Nintendo has come a long, long way from its humble beginnings as a playing card company in Kyoto, Japan, to a video game behemoth. One that is near and dear to many gamers worldwide.
Like a lot of you reading this piece, you probably grew up playing a Nintendo game. Whether it was Zelda or Mario or Pokémon, like me, the company played a part in your childhood.
For some of us, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was the crown jewel of our homes, for others, the clunky grey Game Boy. For a lot of us, the love we hold for the Japanese gaming company remains to this day.
Nintendo is a company that isn’t afraid to take chances and quite often ended up being ahead of their time—oftentimes being ridiculed in the process. A portable gaming device? That’s impossible! A console with movement-focused controllers? You’re crazy! A hybrid console? No way!
But, we bought those products anyway. In the thousands. Millions, even.
We rejoice at the announcement of new additions to their main titles, and get frustrated at the lack of any. Some of us even hit the pre-order button to our favourites as soon as it appears on the eShop.
Nintendo introduced us to executives that we fell in love with, something unusual in this industry. Because how many company heads do we actually know by name?
Excitement fills us at the sight of Miyamoto-san and we had mourned at the passing of Iwata-san; we felt the sting of the departure of Reggie.
Although, the arrival of Doug made a lot of us chuckle, let’s be honest.
This is a video games company unlike any other. One way or another, Nintendo made an impact on each of us. They have made us laugh and cry, squeal in excitement and scream in anger.
Plenty of friends were made (and lost) through their games. They gave us a reason to come together—friends and family alike.
Happy 132nd birthday, Nintendo. Here’s to many more years of bringing joy to the lives of many more kids and kids-at-heart alike.
