Daniel Hardcastle

The Sunday Times bestselling memoir through video games by YouTube star DanNerdCubed

The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd

Fuck Yeah, Video Games

As Daniel Hardcastle careers towards thirty, he looks back on what has really made him happy in life: the friends, the romances... the video games. Told through encounters with the most remarkable – and the most mind-boggling – games of the last thirty-odd years, Fuck Yeah, Video Games is also a love letter to the greatest hobby in the world. From God of War to Tomb Raider, Pokémon to The Sims, Daniel relives each game with countless in-jokes, obscure references and his signature wit, as well as intricate, original illustrations by Rebecca Maughan. Alongside this march of merriment are chapters dedicated to the hardware behind the games: a veritable history of Sony, Nintendo, Sega and Atari consoles. Joyous, absurd, personal and at times sweary, Daniel's memoir is a celebration of the sheer brilliance of video games.

Omar AlHashmi

I've watched Dan's videos for 8 years. The first video I ever saw of his was "Let's play indie games - Overgrowth". That video released on the 24th of December 2011. I was in the 11th grade at the time. Meaning I've been watching Dan as a highschooler, a university student, an engineer, and finally a married man. Strangely I have stuck by him, still to this day I watch all of his videos. Which doesn't really happen. If I try and remember the Youtubers I watched back in 2011, most if not all of them I have unsubscribed from. Not Dan though. But my fascination for Dan happened way later. Not in 2011. But in 2013. That was when I was in University. I studied abroad, and had a really tough time. As a shy person, it was hard for me to build relationships. I had a lot of trouble sleeping. But I found the solution, I used to watch a Nerdcubed video everyday before going to bed. All of those awful thoughts in my head would go away for that one moment, and I was able to sleep peacefully every night after laughing my ass off. It's actually strange because I have such a polar opposite taste to Dan when it comes to video games. But it doesn't matter to me. Although I can't play something like Planet Coaster, watching someone like Dan spend 40 mins getting the lighting together is so entertaining for some reason. Its because he loves games, and I love seeing people genuinely enjoy games. 

So why am I giving all of you this backstory? Well because this book gave me the exact same feeling I felt during those sleepless nights abroad watching his videos. This is a book that brings you back to those special moments in videogames. The joy of discovering something new and fresh. Dan gives us a perfect balance of personal stories and how they can relate to video games. Only Dan can make a story about a Michelin star restaurant relate to Metal Gear Solid 2. But it works! And it makes sense. His humor is on point and reminds me of why I love watching his videos. Even though I dont have a connection to most of the games he talked about, the way he was writing about it made me feel like I've been playing this game forever. It is a wonderful book filled with passion and love for games. I highly recommend this book. I wish Dan all the best and cant wait for his next endeavor

Fuck Yeah, Video Games The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd

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