Although the name Nintendo didn't become super wellknown in the Anglosphere until
the mid 1980s, their history actually goes back a whole century before Mario
became a worldwide phenomenon. Nintendo
started as a small Kyoto-based business in 1989 where it made Hanafuda, a type
of Japanese playing cards. They quickly found success and in fact the business
did so well that Nintendo pretty much only made playing cards until the mid
1960s when the company diversified into fields like toys, taxis, instant
noodles, and even hourly rate hotels. H
But these ventures didn't go so well for Nintendo. And by this time, folks in
Japan weren't really buying playing cards much anymore. So, the company was
suddenly in dire financial straits until
employee Ge Yokcoy used his engineering
background to develop a popular line of electronic toys, including light guns in
the early 1970s that could be considered the forerunners of the Ness Zapper
that's responsible for the deaths of millions of digital ducks. You can learn
more about light guns in this episode. But why make light guns if you don't
make a game console? Well, some of
Nintendo's early light guns were used in game systems from other manufacturers
because Nintendo wouldn't release its own console until 1977.
The simply titled Color TV Game that was
only marketed in Japan. Unlike most
later systems, the Color TV game didn't use cartridges, but instead came in
several variations that featured different games built in. And that
wasn't the only primitive thing about it. The first version didn't even have
true controllers. Instead, players controlled the game by fiddling with
dials on the console itself, making gameplay a little awkward. But in spite
of these limitations, the color TV game did fairly well. Though Nintendo's first
real hit in the video game world came after Yokoy sat beside a passenger on a
train who was fiddling with a calculator to pass the time. Suddenly he thought,
"Hey, why can't people cure their boredom with handheld games instead?"
With that, the Game and Watch was born
in 1980. a line of simple LCD games with
clocks built in, hence the name.
Although each Game and Watch model only included one game due to their use of
segment displays that could only show a limited number of images, it sold over
43 million units worldwide before it was
discontinued in 1991. Nintendo was also developing arcade
games during this time, including the original Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers,
released in 1981 and 83, respectively.
But home consoles continued to gain popularity during the early 80s. So
Nintendo came out with the Family Computer or Famicom in 1983.
This was their first console that resembles what we're used to today with
wired controllers and a cartridge system that allowed it to play lots of
different games. The Famicom sold very
well, leading Nintendo to look at releasing it in the United States. But
by this time, the infamous video game
crash of 1983 had happened. a huge
downturn in the video game industry that was caused in large part by the market
being flooded with very poor quality games and consumer confusion that
stemmed from dishonest box art and inconsistencies in the game experience
between consoles even when playing the same game. So Nintendo redesigned the
Famicom into the Nintendo Entertainment
System or NES, envisioning it as a
single ecosystem using proprietary terms
like control deck and game pack instead
of console or video game cartridge.
Nintendo also introduced the seal of quality at this time to show that Nest
Games had passed Nintendo quality control in an attempt to convince
consumers they were only licensing worthwhile games for their console.
Unlike competitors like Atari, the NES finally made it to market in 1986
and was a runaway hit, trouncing its competitors with games like Super Mario
Brothers, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda, which became such enduring
franchises that they continue to this very day. So successful was the Nest
that the company rolled out Nintendo Power magazine two years later, which
served to hype upcoming titles and hardware.
But Nintendo didn't forget about the handheld market, and Yokoy took his
handheld game ideas to the next level when he designed the Game Boy, released
in 1989. Although it was rather simple, featuring
a black and white nonbacklit screen with
a low 160x 144 resolution, it was
inexpensive and durable, allowing it to beat out more advanced rival handhelds
like the Sega Game Gear. With that, the
stage was set for a console war that would rage on for many more years. But
right now, we're out of time. So stay tuned for part two of our history of
Nintendo where we have a look at the Nintendo Sega conflict of the 1990s,
ultra rare Charizard cards, and 3D
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