The History of Nintendo 3

First Time For Everything


Japan’s economy took a major nosedive during the 1970′s and Hiroshi was becoming more and more desperate. Nintendo released several products similar to the Laser Clay Shooting System to try to squeeze every penny out of something good they had come up with (*cough*EA*cough*). Hiroshi wanted to use the concept within the Laser Clay Shooting System for something to export to Europe and America. The outcome was the Wild Gunman. Basically it was a projector film that had cowboys and you had to shoot them before they shot you. I’m not quite sure how it worked though. Later police academies would borrow this system to train policemen with target shooting. In 1975, Hiroshi heard about new technology that companies were using to make systems that you connected directly to your TV to play a game. Hiroshi was interested in this new business in the making, and because of their desperation, he wanted in. Even though they were anxious to start developing devices that could play games on your TV, Nintendo didn’t have the technology or knowledge to make the necessary microprocessors. Masayuki Uemura (the dude from Sharp that helped with solar cells) suggested that they make a deal with Magnavox to get the permission to make and distribute their new system Odyssey (a game system very similar to Pong) in Japan so that they could get a bit more familiar with how it all worked under the plastic. Since they didn’t know how to manufacture the microprocessors in Magnavox’s Odyssey, Nintendo teamed up with Mitsubishi. Nintendo’s bond with Mitsubishi grew stronger and they decided to develop a new video game system, this would be Nintendo’s first actual go at video games.


The system in the works was the Color TV Game 6, which was released in Japan in the year 1977. Basically, it was a system in which you could play 6 different versions of tennis; I guess it was inspired by Pong. Let’s take a break from this and go back, oh say, about 7 years.


An Imaginative Artist Is Added


The year is 1970. A 17 year-old adventurous kid who is considered by others as nothing more than a mere dreamer needs a way to let out his creativity which is burning through his skull. He decides he wants to do something with art, so he attends Kanazawa Munici College of Industrial Arts and Crafts. This young man was a lazy one who liked to sit back and watch the wheels go round ‘n round (John Lennon lyrics  ), and it is rumored that he ditched a lot of his classes so it took him an unexpected 5 years to graduate. Okay, so now this man is 22 with a degree for arts and the year is 1975. He doesn’t want to just jump in and work for any company, considering that in Japan a person would most likely work for only one employer for his whole life. So for two years this young man just laid back and let destiny come to him. Then, his father remembers that his long lost friend has a company and maybe he could hire his son. Okay, flashback’s done, back to 1977. Unless you have been living in a cave and don’t know squat, you should know that this shaggy, lay back man is Shigeru Miyamoto. So they arrange to meet Hiroshi Yamauchi (the long lost friend, you fool) at Nintendo (the company the long lost friend has, fool). Hiroshi wants proof of what Shigeru can accomplish, so he tells him to come back the next day with some of his ideas. Luckily for Shigeru, he had made some little toy projects over his 2 years of “slumber”. He brought some of his best toys and showed them to Hiroshi the next day. Hiroshi was pleased and Shigeru had the privilege of being endowed with the position of Nintendo’s first ever staff artist, although there was absolutely no need for one (maybe he did it for the sake of giving his friend’s son a job). So for 3 years until 1980, Shigeru made toys here and there, but nothing big.


Due to how much I went into Shigeru Miyamoto, I didn’t tell you that in 1978 the Color TV Game 15 was released and it was followed by two other mysterious systems, which I think were probably Color TV Game systems, over which I know nothing about (if anyone could shed some light on them it would be greatly appreciated).



The Systems & Games We Know Of Today


In 1979, Gunpei noticed how much calculators were selling and was inspired to make something small, compact, and fun. So he set out to make something, and was given the help of Shigeru Miyamoto who still needed something to do that was worth his undiscovered skill. So Gunpei became Shigeru’s mentor and teacher. The hardware specialist, Gunpei, would design the systems while the artist, Shigeru, would create the games.


Anyways, Gunpei was hard at work on something inspired by calculators. Finally in 1980 he was done and, voila, the Game & Watch is born! The Game & Watch is a small, compact gaming machine that plays only one game and has the time and an alarm. Dozens and dozens of different Game & Watches were made and the ones that have good games can go up to $1000 on eBay! The Game & Watch sold in millions and Hiroshi wanted to sell it in America, thus Nintendo of America was born.