Rebecca Levene: Grand Thieves & Tomb Raiders [2012] hardback

Gaming: it' s the greatest British invasion of them all. Lara Croft is an international icon and the British-born Grand Theft Auto and its spin-offs have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. The UK' s games industry is now bigger than either its cinema or its music.

Yet the medium' s birth in Thatcher' s Britain was almost accidental. While politicians championed computers like the BBC Micro and the ZX Spectrum as engines of learning, it was left to a grassroots culture of amateur programmers to unlock their true potential. And from bedrooms and classrooms across the country, a brilliant profusion of innovative and idiosyncratic games soon emerged - propelling their young creators to fame, riches and, eventually, a place on the world stage.

This is the story of those teenage coders - tracing their journey from the first home computers to the age of the smartphone. A mix of oddball characters, programming miracles and moral panics, Grand Thieves & Tomb Raiders reveals how the unique history of British computing led to some of the greatest games of all time.