The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides

An insider’s look at the rise and fall of the video game strategy guide industry, from the author of over one hundred official books for BradyGames and Prima Games.

The Walkthrough offers a rare peek behind the curtain of the secretive video game industry from an unlikely perspective, that of a career strategy guide writer. For eighteen years, Doug Walsh was one of the most prolific authors of officially licensed video game strategy guides. And now he’s ready to talk.

One part memoir and one part industry tell-all, The Walkthrough takes players on an entertaining march through gaming’s recent history, from the dawn of the PlayStation to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch. Follow along as Walsh retraces his career and reveals how the books were made, what it was like writing guides to some of the industry’s most celebrated — and derided — titles, and why the biggest publishers of guidebooks are no longer around.
Walsh devotes entire chapters to many of gaming’s most popular franchises, including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Gears of War, and Diablo, among others. From inauspicious beginnings with Daikatana to authoring the books for the entire Bioshock trilogy, with plenty of highs, lows, and Warp Pipes along the way, Walsh delivers a rare treat to twenty-first century gamers. The Walkthrough is sure to satisfy the curiosity of anyone who grew up with the works of BradyGames and Prima Games sprawled across their laps.

With over one hundred books to his credit, and countless weeks spent at many of the most famous studios in North America, he is uniquely qualified to give an insider’s perspective of a little-known niche within the multi-billion-dollar industry.

From the Publisher

Doug Walsh Bio

Author of Over 100 Videogame Strategy Guides for BradyGames and Prima Games

For the better part of two decades, Doug Walsh was among the most prolific authors of officially licensed video game strategy guides.

Walsh’s writing career began in 2000, when he accepted his first ever authoring gig: writing the 1-900 Tip Line script for the infamous shooter, Daikatana. After penning dozens of guides for IGN, Gamespy, and several other long-forgotten websites, Walsh earned a contract with Penguin imprint, BradyGames. Over the ensuing eighteen years, Walsh authored over one hundred official video game strategy guides. His guides covered nearly every major franchise across multiple generations, from Bioshock to Zelda, Diablo to Halo, and Gears of War to Super Mario.

Other Writing

Walsh’s writing wasn’t limited to strategy guides. He also authored the sought-after Making of Guild Wars 2 book, the Harvest Moon 20th Anniversary Celebration, and played key roles in the creation of hardcover collectibles celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mega Man and the Now You’re Playing with Super Power companion to the SNES Classic Mini.

What Came Next

Following the demise of Prima Games, Walsh authored the popular memoir, The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the secretive multi-billion dollar industry, with chapters devoted to his on-site experiences at Epic Games, Nintendo, Blizzard Entertainment, and many others.

Sample of Game Franchises Discussed Super Mario Bros Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Gears of War Diablo Halo Enter the Matrix Bioshock …and many others

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Snoke Valley Books (May 7, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 148 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1732746761
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1732746763
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.37 x 8 inches