Gunpei Yokoi

Design philosophy

Yokoi said "The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply."

The Game & Watch was developed based on this philosophy. At the time of its development, Sharp and Casio were fiercely competing in the digital calculator market. For this reason, there was a glut of liquid crystal displays and semiconductors. The "lateral thinking" was to find an original and fun use for this cheap and abundant technology. The NES and Game Boy were developed under a similar philosophy. In the handheld market, Yokoi's refusal to equip the Game Boy with a color LCD (at the time, cutting-edge technology) gave the device a much longer battery life and is often cited as a primary reason it prevailed against Sega's Game Gear and Atari's Lynx. The Wii's internal technology was similar to that of Nintendo's previous home console, the GameCube, and was not as advanced in terms of computational capability and multimedia versatility compared to its competitors: the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Instead, the system offered something completely different by introducing motion-based controls to the console market in an attempt to change the ways video games are played, and consequently, to widen the audience for video games in general. This strategy demonstrated Nintendo's belief that graphical advancement is not the only way to make progress in gaming technology; indeed, after the Wii's overwhelming success, Sony and Microsoft released their own motion control peripherals. Nintendo's emphasis on peripherals for the Wii has also been pointed to as an example of Yokoi's "lateral thinking" at work.

Death

On 4 October 1997, Yokoi was riding in a car driven by his associate Etsuo Kiso on the Hokuriku Expressway, when the vehicle rear-ended a truck. Yokoi's death was confirmed two hours later, his only serious injury being a fractured rib.

Legacy

The title of his main biography from 2010 translates from Japanese as Father of Games – Gunpei Yokoi, the Man Who Created Nintendo's DNA. which was explored in English in 2010 by Tokyo Scum Brigade. A 2014 book about him is Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo's God of Toys.

In 2003, Yokoi posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Game Developers Association. GameTrailers placed him on their lists for the "Top Ten Game Creators". An art gallery in Japan created an art exhibit in 2010 titled "The Man Who Was Called the God of Games" featuring all his key Nintendo works. In 1999, Bandai began releasing a series of handheld puzzle games named Gunpey as a tribute to their original creator, Yokoi.

Works

Designer

Ultra Hand (1966) Ultra Machine (1968) Love Tester (1969) Light Ray Gun SP Series (1970) Eleconga (1970) NB Block Crater (1970) Ultra Scope (1971) Light Ray Telephone LT (1971) Lefty RX (1972) Time Shock (1972) Laser Clay Shooting System (1973) Wild Gunman (1974) Shooting Trainer (1974) Light Ray Gun Custom Series (1976) Kōsenjū Duck Hunt (1976) Battle Shark Skyhawk (1977) Radio Controlled Cleaner (1979) Nintendo Tumbler Puzzle (1980) Game & Watch (1980) Computer Mahjong (1982) Famicom Controller (1983) Video Shooting Series light gun (1984) R.O.B. (1985) Game Boy (1989) Super Scope (1992) Virtual Boy (1995) Game Boy Pocket (1996) Henoheno (1997) WonderSwan (1999, released posthumously) Gunpey (1999, released posthumously)

Producer

Donkey Kong (1981) Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) Mario Bros. (1983) Donkey Kong 3 (1983) Wild Gunman (1984) Duck Hunt (1984) Hogan's Alley (1984) Urban Champion (1984) Balloon Fight (1985) Wrecking Crew (1985) Stack-Up (1985) Gyromite (1985) Gumshoe (1986) Metroid (1986) Kid Icarus (1986) Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School (1987) Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir (1988) Famicom Wars (1988) Tetris (1989) Super Mario Land (1989) Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (1989) Solar Striker (1990) Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (1990) Dr. Mario (1990) Balloon Kid (1990) Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991) Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (1991) Fire Emblem Gaiden (1992) X (1992) Mario Paint (1992) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) Battle Clash (1992) Yoshi's Cookie (1992) Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (1993) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994) Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (1994) Mario's Tennis (1995) Mario Clash (1995) Panel de Pon (1995) Virtual Boy Wario Land (1995) Kirby's Block Ball (1995) 3D Tetris (1996) Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (1996) Zero Racers (2026, released posthumously)