The 20th birthday of Game Boy after it was first released in Japan,was celebrated last Tuesday. Now, I have noticed that kids today knows very little about Game Boy. Being a 22 year old Gamer, back then, it is my world, a day without it is a day in hell. I still remember how me and my Cousin take turns with “MY” Game Boy all day when we’re on a vacation at our grandparents house every summer. It taught me how to share something that you love selfishly just to make sure that you’ll not be grounded tomorrow.
The Game Boy was created by Gunpei Yokoi, a Nintendo employee who had moved up in the ranks from being a janitor to working on product development. It was originally a simple device with a monochrome screen, four buttons (A, B, Start, Select), and a four-way directional pad. But over the years, Nintendo transformed that simple handheld into a full-featured gaming platform, complete with a color screen and outstanding titles.
Ah, the good old days with the Game Boy.
Over 118.69 million units were sold (including Game Boy Color versions) around the world. And millions more were sold in future iterations. That simple mobile device transformed the industry. It became one of the world’s most celebrated video game platforms.
But instead of getting into the full history of the Game Boy, I think it’s important that we explore exactly how it achieved that success.
The Game Boy was, quite simply, the best handheld ever released, and for one big reason: simplicity. Unlike competitors like Atari’s Lynx, which was nearly twice the size and the cost of the original Game Boy, Nintendo gave users what they wanted: a simple video game experience that kept them entertained.
When the Game Boy was first released, the video game industry was much different. There were fewer developers, less growth, and some doubt about the viability of video games in the consumer market. The Game Boy changed all that and became a significant contributing factor to the success the industry enjoys today.
And that’s why we loved the Game Boy. It rebuffed the wisdom of the day and brought gaming back to its basic goal: fun.[via cnet]
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