GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS GAMER’S EDITION CELEBRATES THE MANY FACES OF GAMING

What does a gamer look like? Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2027 has plenty of answers. Its Power-Up Planet theme takes readers across six continents to meet the players, developers, creators and communities behind extraordinary gaming achievements.

There are headline-making numbers, of course. Subway Surfers has surpassed 4.5 billion downloads, while the second Grand Theft Auto VI trailer attracted 475 million views across platforms in its first 24 hours. In Mexico City, 794 Minecraft fans gathered dressed as Steve to set a record of their own.

But the book’s most compelling message is about the breadth of people who play games and make them. Alongside major franchises, it explores accessible gaming, cosplay, speedrunning and local gaming communities. It celebrates achievements that begin with a favourite hobby and grow into something remarkable.

For editor Alice Bell, that message is personal. As a child, she shared a well-thumbed Pokémon guide with friends and had no idea some people believed games were not “for girls”. Her subsequent career in games introduced her to creators from many backgrounds, all eager to share their love of the medium. Researching this edition has shown her still more ways that people play and connect around the world.

“I hope that the children who pick up the Gamer’s Edition 2027 see that a gamer can be a grumpy gran, someone with a cool prosthetic arm, a streamer from Ghana who played FIFA for over a hundred hours,” she said. The book also features young game developers Max Baker and Simar Khurana – examples, she adds, of gamers who are “kids just like them”.

Alice acknowledges that negative voices can sometimes be the loudest. Yet her own experience of games has been one of community, creativity and fun. As she puts it: “Gaming being for everyone means that gaming should be something we have in common, and that brings us together from all over the world.”

It is a sentiment that will resonate with the Women in Games community. Seeing many different people celebrated in a book about gaming achievement can help more readers recognise that they belong in games – and imagine what they might create or accomplish themselves.

 Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2027 is available now in shops and online, priced at £12.99. Find out more about Guinness World Records books.