Jak obehrát železnou oponu - Počítačové hry a participativní kultura v normalizačním Československu – Švelch Jaroslav (2023)

The history of computer games in Czechoslovakia during the 1980s was until recently considered merely a footnote in the grand history of this medium, which unfolded in the USA and Japan. However, the book How to Beat the Iron Curtain shows that a unique gaming scene emerged here during normalization, the analysis of which can enrich the study of computer games and popular culture. Local programmers were among the first in the world to systematically use games to tell personal stories and engage in political activism. Jaroslav Švelch's book, originally published at the end of 2018 by MIT Press, is based on more than forty interviews and the study of archival materials, including preserved games. It maps the beginnings of gaming and game creation for 8-bit microcomputers in Czechoslovakia through the stories of local amateur programmers. It is based on the belief that computer amateurs are a prototypical example of an active audience and a distinct fan community. Thus, it is a work that combines elements of historiography with cultural and media studies. The first part of the book deals with the general context of computer hobbies. It follows the futile attempts to produce home models of microcomputers and debates about the (in)availability of computer...