{"id":117717,"date":"2020-09-08T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2020\/09\/feature_how_nintendos_game_and_watch_took_withered_technology_and_turned_it_into_a_million-seller"},"modified":"2020-09-08T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T13:00:00","slug":"feature-how-nintendos-game-watch-took-withered-technology-and-turned-it-into-a-million-seller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/09\/08\/feature-how-nintendos-game-watch-took-withered-technology-and-turned-it-into-a-million-seller\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: How Nintendo’s Game & Watch Took “Withered Technology” And Turned It Into A Million-Seller"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Andy Cole<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Nintendo is celebrating Mario’s 35th birthday with a wide range of products, one of which is a brand-new Game & Watch<\/a> handheld based on the iconic LCD range from the ’80s. We thought you might like to revisit this legacy feature \u2013 originally published back in 2010 \u2013 to get yourselves excited for the launch of this swanky new portable. Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n

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When you look back on the history of video games, it\u2019s not uncommon to discover amusing anecdotes regarding defining moments in the industry. For example, rumour has it that Namco\u2019s Pac-Man<\/a><\/strong> was conceived when creator Toru Iwatani glanced at a pizza with one slice missing, and there\u2019s an equally famous tale that claims Nintendo\u2019s renowned Mario was named after the landlord of the company\u2019s US offices<\/a>, who happened to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Italian plumber. Whether or not stories such as these are actually true is a moot point, but it\u2019s impossible to deny that they lend our hobby a sense of wonderment and it\u2019s remarkable to think that such incredibly popular ideas can be born from such humble beginnings.<\/p>\n

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Yokoi was tragically killed in a roadside incident in 1997, and although he would gain worldwide fame and adoration as the creator of the Game Boy, many view his earlier LCD legacy with the most fondness<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The genesis of Nintendo\u2019s Game & Watch series is recounted in an equally whimsical tale. According to legend, Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi<\/a> came up with the concept after observing a bored Japanese salaryman absent-mindedly poking at the buttons of his pocket calculator whilst travelling to work. This seemingly innocuous encounter ultimately gave birth to portable video gaming as we know it today. Yokoi was tragically killed in a roadside incident in 1997, and although he would gain worldwide fame and adoration as the creator of the Game Boy, many view his earlier LCD legacy with the most fondness.<\/p>\n

Yokoi started working at Nintendo in 1965, assuming the modest role of an assembly line engineer. The Nintendo of that era was a very different beast to the one that we know today; the main focus of its business was \u2018hanafuda\u2019 playing cards. According to yet another of those irresistible yarns, Yokoi created an extendable arm in order to amuse himself during the long working hours and this device happened to catch the eye of company president Hiroshi Yamauchi<\/a>, who was inspecting the factory at the time.<\/p>\n

Yamauchi was on the lookout for a product that could turn around Nintendo\u2019s fortunes; the playing card market had slumped badly in the mid-’60s and the president had tried all manner of different tactics to turn a profit. The rechristened \u2018Ultra Hand\u2019 proved to be a runaway success, shifting more than 1.2 million units worldwide and would prove to be the first in a long line of popular toys to spring from the mind of Nintendo\u2019s new star employee.<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Andy Cole<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Towards the end of the \u201870s, Nintendo started to disregard toys in favour of video games and it was during this time that Yokoi had his aforementioned chance encounter with the bored businessman and his calculator. It was ideal timing; LCD technology was cheap and video games were big business; fusing the two made sense. However, up to this point, quality gaming was restricted to either the arcade or the home. Although several companies had already produced portable games, they were usually rudimentary LED-based units with uninspiring gameplay and were too bulky to be deemed truly mobile. Yokoi watched the efforts of companies like Mattel and Tomy with interest; he had his own ideas for the portable gaming industry.<\/p>\n

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At the time of the invention of the Game & Watch, LCD technology was everywhere. It was a well-understood process and because prices for individual components had dropped so much, integrating LCD into a product was relatively inexpensive<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It was during the development of the Game & Watch that Yokoi laid down principles of hardware design that would echo through Nintendo\u2019s history right up to the present day, dubbing it “Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology” (there is some debate as to whether or not he meant ‘Weathered” or “Withered”, but the meaning is largely the same). Freelance journalist and all-round Yokoi admirer Lara Crigger explains: \u201cEssentially, Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology boils down to using mature technology in novel or radical applications. At the time of the invention of the Game & Watch, LCD technology was everywhere. It was a well-understood process and because prices for individual components had dropped so much, integrating LCD into a product was relatively inexpensive. Some people at Nintendo wanted to use fancier technology in the Game & Watch, technology that would have reduced battery life and raised costs, but Yokoi insisted that affordability was key and that the player cared more about fun gameplay over flashy technology.\u201d Yokoi would later apply this philosophy to the production of the Game Boy, and Nintendo has taken a similar stance with subsequent systems, such as the Nintendo DS, Wii and Switch.<\/p>\n

Yokoi faced a tricky conundrum when it came to deciding upon the best interface for his new product. He quickly decided that a conventional joystick would impede on the Game & Watch\u2019s portability, so he began looking for solutions that would take up less space. Many of the early machines simply possessed a couple of buttons with which to control the game, usually corresponding to simple actions such as moving left and right or jumping, but 1982\u2019s Donkey Kong<\/strong> changed all that. It featured what we now know as the ‘D-pad’, or ‘directional pad’.<\/p>\n

This was a development of truly seismic proportions, as Crigger acknowledges: \u201cThe entire portable games industry wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the invention of the D-pad. It was that first, necessary invention that made all portable gaming devices possible. It comes down to basic ergonomics; the D-pad eliminates the need for a joystick, thus streamlining the controller interface and facilitating portability. A controller with a D-pad simply takes up less physical space.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Andy Cole<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

There was also an element of convergence with this new range of handhelds. Although it seems like a trifling addition in today\u2019s technologically advanced world, the inclusion of a digital clock in each game (thus giving rise to the name \u2018Game & Watch\u2019) was a major selling point back in the early \u201880s. Although LCD watches were commonly available, they were outside the reach of most children, so the Game & Watch was a useful device as well as a source of entertainment. A handy alarm feature was also available in units produced from 1981 onwards \u2013 possibly to wake up the owner after a particularly heavy night of LCD-gaming.<\/p>\n

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There was little room for design screw-ups. If the game mechanic wasn’t simple enough, or addictive enough, then the game failed. It couldn’t hide behind flashy FMVs or intricate story-lines. It was just the player and the mechanic, and that’s it<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Arguably the most vital piece of the hardware puzzle was the choice of power source that would bring these tiny games to life. Yokoi opted for \u2018button cell\u2019 batteries, previously seen in digital watches and calculators. Not only were these cheap to replace, they were also small and therefore fitted snugly within the machines without breaking the sleek, straight lines of the casing or adding any additional weight that might hinder portability. Yokoi\u2019s desire to ensure his products would be inexpensive to run and not require a constant supply of fresh batteries played a vital part in ensuring the success of the range \u2013 a fact he was sure to remember when he came to create the Game Boy almost a decade later.<\/p>\n

But there was much more to the appeal of the Game & Watch range than just mere interface design and long-lasting power. Because LCD technology granted the developers a very limited amount of on-screen real estate in which to place their action-packed gaming experiences, the games themselves tended to be extremely focused. \u201cThere was little room for design screw-ups,\u201d says Crigger. \u201cIf the game mechanic wasn’t simple enough, or addictive enough, then the game failed. It couldn’t hide behind flashy FMVs or intricate story-lines. It was just the player and the mechanic, and that’s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experiences offered by the Game & Watch may seem primitive by today\u2019s standards, but that very same simplicity was a major factor in the ultimate success of the lineage and it\u2019s a testament to the concept that the games are still eminently playable even today. \u201cThey\u2019re appealing for the very same reason that Tetris will never really die: Simplicity is addictive,\u201d comments Crigger. \u201cPeople love activities that are easy to learn, but hard to master.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Andy Cole<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The first Game & Watch title was the simplistic Ball<\/strong>. Released in 1980, this endearingly basic game showed only faint glimmers of the kind of depth later Game & Watch titles would possess; the screen was completely blank, the gameplay was unsophisticated and the LCD characters somewhat crude \u2013 clearly a case of the developer finding its feet with new technology. Sales weren\u2019t astonishing but the game seemed to strike a chord with consumers and this was enough to persuade Nintendo that it was worth creating further titles.<\/p>\n

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Sales weren\u2019t astonishing but the game seemed to strike a chord with consumers and this was enough to persuade Nintendo that it was worth creating further titles<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ball marked the first release of the \u2018Silver\u2019 series of Game & Watch titles, so-called because of the colour of the metallic faceplate. The next step was the \u2018Gold\u2019 series, which was fundamentally the same machine but with a different faceplate and a smattering of static colour on-screen to make the games seem a little more vibrant. This range spawned a mere three titles before it was superseded by the \u2018Wide Screen\u2019 variant in mid-1981. As the name suggests, the display was a whopping 30 percent larger than the one seen in the Silver and Gold range.<\/p>\n

The limitations of the LCD display meant that Nintendo was always looking for ways to innovate, and the next logical step was to add another screen to double the amount of gameplay each title could potentially offer. The Multi-Screen series kicked off with Oil Panic<\/strong> in 1982, but it was the release of Donkey Kong that really cemented the success of the range. Easily the biggest selling of all the Game & Watch titles up to that point, Donkey Kong was a startlingly faithful representation of the arcade smash hit. Iconic in design, the Multi-Screen range would go on to be a major influence in the creation of the Nintendo DS.<\/p>\n

Released in 1983, the Tabletop series was something of a departure for the norm. It sacrificed portability for more impressive colour visuals and ran off bulky \u2018C\u2019 batteries. Sales of this machine were steady but nowhere near as impressive as its Wide Screen and Multi-Screen cousins, and therefore only four Tabletop titles were ever produced: Donkey Kong Jr., Mario’s Cement Factory, Snoopy<\/strong> and Popeye<\/strong>. A refinement of the technology resulted in the more mobile Panorama series a few months later, which used a foldout mirror to enhance the Vacuum Fluorescent Display.<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Nintendo Life<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Nintendo\u2019s seemingly insatiable desire for colour gaming culminated in 1984\u2019s ill-advised Supercolor range, which was in fact just a standard LCD display with a colour overlay. Only two games were ever produced \u2013 Spitball Sparky<\/strong> and Crab Grab<\/strong> \u2013 making this the least successful entry in the Game & Watch canon. Sensing that gaming was also a social pastime, Nintendo decided to publish the Micro VS series in the same year, which offered simultaneous two-player action thanks to a pair of small detachable controllers \u2013 a feature which calls to mind the Joy-Con on the Switch, which would arrive many years later. Punch Out, Donkey Kong 3<\/strong> and Donkey Kong Hockey<\/strong> were the three titles in this range.<\/p>\n

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It was ultimately Yokoi himself that would deal the deathblow to his beloved pocket-sized offspring. Zelda<\/strong>, the penultimate release in the range, hit the shelves 1989 \u2013 the same year as Yokoi\u2019s newest pet project: the Game Boy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Also in 1984, the final hardware revision was released in the shape of the legendary Crystal Screen machines. These were more traditional games in keeping with the Wide Screen style, but they possessed a transparent LCD display. Sadly these screens were highly susceptible to damage. Marketed as a luxury item, the range didn\u2019t quite achieve the same kind of fame as the more traditional Wide Screen games, which by this point had been re-launched under the snappy title of \u2018New Wide Screen\u2019.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s strange to think it now, Nintendo didn\u2019t really command much of a presence outside of Japan at the time, so the worldwide distribution of early Game & Watch machines was handled by other companies. These included Mega (USA), CGL (UK), Ji21 (France), Videopoche (Belgium) and Futuretronics (Australia). Many of these firms would re-package the devices and in some cases remove the Nintendo logo altogether, replacing it with their own.<\/p>\n

By the mid-’80s Nintendo had released the NES home console and the Game & Watch range took a backseat role. As the decade drew to a close the seemingly vast reserves of innovation began to run dry, but it was ultimately Yokoi himself that would deal the deathblow to his beloved pocket-sized offspring. Zelda<\/strong>, the penultimate release in the range, hit the shelves 1989 \u2013 the same year as Yokoi\u2019s newest pet project: the Game Boy. It was instantly obvious that the writing was on the wall for the video game and clock combo. The very last entry in the series was a loving homage to the game that started it all \u2013 1991\u2019s Mario the Juggler<\/strong> recycled the gameplay from Ball but showcased gorgeous screen artwork. It was the end of an era, but with the new-fangled Nintendo wooing gamers the world over, few seemed to mourn its passing.<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Andy Cole<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Given the durable nature of the Game & Watch range, the appealing design of the casing and the desirable Nintendo branding, it\u2019s little surprise that a truly hardcore collecting scene has risen up over the past few years. The reasons for this differ depending on which collector you happen to speak with. \u201cFor most of today\u2019s collectors, it\u2019s simply nostalgia,\u201d comments British Game & Watch fanatic Andy Cole. \u201cPeople now find themselves with the resources to buy the games they lusted after in their childhood, which their meagre pocket money couldn\u2019t buy them.\u201d Others do it more for the love of the brand, such as Dutch collector Martin Van Spanje: \u201cI have always loved Nintendo games and the Game & Watch series are basically where it all started for that company. I want to see them all, and find out how Nintendo made progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As can be seen by the number appearing in auctions and in collections, they are still going strong, thanks mostly to their extremely simple electronics<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Whatever the reason, amassing all 60 of these unique devices isn\u2019t an easy (or cheap) task. \u201cEven though many of the games can be found for a fiver, you need lots of cash if you want all 60 of them,\u201d explains Van Spanje. \u201cI don’t collect mint condition games and I don’t care about the packaging and user manuals. If you want all of that as well, you need to at least double your piggy bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, boxed specimens in pristine condition can fetch prices well into triple-figures and the elusive \u201860th\u2019 game \u2013 a special edition of Super Mario Bros. produced in 1987 \u2013 is incredibly hard to locate. \u201cThis is the holy grail of Game & Watches and remained almost completely unknown in collector\u2019s circles for over a decade,\u201d explains Cole. \u201cIt was produced as a prize for a competition for owners of a NES F1 racing game. 10,000 were given away in Japan only, making this by far the rarest Game & Watch title. Only in the early 21st century, when collectors in Japan spread the word, did this game become widely recognised. Because of its rarity, its value is higher than that of any other game in the range \u2013 expect to pay about \u00a3300 pounds just for an unboxed specimen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another aspect that makes the range so appealing today is the durability of the games themselves. \u201cAs can be seen by the number appearing in auctions and in collections, they are still going strong, thanks mostly to their extremely simple electronics,\u201d comments Cole. \u201cThey are probably more reliable than a games console of today.\u201d Van Spanje expands on this: \u201cThe games were intended for kids and fit inside your pocket. If you keep them safe, they will last forever even if you play them regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Nintendo<\/a>\u00a9 Nintendo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Has our intrepid gang of Game & Watch experts got any advice for prospective collectors? \u201cA potential collector should first set a target,\u201d advises expert Mike Panayiotakis. \u201cThere are many things to collect and buying everything isn\u2019t an option unless you have unlimited money. Do you wish to collect boxed games? Do you wish to get special versions of the games? Do you wish to get all 60 games? You need to focus on specific items and create a list of things you wish to collect.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In the last few months, we\u2019ve seen a lot of counterfeit items appearing. It\u2019s mostly boxes and instructions \u2013 having a box, especially one in good condition, adds greatly to a game’s value<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Cole gives similar guidance: \u201cThe answer I always give to this question is to go slowly, as it\u2019s possible to get a complete collection of every title can be done in as little as a month or two if you have the money, but where\u2019s the fun in that? Decide on a goal before you start; for example, decide if you want loose or boxed games, special or regular editions, then stick to your goal and be patient to wait for the right games to come along. My collection took me about five years to complete but I got some extremely good bargains and that is more satisfying than blowing a few grand all in one go.\u201d<\/p>\n

As is the case when any product becomes valuable, the Game & Watch market is highly susceptible to fakes. \u201cIn the last few months, we\u2019ve seen a lot of counterfeit items appearing,\u201d reveals Cole. \u201cIt\u2019s mostly boxes and instructions \u2013 having a box, especially one in good condition, adds greatly to a game’s value.\u201d These high-quality reproductions of original packaging have caused a serious headache for dedicated collectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost collectors look for mint items and have paid great amounts of money to acquire them,\u201d explains Panayiotakis. \u201cFinding original Game & Watch boxes intact isn\u2019t an easy task, but if someone starting selling perfect counterfeit boxes or games, your collection would be instantly worth one-twentieth of what you had paid for it because the market would be flooded with perfect items.\u201d However, at this stage, the problem is isolated to boxes and instructions. \u201cTo my knowledge, nobody has been able to produce a fake game successfully \u2013 yet,\u201d says Cole. If fake machines were to appear, Panayiotakis is in no doubt as to what effect it would have on the collecting community. \u201cPerfect counterfeit items would make the task of collecting authentic games very difficult,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think there would be any point in collecting the games after that, if such an event ever occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This feature originally appeared in its entirety in Retro Gamer magazine<\/a> and is reproduced here with kind permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

Special thanks to Andy Cole for providing exclusive hardware photography.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 Andy Cole Nintendo is celebrating Mario’s 35th birthday with a wide range of products, one of which is a brand-new Game & Watch handheld based on the iconic LCD range from the ’80s. We thought you might like to revisit this legacy feature \u2013 originally published back in 2010 \u2013 to get yourselves excited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117717\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}