The Making of Prince of Persia

The Making of Prince of Persia compiles Jordan Mechner's personal journals from 1985-1993, documenting his journey creating the groundbreaking video game Prince of Persia. The raw diary entries capture his day-to-day experiences as a young game developer working to bring his vision to life using revolutionary animation techniques. Mechner chronicles both the technical and business challenges he faced while developing the game for Apple II and later platforms. The entries detail his work process, interactions with Broderbund Software, and the uncertainty of the project's future during its long development cycle. The book provides a snapshot of the early video game industry through the eyes of a creator striving to push technical and artistic boundaries. Mechner's notes reveal the practical realities of game development in the late 1980s, from programming limitations to market pressures. This memoir goes beyond standard game development documentation to explore universal themes of artistic passion, self-doubt, and perseverance. The unfiltered journal format presents an intimate view of one creator's struggle to manifest his creative vision despite numerous obstacles.

Readers appreciate the raw, unfiltered nature of Mechner's personal journals from 1985-1993 as he created Prince of Persia. Many found value in seeing the day-to-day reality of game development, including self-doubt, technical constraints, and business challenges. Liked: - Detailed insights into early game industry - Honest portrayal of creative struggles - Technical details of coding on Apple II - Photos and sketches from development Disliked: - Some repetitive journal entries - Gaps in the timeline - Limited discussion of game design decisions - Wanted more about animation techniques Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (100+ ratings) Reader quote: "It's refreshing to read about someone's genuine struggles rather than a polished success story." - Goodreads reviewer "The book could have benefited from more technical details about the animation process" - Amazon reviewer

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🎮 Jordan Mechner kept detailed journals during the development of Prince of Persia, starting in 1985 when he was just 21 years old - these authentic diary entries form the core of the book. 🎬 The game's revolutionary fluid animation was created using rotoscoping - Mechner filmed his younger brother David performing the running and jumping movements, then painstakingly traced the frames for the game. 💻 Prince of Persia was developed on an Apple II computer when the platform was already considered outdated, yet went on to influence gaming animation and storytelling for decades to come. 🌟 The game's Persian setting was partly inspired by Tales of the Arabian Nights and films like The Thief of Baghdad, as Mechner wanted to create something different from the typical medieval fantasy games of the era. 📝 The book reveals that the original Prince of Persia took over four years to complete, and Mechner often struggled with self-doubt, financial pressure, and the technical limitations of the time.