subject, exquisitely researched with a scope not only focused on hardware or software, but also on social, economic or cultural trends that explain why and how youngsters adopted microcomputing in former Czechoslovakia.

The book took the author a decade of research, interviews and writing, so, around 40 euros for a hardback volume with 400 pages on a very uncommon subject is OK for me. Also the author has a website with lots of Spectrum related goodies to support and complement the book itself. http://ironcurtain.svelch.com/

Highly recommended!!!

Best regards
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by PeterJ »

Very interesting read thank you. The book is also available on Amazon.

Gaming the Iron Curtain: How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games (Game Histories) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0262038846/
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Audionautas »

PeterJ wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 1:59 pm Very interesting read thank you. The book is also available on Amazon.

Gaming the Iron Curtain: How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games (Game Histories) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0262038846/
Yes, I purchased my copy there. Great read for Spectrum enthusiasts!
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Kweepa »

I really wanted to read this but I couldn't justify the purchase price. :shock:
And unfortunately it's MIT press, so it's unlikely to go down any time soon. :(
Oh well, I've got shelves full of unread books! :lol:

[EDIT] Thanks for the link to the website! Fascinating!
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Alone Coder »

Ellvis wrote an article about ZX Spectrum in Czechoslovakia in ACNews #62: http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=66841
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by 8BitAG »

Although we've currently got 212 Czech text adventure listed at CASA, http://solutionarchive.com/list/language%2C11/ , just 67 are tagged as being for the Spectrum and I'm sure that plenty are missing. Definitely interested to find out more about text adventures over there. There are some really interesting ones for the Spectrum from Russia, also.
8-bit Text Adventure Gamer - games - research.
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by PeterJ »

Don't forget you can also search for Language equals Czech on the advanced search on our own home page.
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by pavero »

8BitAG wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:03 pm Although we've currently got 212 Czech text adventure listed at CASA, http://solutionarchive.com/list/language%2C11/ , just 67 are tagged as being for the Spectrum and I'm sure that plenty are missing. Definitely interested to find out more about text adventures over there. There are some really interesting ones for the Spectrum from Russia, also.
Here you will find all Czech/Slovak text adventures which have been discovered up to this day. (167 titles) ;-)
https://cs.speccy.cz/?scn=1
(soon they will be at SC site also)

Here you will find reviews for all* Czech/Slovak games (not only Speccy related).
https://herniarcheolog.blogspot.com/
(*Now the author reviews games from 1990)
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by PeteProdge »

I saw the book at the ComputerSpieleMuseum in Berlin. I was over there to film a special for my retrogaming YouTube channel (see signature). As they have a recreated PolyPlay arcade machine (the DDR's only contribution to arcade gaming), my video will concentrate a lot on the eight primitive games it offers (one of which stars Krtek/Mole - very well known by Czechs).

I didn't pick up the book, my suitcases were already stuffed as I flew out, but yeah, I'm fascinated at life under Soviet dominance and it's the kind of thing I need to read.
Reheated Pixels - a combination of retrogaming, comedy and factual musing, is here!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Audionautas »

PeteProdge wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:37 pm I saw the book at the ComputerSpieleMuseum in Berlin. I was over there to film a special for my retrogaming YouTube channel (see signature). As they have a recreated PolyPlay arcade machine (the DDR's only contribution to arcade gaming), my video will concentrate a lot on the eight primitive games it offers (one of which stars Krtek/Mole - very well known by Czechs).

I didn't pick up the book, my suitcases were already stuffed as I flew out, but yeah, I'm fascinated at life under Soviet dominance and it's the kind of thing I need to read.
You won't be disappointed. Really great read analyzing every single aspect of microcomputing (focused on the Spectrum, of course) related to people's lives under Communism. Fascinating read.
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by Solaris104 »

I found on the homepage of the author a link to google books so you can read the book without charge:

https://books.google.no/books?hl=cs&lr= ... &q&f=false


Post edited by PJ after discussion with post author.
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by cmal »

Audionautas wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 9:54 am
The book took the author a decade of research, interviews and writing, so, around 40 euros for a hardback volume with 400 pages on a very uncommon subject is OK for me. Also the author has a website with lots of Spectrum related goodies to support and complement the book itself. http://ironcurtain.svelch.com/

Highly recommended!!!

Best regards
Every year at my work we are given a non-work related project or task to complete. For 2021, we all have to read two books - one fictional and one non-fictional book. Now I know what my non-fictional book will be :D Thanks for the recommendation [mention]Audionautas[/mention]
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

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solaris104 wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 6:25 am I found on the homepage of the author a link to google books so you can read the book without charge:
I spent forty quid on this a few days ago! I still prefer reading books to PDFs at least.
cmal wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:01 am Every year at my work we are given a non-work related project or task to complete. For 2021, we all have to read two books - one fictional and one non-fictional book. Now I know what my non-fictional book will be :D Thanks for the recommendation [mention]Audionautas[/mention]
Sounds like a fun project. Do you have to do a report on it though?

Now I'm trying to think of the closest thing to a spectrummy fiction book.
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by akeley »

Seeing as I actually lived through this story, I can save myself a bit of cash ;)
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by cmal »

R-Tape wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:23 pm
cmal wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:01 am Every year at my work we are given a non-work related project or task to complete. For 2021, we all have to read two books - one fictional and one non-fictional book. Now I know what my non-fictional book will be :D Thanks for the recommendation @Audionautas
Sounds like a fun project. Do you have to do a report on it though?

Now I'm trying to think of the closest thing to a spectrummy fiction book.
Yes, it isn't a bad project at all. We've had worse. In 2019 we all had to "step out of our comfort zones" and video record ourselves singing a song then show it to the whole company. :shock: I almost quit!

Once complete we have to do a verbal book review to the rest of the company on one of the books that we have read. Nice thing is the company reimburses us for the book purchase.

If you think of some spectrummy fiction book, please let me know :)
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Re: Gaming the Iron Curtain. How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games

Post by R-Tape »

akeley wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:38 pm Seeing as I actually lived through this story, I can save myself a bit of cash ;)
My computer corner, and some of my food cupboard make it look as if I'm trying to re-live this period :?
cmal wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:11 pm Yes, it isn't a bad project at all. We've had worse. In 2019 we all had to "step out of our comfort zones" and video record ourselves singing a song then show it to the whole company. :shock: I almost quit!
Oh good lord. If my workplace ever tries that they'll be getting an email titled "No way. Not now. Not ever".

Sorry. On topic - I'm looking forward to reading this!
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