The above video comes courtesy of Gametrailers.com and provides an in-depth look back at one Mr. Gunpei Yokoi, the man behind the most successful handheld of all time, the Nintendo Game Boy.
While the narrator seems to be a hired plant from the National Association for the Promotion of Narcolepsy, the information contained in the twelve minute video is extremely englightening. It chronicles Mr. Gunpei's inventions from the Kegel-esque Love Tester to the rudimentary Game & Watch titles, and while it stops short of covering his Game Boy or Virtual Boy excursions, the titles covered provide the basis for everything to come after them, and as such make this video an interesting look back at things that only the most hardcore Nintendophile would know.
Of course, above and beyond all the enlightenment contained in learning about a man whose invented more useful gaming ideas than anyone currently living, the video also makes you glad to live in the present. Aside from curiosity over how that Love Tester thing actually functions, the video served only to make me happy that everything I play now is in 24-bit color with more polygons than there are unwed mothers in Southern California. Nostalgia is fun, but innovation is the true mother of entertainment.
Those are pretty sweet though compared to the crappy lcd games that were out in the late eighties and early nineties when I was growing up. All that I can remember was crappy baseball games and the same old car games and I guess there were a few fighting games. But these all looked sort of fun if not similar variations of the same type of gameplay. Are there any of these little things floating around for sale?
Ooo, do they mention the extendable grabby hand he made that cameos in the original Warioware? I can't watch the vid on my Wii.
After he was "asked" to resign from Nintendo following the Virtual Boy, he designed the Wonderswan. Then he died in a car wreck in 1996 I believe :( I read about it in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power, in the letters section of all places.
He was basically demoted and put in an area and given work that didn't mean anything, none of his work would mean a damn thing, it just designed to get him out of the way.
Seems to be some sort of tradition in Japan to do this, no matter what you did before, tradition be damned in my eyes, Yokoi didn't deserve that and I have never forgiven Nintendo because of it.
And he died trying to help people in an accident, he go out to see what he could do and a speeding car slammed in him :(
Japan is a different culture. If you mess up, it's a stain on your honour, your family and your clan, which in Japan means your company, since when you get hired by a Japanese company, it's usually a lifetime position.
Of course, he couldn't commit ritual suicide, so he got shitty work instead.
I didn't know he invented the extendo boxing glove, but it doesn't surprise me. He also designed the Game Boy Color before leaving Nintendo.
Yeah, I thought that was pretty shitty of them. And the only mention in Nintendo Power of his death was a letter from a fan. I didn't even know who he was until I read that letter.
This was pretty fascinating to watch, very well done. I thought his voice sounded fine for the direction of the piece, he's not a professional voice actor but he certainly did his homework and for that he deserves some credit.
As someone who knows a lot about the history of Nintendo, I hadn't heard enough information about Gunpei other than the fact that he created the Game Boy before watching this. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.
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Contest:
11:23 PM on 08.16.2007
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After he was "asked" to resign from Nintendo following the Virtual Boy, he designed the Wonderswan. Then he died in a car wreck in 1996 I believe :( I read about it in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power, in the letters section of all places.
He was basically demoted and put in an area and given work that didn't mean anything, none of his work would mean a damn thing, it just designed to get him out of the way.
Seems to be some sort of tradition in Japan to do this, no matter what you did before, tradition be damned in my eyes, Yokoi didn't deserve that and I have never forgiven Nintendo because of it.
And he died trying to help people in an accident, he go out to see what he could do and a speeding car slammed in him :(
Ok...I lie.
Of course, he couldn't commit ritual suicide, so he got shitty work instead.
I didn't know he invented the extendo boxing glove, but it doesn't surprise me. He also designed the Game Boy Color before leaving Nintendo.
Yeah, I thought that was pretty shitty of them. And the only mention in Nintendo Power of his death was a letter from a fan. I didn't even know who he was until I read that letter.
As someone who knows a lot about the history of Nintendo, I hadn't heard enough information about Gunpei other than the fact that he created the Game Boy before watching this. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.
I also dug the LTJ Bukem on the soundtrack...
Literally, I clicked comments and it started to open the D'toid page then redirected me.
Ad pwng.
It's not my comp. I know what you're thinking.
He created Kid Icarus and I bet he worked real tight with Miyamoto in the early days...
anyway I like this rock video homage to him better...
Bring Back the Eggplant Wizard (song for Gunpei Yokoi)