Game Market 1983

Chapter 7: MinTendo, the Toy Company

For the past month, I've been living in Japan like a tourist, taking in the sights of Tokyo. The city's landscape bore a striking resemblance to Seoul in the 1990s. It made sense considering that Japan was often a decade ahead of South Korea in terms of trends back then.

"Hmm, it's still a bit boring without a cell phone," I muttered to myself as I savored an ice cream cone.

Come to think of it, it wasn't the Heisei era but the Showa era now. It felt completely different when I thought about it that way. I reached Akihabara Station while nibbling on my ice cream.

The place lacked the otaku culture that would later thrive in this area. There were no maid cafes or cosplayers to be found. When I had visited Akihabara in 2013, it was a bustling, chaotic place filled with posters of video game and anime characters on the buildings. Stores selling video games and manga were everywhere. But now, it was just a pure electronics market, with personal computers and small radios on display. Even the Walkman, with its cassette tapes, had a tiny presence.

"Isn't there a Family release event today? I'm pretty sure I heard that."

As I strolled through the crowded streets of Akihabara on a weekend, I observed the surroundings. Since the gaming industry hadn't taken off yet, there were no specialty game stores like you'd find in the 2000s. Maybe I should just open a game store myself? It didn't sound like a bad idea.

But wait, if I came all the way here from MinTendo to fetch some items, would the old man at the game store think I'm crazy?

In hindsight, I wondered if the old man I met was a "god-like" figure. Perhaps he was here to resurrect the faltering gaming industry. With my knowledge of future trends, I could gift users with even more amazing games in the far-off year of 2015. But what should I do now to make that happen? I reached for my Game & Watch to gather information about the Family's release.

MinTendo's Family, released on July 15, 1983. -

"Today is the day!"

I flipped through the pages on my handheld while enjoying my ice cream. Suddenly, a strange beat reached my ears.

"Huh? Just now..."

Boing... Boing... I found it! I quickly disposed of my ice cream in a nearby trash can and hurried toward the source of the sound. It was coming from the location where the game trading company SoftMap would eventually set up shop. At the moment, it was just a row of small stores, but by the late 1990s, it would be a place filled with towering buildings. And there, I encountered a great gaming console that would follow in Atari's footsteps to conquer the 1980s.

One minor hiccup, though – I had no idea that this groundbreaking gaming console's first sales point was a street stall.

"Irrashaimase! Irrashaimase!"

Clearly, the staff promoting the product were not professionals but rather MinTendo headquarters employees, dressed in white shirts. Surprisingly, the audience's response was lukewarm. I expected a bit more enthusiasm for MinTendo, the company that would later sell nearly 70 million units worldwide. The impact of the Atari Shock on the gaming industry's collapse was immense. Initially, when Atari introduced an open-source tool allowing anyone to create games, it was well-received. But it didn't take long for a flood of low-quality, profit-focused games to saturate the market, and gamers quickly lost interest. Little did I know that the aftermath of this event would reach Japan so swiftly.

"Welcome! Welcome! This is MinTendo's next-generation 8-bit game console, the Family, developed entirely by us. Everyone, give it a try!"

I approached one of the temple barkers and smiled as I inquired. In front of me was a somewhat crude-looking Family unit with a mixture of red and white.

"Is it selling well?"

The salesman replied, "Well, we haven't sold a single one yet."

"Really? How much is it?"

"It's 14,800 yen."

I couldn't help but chuckle. The word "8-bit" was almost amusing to me. I accepted the controller they handed me. Oh, but the cable was way too short! In the 2010s, console controllers had Bluetooth wireless functionality, allowing you to sit comfortably on your couch and play games. But the early models of the Family were designed with a 1P and 2P controller permanently attached to the game console. You had no choice but to sit right in front of the CRT TV to enjoy your games.

Who on earth designed it like this? I couldn't fathom the rationale behind such a structure. But at the time, MinTendo likely didn't even realize the monster they had created – a machine that would eventually sell nearly 70 million units worldwide. This console was initially created as a way to capitalize on the success of the Game & Watch. MinTendo hadn't set high expectations for it. The Family was still struggling to gain traction in its early days.

The Family launched with three games, including Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. It was a time when Japan's third-party game development companies, such as NEGA and CAMCO, existed, but they mainly focused on creating arcade game boards. A home console like the Family wasn't receiving much attention.

"How many have you sold so far?"

The salesman hesitated. "Well, so far, we haven't sold a single one."

It's expensive, 14,800 yen in 1983... But I guess it's natural to pay such a high price for an untested first-generation console. I took a seat in front of the small television displayed outdoors. As I did, passersby started glancing at me curiously.

"Could you start Donkey Kong for me?"

"Of course," the employee said.

He opened the cartridge slot cover, inserted the black cartridge, and turned on the power. The screen came to life with the sounds of "Bap-bap-bap-bam" and "Bing-bam." Below, an Italian plumber named Mario, sporting a red cap, was climbing a hill, holding a giant hammer.

The game involved avoiding the barrels thrown by Donkey Kong or smashing them with the hammer while climbing to the top to defeat Donkey Kong. I grinned and maneuvered Mario left and right, attempting jumps. As I cleared each stage, people around me couldn't help but express their amazement.

"Wow..."

Boing-boing. Doo-yong, doo-yong. The sound effects of Mario's jumps brought a satisfying smile to my face.

"Wow!"

Easily clearing the first stage, I was approached by the MinTendo employee, who cocked his head and asked, "You're really good at this, aren't you?"

"Maybe because I've spent a lot of time at game centers. I'll take Donkey Kong and also Pac-Man along with the Family, please."

"Our first customer to purchase the MinTendo Family. Thank you!"

To think that I'd become the first purchaser of this legendary gaming console – it was a strange feeling. Then, one of the employees approached with a camera.

"Would it be okay to take a picture?"

A historic commemorative photo? Not a bad idea. But then, a little voice behind me chimed in.

"Mom, can you buy me that too?"

"No, Takashi. We promised to just take a quick look, remember?"

"But I can definitely beat him in this game!"

Oh, the kid's quite confident, isn't he? I smiled and asked the child, "Hey, what's your name?"

"I'm Takashi Toshiyuki."

Takashi Toshiyuki... It sounded oddly familiar. I took out my Game & Watch and checked for information about this Toshiyuki. Ah, I see, could this kid be the first-ever professional gamer to be known as "Takashi" in the future? The speedrun master in the game "Wonder Boy" released in 1994. I watched the child closely and asked, "Do you like games?"

"Yes! I love them!"

"Is that so? Well, I have a gift for you. Could you please give him one of these as well?"

Takashi's mother looked surprised and tried to stop me, saying, "You really don't have to..."

"It's okay. I'm doing it because I want to. Please accept it."

I handed Takashi one of the game consoles brought by the MinTendo employee and ruffled his hair.

"Enjoy it."

"Thanks, mister. I'm really, really grateful!"

"Uh, about the customer photo..."

"Just take a photo of me with this kid. There may come a time when MinTendo is even more thankful to him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just keep it in mind. You'll understand one day."

On that day, I returned to my hotel with a few more Game & Watch items from MinTendo's booth. In one corner of the morning newspaper provided by the hotel the next day, there was a small photo of Takashi, beaming, holding the Family box in his hands.

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