So, in 2016, the art on our game boxes is generally just grabbed from the game. There’s no real difference between what we see on the package and what we interact with on the disc (and if there is, that’s generally a problem). That wasn’t always the case, back in the day you had to imagine what the characters looked like, based on the box. Art of ATARI is the book that collects all that iconic art into one place.

When games first came out, they were little pixel babies. Slapping a screenshot of Asteroids on the box probably wouldn’t have sold it. Actual artists were hired to create illustrations of what the little pixels represented. Games took a lot more imagination in the 70s.

This is just a fun retro geek book that not only collects this art work but gives an behind the scene look at its creation. It’s an interesting look into an almost forgotten time in video game history. Art of ATARI is $29.41.