ON: Volume One
ON: Volume One
In stock
Delivery & Returns
Delivery & Returns
We charge £5 for UK delivery. We offer international shipping to a set of limited destinations. International shipping prices are calculated at checkout.
We endeavour to process and dispatch all orders within 3 business days of receiving them. All UK orders are sent using Royal Mail Tracked 48. We expect that UK orders should be delivered within 5 business days of ordering.
You can see full details on our shipping policy page.
We are confident in the quality of our product, but we provide a 30-day return policy for your convenience. Please see our returns policy for full details.
Experience games journalism at its finest
ON is the ultimate celebration of gaming's past, present and future. We give the very best writers in the industry freedom to write their dream feature and combine those words with bold and experimental design in a luxury journal.
A truly premium piece of physical media to keep, collect and take your time to enjoy; the sort of experience that can only be achieved in print.
Own a luxurious part of gaming history
ON is luxury piece of physical media, printed on high-end paper stock. A product that feels as at home on the coffee table as it does on the bookshelf.
Whether you’re treating yourself or searching for the perfect gift, ON makes an unforgettable present for any enthusiast, celebrating the passion and creativity of the gaming world.
All 8 covers for ON: Volume One are also available in the Complete Collection.
Press Coverage
“Loaded with sumptuous visuals, this is a hefty, joyous celebration of print media from some exceptional editorial talent.” - Tony Mott, Edge
"Luxurious and engrossing, ON is a visual and cerebral treat for anyone interested in reading the very best video game writers on the planet, let loose on their passions." - Tom Phillips, Eurogamer
"Drips class yet feels weighty and authoritative; the writers involved are quite simply some of the best in the business, and ON gives them the freedom to let their creative talents truly shine" - Damien McFerran, Time Extension
"ON bottles the creative energy of the video-game medium by supercolliding the industry's most incisive commentators with bold editorial design and extravagant production values. Fresh delights on every spread." - Jason Killingsworth, Tune & Fairweather
Product specifications
- Available in your choice of 8 different covers
- Over 200 full colour pages
- Perfect bound
- Lithoprint
- 350gsm quality uncoated cover paper
- 135gsm high quality uncoated inner paper
- Dimensions 280mm x 210mm x 19mm
- Printed in England
- ISBN 978-1-0687883-0-7
Yussef Cole ON life, death and Cyberpunk 2077
Yussef Cole is a writer and artist living in New England. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, he and his partner, a psychoanalyst, have been thinking and writing about death and our relation to it. Games, which often feature death prominently in their mechanics, can be an excellent vehicle with which to study how we think about death, and the ways in which we try to avoid and repress it. Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that challenges many of the cemented-in notions games have about death; it asks us to embrace death, to make something out of our brief lives, and to find the kind of immortality that exists only in legend and stories.
Margaret Robertson ON Japan's paper play pioneers
Margaret first visited Japan as a staff writer for Edge magazine in the 2000s, covering Nintendo, Square and TGS. After leaving printed media, and pursuing a career making games in the UK and US, she returned to Japan last year as a full-time resident and co-founder of Cabbage Systems, a Tokyo-based studio. Real Japan, of course, is not – or at least is only partly – Japan in videogames. In a quest to understand her new home, Margaret starts with a simple piece of paper, and unfolds it to reveal a whole new history of Japanese game-making.
Keith Stuart ON the Sega Model 1 arcade board
Keith started writing about games at the end of the flat-shaded polygon era, a vital period in gaming visuals between the days of figurative sprite-based graphics and the modern age of near photorealism. Focusing on Sega’s legendary Model 1 arcade technology, he traces the style from its beginnings in the mid-’80s to its resurgence as an indie games aesthetic. The graceful minimalism of these games reminds us that less is sometimes more.
Nathan Brown ON the meditative joys of run-based games
During his ten years on Edge magazine, Nathan had plenty of time to play games, and a professional obligation to sit down and play the latest triple-A banger for hours on end. These days, as a consultant, industry commentator and increasingly addled father of two, his free time is a precious commodity, and games seem to respect it less than ever. He has found solace in ‘run-based’ games: tight, focused, endlessly replayable Roguelikes and Roguelites that offer guaranteed fun in short bursts – and have reignited his passion for a medium he has somehow parlayed into a career.
Keza MacDonald ON games that changed Nintendo
When Keza was seven, after months of plaintive entreaties, her parents bought her a SNES - but she was only allowed to play it on Fridays and Saturdays, so that her enthusiasm for games wouldn't run out of control. This manifestly did not work. Her gaming interests have broadened since childhood, but still, over 20 years of writing about games, she keeps coming back to Nintendo: its work has a lot to tell us about why games mean so much to us, and about the nature of fun itself.
Jen Simpkins ON playing dress-up
Guildford game developer and dress-up game fan Jen Simpkins paints on glitter tears when she’s sad, pierced her nose so people would stop assuming she was straight, and finds any excuse to throw a costume party. She is fascinated by the personal and interpersonal rituals of style. The latest installment in the Style Boutique dress-up game series – a flattened-out, superficial ‘metaverse’ centred around social media clout – kept just two hours of her attention before she turned off her Switch, and started to think. With fashion big business, and style so meaningful in our daily lives, where are all the dress-up games with depth?
Christian Donlan ON handheld launch puzzle games
When a new console launches, puzzle games rarely get much of the spotlight. But when it comes to handheld consoles in particular, it’s the puzzlers that have often created the strongest bonds and the brightest memories. With this in mind, Christian wanted to look back at some of the puzzle games that have helped shape the handhelds they launched alongside. It’s a journey that leads us from the 1990s right up to the Nintendo Switch, and it begins on the Game Boy, with the masterpiece that started it all.
Exceptional design and print quality - savour every detail
Andrew P Hind
ON is the brainchild of creative director Andrew P Hind, a veteran print designer renowned for his 20-year career as art editor for Edge, the globally renowned game magazine, and his work at boutique book publisher Tune & Fairweather. Nathan Brown (Edge, Hit Points) is editor in chief.
Jen Simpkins ON playing dress-up
Game developer and writer Jen Simpkins is fascinated by the complex rituals of personal style, but bounced off the latest instalment of Style Boutique in under a day. It’s made her wonder: where are the dress-up games with the depth and intrigue of real-life fashion?
Keza MacDonald ON games that changed Nintendo
Keza MacDonald has been besotted with Nintendo since the days of the SNES. In our first issue, she looks back at some of the most important games in a beloved catalogue, and ponders why Nintendo’s games remain synonymous with fun itself.
Yussef Cole ON life, death and Cyberpunk 2077
During the pandemic, Yussef Cole and his partner, a psychoanalyst, found themselves pondering how certain games provided fascinating insights into how we think about death. In our first issue, Cole focuses in on Cyberpunk 2077 in particular.
Christian Donlan ON handheld launch puzzle games
It’s been true since the days of the Game Boy: no handheld games console is ready to launch without a stellar puzzle game. For our first issue, Christian Donlan picks over some of his favourite examples, taking us from Columns right up to Puyo Puyo Tetris.
Margaret Robertson ON Japan’s paper play pioneers
In a quest to understand her new home in Tokyo, Margaret Robertson starts with a piece of paper and unravels it to reveal an intriguing and often ignored aspect of Japanese game-making. In our first issue you can read her fascinating piece on Japan’s paper play pioneers.
Keith Stuart ON the Sega Model 1 arcade board
Keith Stuart wants to take readers on a tour of one of SEGA’s most charismatic creations, the Sega Model 1 arcade board. It gave us the likes of Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter, and helped usher in an era of graceful minimalism that survives to this day.
Nathan Brown ON the meditative joys of run-based games
Nathan Brown favourite genre of videogames is so of-the-moment that it doesn’t yet have its own Steam tag. In our first issue, he takes us through the dizzying, full-pelt world of run-based games, which offer a full campaign experience with endless variation in well under an hour
Buy On: Volume one now
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the 8 covers?
ON: Volume One is available with your choice of 8 stunning covers. Each cover reflects the content of one of the features within the book. The actual book contents is the same - this means you will have access to all 7 amazing features whichever cover you pick.
How long will it take to arrive?
We endeavour to process and dispatch all orders within 3 business days of receiving them. All UK orders are sent using Royal Mail Tracked 48. We expect that UK orders should be delivered within 5 business days of ordering - if not please contact support at info@on.games.
Please see our full shipping policy for more information and details about international orders.
What is your returns policy?
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return. You can see our full returns policy here.
Can I get a refund if I change my mind after I have received my order?
You have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
For international orders you will be liable for the cost of returning the item to us.
You can see our full returns policy here.
Is it made from sustainable resources and are your production methods environmentally friendly?
Our paper is sourced from suppliers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). These certifications ensure that the paper we use originates from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources that comply with strict environmental, social, and economic standards. In addition, we also employ materials such as vegetable ink, recycled stock, non-toxic binding glues, and biodegradable laminates.
Our printing partner continuously invests in cutting-edge sustainable technologies and adopting eco-friendly production methods, and are proud to be officially certified as a carbon balanced business.
Is your packaging eco friendly?
We want to ensure your copy of ON Volume On arrives in pristine condition. We proudly use biodegradable bubble wrap. Our plastic corner protectors are made from recycled plastic and are fully recyclable. Our outer cardboard packaging is also made from recycled materials and is fully recyclable.
What age group is this for?
Our features are written from a mature perspective, being thought provoking and entertaining. Our content is suitable for all ages, with nothing explicit, or anything which could be considered inappropriate for children of any age. We want everyone to enjoy ON!
Do you still have more questions?
Please visit our detailed FAQ page or our help index. Please don't hesitate to ask questions through our contact form or by emailing info@on.games.
Own the Complete Collection
All 8 stunning covers are available together in the Complete Collection - an exclusive set for truly dedicated enjoyers of games, design and print.
ON: Volume One - Complete Collection
Buy all 8 covers in a collector's bundle and save over £30 off the retail price.