Skip to main content

Game Boy got soul

How the simple heart of Gunpei Yokoi's Game Boy has a legacy that goes beyond hardware.

"In video games," Game Boy designer Gunpei Yokoi once said, "there is always an easy way out if you don't have any good ideas."

The recent 25th anniversary of the original Game Boy's release has provided a perfect moment to celebrate the contribution of the sadly long-departed Yokoi to the world of video games, and it's also provided a perfect excuse to delve further into some of Yokoi's many brilliant ideas . Some of them are better known than others: there's the Ultra Hand, the toy tongs invented in the designer's downtime during his first job at Nintendo tending to the company's card manufacture machines, and a device whose success would lead president Hiroshi Yamauchi to give Yokoi his own R&D department. There's the Love Tester, an endearingly trashy toy created, Yokoi once said no doubt with an impudent sparkle in his eyes, to see if he could get more girls to hold his hand, and of course there's the Game & Watch, whose d-pad was at the vanguard of Nintendo's move into households across the world with the Famicom and NES.

The Lefty RX packaging. I don't own one, though I would very much like to.

But it's another slightly more obscure creation that I think sees Yokoi at his best. Developed at a time when remote-controlled cars were a high-budget object of real desire for the discerning child, the Lefty RX is, on looks alone, beautiful. The sleek body blends together the elongated, elegant lines of 70s Japanese automotive icons like the Nissan Fairlady Z and Toyota 2000GT, its squat plastic shell and rubber tires making it a joyously robust play-thing. Its master-stroke, though, is hinted at in the name: in order to keep costs low, and in order to make what was typically prohibitively expensive available to the masses, the parts were stripped back and simplified to the extent that the car could only ever turn left.

With one smart move Yokoi and Nintendo were able to undercut the competition to create a toy that was exquisite in its simplicity, and its success soon outstripped its inadequacies - when one or more Lefty RXs were pitted against each other, the fact they could only ever turn left was made redundant as they raced around in energetic circles. It's one of my favourite examples of Yokoi's oft-repeated philosophy - the idea of lateral thinking with seasoned technology - that manifested itself most famously in the Game Boy. Yokoi's handheld was poorly equipped in terms of power and fidelity when placed against its rivals the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear, yet its ability to extract 35 hours out of four AA batteries and its bold simplicity ensured it did so much more than just win out.

When Yokoi was talking about the easy way out, he was referring to the hardware war that raged around him in the mid-90s, a war that continues to be waged on new fronts today. "That's what the CPU competition and colour competition are about," he said as he was preparing the ill-fated launch of the Virtual Boy. "But there wouldn't be companies like Nintendo any more who make games in their essence. Eventually, those who're good at screen composition and CG would win, with Nintendo left with no place to stand."

It's fascinating to return to Yokoi's comments today, especially given where Nintendo now stand. The idea of lateral thinking with seasoned technologies has stayed with the company ever since Yokoi's untimely death in 1997, and has seen it through to great success with the Wii, which dared to step away from the burgeoning HD era, as well as the DS, which re-appropriated the Game & Watch's curious form factor to grand effect. It's an idea that has stuck with Nintendo since, too, though both the Wii U and 3DS suggest it's been misinterpreted in subsequent years: the technologies used in both were seasoned by the time they were appropriated, perhaps, but the simplicity which made past Nintendo devices cast in Yokoi's mould a triumph was entirely absent.

What a handsome chap! Yokoi's name sadly doesn't resonate like some others from Nintendo, but he's still regarded with reverence by the likes of Miyamoto.

So where does Yokoi's legacy lie if it's no longer to be found in Nintendo itself? It's certainly not in the numbing convergence of other contemporary consoles, even if there is a glimmer of it in the simplicity of Sony's PlayStation 4, a machine whose recent success comes down to its single-minded focus on games.

Perhaps it's in Oculus Rift, a device that - it's all too easy to forget in the heated aftermath of the Facebook buyout - was built by a teen hobbyist taping together existing and affordable technology to resurrect an old idea. Certainly the broader, grander vision that both Oculus and Sony has for VR puts me to mind of Yokoi's final ambitions, noted down in the book Gunpei Yokoi's Game House before he ever got a chance to realise them. "I want to try to create something new, by reconciling the world of real things with my world of play," he said. "I want to think about how to bring the fun of games into real-world situations. Call it lateral thinking with seasoned video games!"

Within that slight evolution of his well-known philosophy is, I think, where Yokoi's legacy now lies - in games that take on old, often faded ideas and take them to new and exciting places. You see it in the monochrome pixel-art of a game like Canabalt - whose pared-back control scheme seemed as counter-intuitive to traditional games in 2009 as a remote-control car that could only turn left - and its elegant extension of well-worn mechanics. You see it, too, in the endless caverns of Spelunky carved from Nintendo rock, or in the stocky 16-bit action of Vlambeer's games. It's there in Towerfall's brilliant retooling of Bomberman and Smash Bros, as it is in the heart-wrenching place To The Moon pushes its SNES aesthetic.

It's there, in fact, any where you might look where people have realised that power is always trumped by invention. And perhaps that's the greatest gift that Gunpei Yokoi - and the Game Boy - has given us: a generation of developers full of ideas, and ones who aren't necessarily looking for the easy way out.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com