For the next month, I lived like a tourist visiting Japan. Tokyo's landscape looked a lot like Seoul in the 1990s. Well, at the time, the trend was 10 years ahead of our country, so it's not surprising that we feel the same.
"Hmm! I'm bored that I don't have a cell phone."
Oh, by the way, Japan is not a Haysei, it's a show and an era... It feels very different to think of it that way. I arrived at Akihabara Station with a bite of ice cream for sale on the street.
Before Otaku culture began, Akihabara felt a strange heterogeneity in pure e-commerce with no maid cafe or cosplay. Wherever she visited in 2013, Akihabara was filled with game posters and animated characters, and every few steps, shoppers selling games or comic books were busy, now just PC-related products (also personal computers).) or a small radio. (It was the size of a head) And there was a walkman the size of a fist with tape in it.
"Is the family launch event ready yet? I knew it was today. "
I walked around Akihabara on a crowded weekend. The game content business was not yet active, so it was unlikely to find a professional gaming store like in the 2000 's. Why don't we just set up a game store? I don't think that's bad either.
No? If you came all the way out here to sell your stuff from Mintendo, what would the old man think of me?
Now that I think about it, isn't the old man I met a god? I thought about it. To help rebuild the collapsing gaming industry... if I'm reading all the trends about the future, can I give the users a better game in 2015 that will be welcomed in the distant future?
What do I do now to do that? I first took out the game & watch to get information about the family issue.
- Mintendosa's family, released July 15, 1983...
"Today's the day."
I was eating ice cream flipping the page with my fingers, and there was a strange beat somewhere.
"Huh? Did you just...? "
Phew... I found it! I hurried the ice cream into the trash. The direction in which the sound was heard was far from where Softmab, a second-hand gaming trading company, would enter. Small shops line up now, but the buildings line up in the late '90s. And that's where I met Atari's next great game machine for wrinkling in the 1980s.
If there's one thing that breaks... I didn't know the first game console was a street stall.
"Ira Shaimase! Ira Shaimase!"
Rather than being a professional salesperson, Mintendo's corporate staff was rolling up their shirts and promoting them. However, in contrast to their enthusiasm, the public's reaction was tremendously slow. But I thought mintendo, who released the game & watch, would start a fire from the very beginning, but this is exactly the opposite of what I expected...
The collapse of the gaming industry left Atari in shock was enormous. Of course, when Atarisa initially created a market where anyone could freely create games with open source tools, the user's reaction quickly subsided as unfinished games poured into the marketplace, targeting only the interests in front of them. But I never thought that aftermath would reach Japan so quickly across the Pacific.
"Welcome! This is the next generation of 8-bit gaming machines from our very own Mintendosa. Enjoy it all!"
I approached the temple in front of an advocate on the throne and smiled and asked. Of course, in front of me was a rather crude family of designs mixed with red and white.
"Are they selling a lot? "
"Yes? Welcome, sir. Would you like to play it? This is our new 8-bit game machine from Mintendo. "
Why is the word eight bits so funny? I accepted the controller the employee handed over. Whoops, the controller line is too short!! In 2015, the console was powered by Bluetooth wireless, so it was easy to sit on the couch and play games from afar, but the initial family model was forced to combine 1P and 2P controllers into the game console. Ultimately, it was designed to make gaming a reality in front of the Brown Tube TV.
I really don't understand what kind of maniac built this. At this point, they wouldn't have realized it was a monster machine that was going to be sold to close to 70 million people around the world. It's a home console made of profit simply because the game & watch is in play, so the initial expectations were not high even in Mintendo.
The family was launched with a total of three games, including Popeye and two series of Dongking Com. There were many third-party gaming companies that made games in Japan, such as NEGA and CAMCO, but this was a time when families, the newest gaming machines, were all producing substrates for the arcade market.
"How many have you sold so far? "
"Oh, well, not yet."
Huh! It's almost 1: 00 in the afternoon and you haven't sold any yet?
"How much is this now? "
"Yes. 14,800 yen. "
Expensive. 14,800 yen in 1983... But Sally can't pay enough for an unverified first-generation console. I first sat outside in front of a little television set. Then people passing by started staring at me.
"Can you turn on the comic book, please? "
"Yes, I understand. "
The employee opened the lid of the cartridge insert, plugged in the black cartridge, and powered up. Pico Pico. At the bottom of the screen, the Italian woman in the red hat was climbing up the hill with a giant sledgehammer.
The game is over by avoiding the wooden barrels thrown from above or smashing them with a hammer and climbing to the top and defeating them. I tried to jump by moving Maridge from side to side with a glancing smile. Every time I passed the log, elasticity poured out of the mouths of those around me.
"Oh..."
A happy smile was heard from the sound of the sound of the jump from band to band.
"Ooooo!! "
After easily completing the first stage, the Mintendo staff tilted their heads and asked me.
"You're very good. "
"I've been in the game center a lot, so I just got used to it. I'll buy Popeye and Dongkingcomb with my family. "
"The first customer of our mintendo family. Thank you!! "
I'm the first customer to buy this legendary gaming machine... How strange. Then an employee picked up the camera and asked me.
"Hey, do you mind if I take a picture? "
It's a historic photograph! Not bad! Then I heard a little voice behind my back.
"Mom!! I want that too!!! "
"No. Takashi, you promised your mom you'd watch for a while. "
"Still... I can do better than that brother!! "
What? The kid's got balls. I smiled bloody and asked the child.
"Kid, what's your name? "
"Takashi Toshiyuki. "
Takashira Toshiyuki... Where did you hear that? I took out the game & watch for a moment and looked at the information of a man named Toshiyuki. Ah! I see. Is this the first pro-gamer to be called the Takashi Muse in the future? Super player to become the master of Speed Clear in the Wonder Boy game released in 1994. I looked at him casually and asked.
"Do you like games? "
"Yes!! I love it!! "
"Really? Then I'll give it to you. Give me another one of those kids, too. "
Then Takashi's mother surprised me and tried to stop me.
"You don't have to do that."
"It's okay. I like it. It's okay. Take it."
I stroked my head, handing Takashi one of the game machines that the Mintendo staff brought.
"Have fun. "
"Thank you, brother. Thank you so much! "
"Hey, what about your picture? "
"Take a picture of your first purchase with her. Later on, there will be more gratitude for this child in Mintendo. "
"Yes? I don't know what you mean."
"Just know that it's going to happen. "
I bought a few more games & watches from the stands in Mintendo that day and returned to the hotel where I stayed. On the corner of the morning newspaper from the hotel the next day, Takashi had a small picture of him smiling brightly with a family box in his hand.
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A few days after the family launch, I was preparing to board Shinkansen on my way to Kyoto. There were several kinds of games & watches in my heavy bag.
"You've still got about half an hour."
Glug... I skipped breakfast to catch up on the train time.I was starving because of work in 2015. Is it a habit for me to eat breakfast at a hotel since I came here? It may seem like a luxury to stay in a hotel for over a month, but it's 1983 now. All prices were significantly lower, and the 4-star hotel I was staying in compared to 2015 was cheaper than the cost of a motel.
"Still, if we're going to Kyoto, we're going to have to find a house. It's annoying to leave the hotel."
I had already booked a hotel in Kyoto, so I was walking around Tokyo station feeling busy. At that time, I smelled a delicious smell that irritated my nose. Turning your head, you see a row of restaurants selling lunch boxes on one side of the street.
'By the way, Shinkansen can eat a lunch inside. All right, well, I guess I'll just have to buy a lunch while I have time. '
When I finished my thought, I slowly walked to the restaurant. Through the economic revitalization of the 6-70s, Japan was full of energy for everyone passing by, towards the end of the bubble economy. I felt proud to be ranked second in the world economy, but I only had a strong impression that I was a global leader in water. Especially after World War II, every time I put on the news, I hated the whining and complaining about the damage caused by Hiroshima exposure. In 2011, we avoided Fukushima's radicals... By the way, Japan has a deep connection to radiation... It's just a pity.
"Welcome! What kind of lunch can I get you? "
"What's the most popular thing here? "
"We have the most shrimp and chicken lunches!"
Shrimp and chicken... Still popular in the 1980s. I ordered a chicken lunch box with 300 yen for an impressive lady. Later, a middle-aged man told her.
"I'd like a chicken lunch, too, please. "
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, but the chicken lunchbox he just bought is the last one, and I'll make it back in no time. "
"Oh, how long will it take? "
"It's been about 10 minutes. Are you okay? "
Then the man tapped his watch, making an embarrassing face. Oh, this guy...
"Oh, well, then we're running out of time for the train."
Is this place famous for its chicken lunchbox? But I was more interested in the man in front of me than that. I thought I'd meet you in Shinkansen, but here I am. This is an unexpected coincidence.
"If you don't mind, I'll give you mine. "
"Yes? Oh, no. You don't have to do that. "
"It's okay, it's actually shrimp or chicken or I was hesitant. Give him the chicken lunch and I'll have the shrimp. "
"Oh, thank you for your patience. Our shrimp lunchbox is really good, too. I'll add another shrimp as a service."
"Thank you."
Eventually, we paid for the lunch box in the direction of WIN WIN with each other.
"Oh, thank you for your kindness. "
The man lowers his head slightly to me and hurries to the Shinkansen Riding Ground. By the way, I don't have all the time in the world. I should get going too!! After a while. I arrived at the platform on Shinkansen.
"A-17, A-17. Here."
After checking the car, I got on the train with a slight tremor. In Kyoto, the business seats were neatly organized to go to 3 and a half hours. As I approached my seat there, a man familiar with the window seat sat down.
"Hey. I'll sit next to you. "
"Oh, yeah? "
"Oh, hello. Hello again."
"This is an interesting coincidence. Come on, sit down. "
The man who offered me a seat was Nisekoi Gunpei... father of portable gaming & watch, and the creator of Gameboy, who led the mintendo mobile device to the throne until 2015. I sat next to her with a little gratitude.
In fact, all of this was one of my plans to locate Gunpei with games & watches from the future and ask him to sit next to him in the ticket window. It was a real coincidence that I met him at the lunchbox house, but his first meeting wasn't so bad.
"I was really thankful back at the lunchbox. "
It is also Japanese to say thank you a few times for one favor. Shortly after the train departed, we were getting along and forgot our lunch boxes.
When my eyes met after one bite, I almost got a case of eating in the barrel with a slight nod. After entering with the green tea purchased from the vending machine, I decided to proceed with the operation.
It was to get the game & watch out of the bag. The first game machine I pulled out was BALL. Then, like the founder of the game & watch, Gunpei glanced at the game machine in my hands with satisfied eyes. The whole country is enjoying their own little game machine.
+49073;. +49073;. A small ball in the screen went back and forth and a small beat rang in the room.
"I'm sorry, are you loud? "
I quickly lowered the volume key and apologized to Gunpei.
"No, thank you. It's okay to keep going."
He was looking at me with a pleasant smile because he was playing his own game machine. But I rather complained to him about the game & watch.
"If I was going to make it portable, I'd want you to put in an earphone jack, wouldn't I? "
"Yes? Oh, I see. Obviously, you need an earphone jack to enjoy sound in public. "
"Right? No matter how much games you play on the screen, sound is important. "
Gunpei nodded at my complaint and after a while he took out a small notebook and started writing something down.
"Hey, is there any other inconvenience with the machine? "
"A lot of them. "
"Well, is that a lot? "
"First of all, the machine itself is inefficient and unconscious. "
"Yes?"
The face of Gunpei who was looking at me was dull and crumpled.
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"First of all, the machine itself is inefficient and unconscious. "
"Yes?"
"I love mintendosa games. I've bought all the games & watches that I've ever done, and the family that I just released went to Akihabara the day it was released. "
"Ah? Thank you. "
"Yes? Why do you say thank you? "
"Ah? Oh, no. That's a load of crap. Keep trying."
Gunpei was looking at me with very interesting eyes. I pulled three games & watches out of my bag. Of course, there were no game watches brought in from 2015.
"You really have it all. "
"Yes, but even the most recently released GUNMAN doesn't have an earphone jack. This is a Western cowboy, and I think the effect of shooting is very important. Have you ever played it silently? "
"Oh, no..."
"Go ahead and play. "
After receiving the GUNMAN I handed him, Gunpei tried playing without a sound. After a while, he nodded, returning the machine to me.
"Obviously, I'm not feeling very good about BALL. "
"Right? What the hell were you thinking?"
Gunpei's expression began to stiffen slightly as he cheered up his child-like game machine. But I didn't stop there.
"Plus, the most deadly problem is that you can only play one game per player. "
"Oh...? "
"The cartridge exchange system started in the '70s with Atari, and it's a technology that's been around for quite some time, but Game&Watch hasn't borrowed the cartridge system until three years after its launch. This looks like a ploy to sell the machine together with the game and raise the unit price. "
"Dog... tricks? But stop animation is impossible to express in a variety of ways."
"That's the last problem. That's why the games are all the same. The stop animation game forces players to perform simple quick manipulations on Nogada. So this game is endless. It's just as soon as a player dies. It's good to simply kill time, but achievement is zero. "
"No sense of accomplishment..? "
Gunpei's complexion was already pale. Oh my... Was it worth the whip? Now, let's give him a carrot. Gunpei tried to steal cold sweat with a handkerchief and smiled at me. Born 1941, he was employed in Mintendo in 1965 to make various toy products.
Mintendo is the first place we have created many holiday fireworks, and Trump Card is also famous for being the first card company to import from Japan. The new Gunpei was there checking equipment for cutting cards at a certain size, and his work was so simple that toys made with parts left in his home time were still Ultra Hands, which he often saw when he went to the souvenir shop.
If you grip the handle of a piece of zigzag, you can easily find it in a toy store that extends in front of you. This is the person who made it. And what I found out was that I was about 30.
His games & watches were not exactly game machines, but toys with screens for children. I thought it would be more fun for children to play with than specs or efficiency, but the user base has grown quite widely and is now a toy for all people.
The success of the game & watch would have been a compliment for the company and would have been delighted to see people enjoying their game machines everywhere. However, he met me today and was making a very embarrassing face so that the product he had made turned to powder. So this is the end of the joke.
"But if I just touch a few things here, it could be huge. "
"Really? What do you want me to touch? "
"First, we have to discard this liquid in a stop-animated way. We also need to employ a flexible display and cartridge method to enjoy a more diverse range of games. For example..."
I took a notebook out of my bag and started drawing with a pencil. It was the prototype design of Mintendo Gamboy, which will be launched in 1989. Gunpei's mouth was beginning to open looking at the stereotype of a portable gamble boy drawn on my hand.
"Now, wait a minute, what is this huge empty space behind this liquid crystal? "
"This is where the cartridge will be placed. "
"Oh, so this is the power station and the speakers down here. The controller is the same family that we launched last week. Then why did you put the buttons in a slash instead of horizontal? "
"In fact, I felt that when I was playing games & watches, it's easier to play a slash array than a straight line array. I have less experience pressing the wrong button. "
"Indeed..."
"This would be great if we could create a new portable game that follows the game & watch. "
"A 4: 3 ratio flux screen with cartridge switching… but how many games can this give you? Mintendo's not a big company. You can't have all your employees clinging to game development, and if you build one of these devices, you're going to have to keep the game running for at least a few years. "
"Mintendo only needs to give away a few iconic games like the Dongking Com. If the demand for this device increases as much as the current games & watches, most of the game companies that are focusing on the arcade are probably coming together to launch the games. "
"Oh, and what do you think..."
"Of course, you get loyalty from them. Half the proceeds from soft selling.."
"Ahhh!! "
Gunpei struck his knee with amazement. I didn't expect his mouth to shut, and he was looking at the drawings on the practice floor, stealing an elongated sweat. For him now, the drawing was an innovation unlike encountering the future.
"Amazing.."
Half of the sales revenue is almost as explosive as royal tea, but whatever you call it for in the portable market that no one has yet dived into. Prior to the advent of such a competitive device, the market's best interests were important. Maybe in the '90s you'll build your own portable console in NEGA, KNS and Banzai. But the birth of this object, which was supposed to be here in' 89, could be a little bit premature today.
We got to know each other pretty well as we talked about the new portable console on the way to Kyoto. Gunpei was greatly surprised that I was a Korean student. He was mistaken for a Japanese speaker who was too proficient at pronunciation.
- Our train will be arriving at Shinosaka Station at the end point soon. -
As the train arrived, Gunpei asked me with a very sad expression.
"Stronghold. Where would you be if you were in Kyoto? "
"I don't know? I'm going to stay at the hotel for a little sightseeing. I didn't have much to see in Tokyo, but I'm excited to hear Osaka has a lot to eat and a lot to see. "
"Really? Obviously, the Osaka people are much more connected, and there's a lot more delicious. By the way... when the hotel is set up, will you call me here? "
I stared at Gunpei's face dazed with the business card he gave me. Yeah, we could use a little action here. Gunpei was smiling at my reaction.
"Actually, I'm the Nisekoi Gunpei who created the game & watch. I've learned a lot from listening to the story of the Gang today. That's why I want to see the Gang once again. Our company is in Kyoto, so call me whenever you feel comfortable. "
"Oh, I don't know if I made a big mistake not knowing Mr. Nisekoi. "
"No, I was very lucky to meet a strong force today. Thanks to you, I also ate a delicious chicken lunch! Hahaha!"
"I'll be in touch with you soon, then. "
"I'll wait."
"Yes, of course."
We said goodbye to each other and set out for our destination. After leaving Osaka Station in the hot sun in the afternoon, I took a taxi to a hotel that had already been packed. Even if I lived here for more than a month, the two billion yen on my account did not decrease a bit. The bank interest alone, which translated to an 8% annual rate, came every month, and my account was flowing like a spring that did not dry up. Oh, I hope the age of credit cards becomes universal soon.
I'm sick of carrying cash around all the time...
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