Today, Nintendo is a gaming giant, but in 1980 America, it wasn’t really on anyone’s radar. throw, from its Play & Watch series – certainly doesn’t help, as this newly restored copy shows. That’s because there’s no mention of Nintendo at all, not even Game & Watch.
Game & Watch games are simplistic standalone handheld LCD games, not unlike the cheap licensed Tiger Electronics games every kid had in the 1990s. According to a blog post from the Video Game History Foundation, in the United States, the games were originally licensed to a company called Mego (pronounced “mee-go”) as a series called “Time-Out” Sale Prolonged spot.
Gaming historian Chris Kohler, who discovered a 16mm reel containing the ad on eBay, told the foundation that the ad was dated June 25, 1980, “just a few days after Nintendo of America was founded. After the month”. The back of the hardware apparently still has the Nintendo logo engraved on it.
The ads appeal to mostly older, trendy young people (except the stupid nerds, because hahaha, bookworm) to enjoy “electronic sports” when real gaming is not possible. You know, like when you have a collapsed arch or tennis elbow, or a full body cast. This is very different from Nintendo’s own advertising a few years later! These videos tend to focus on children and families, and there are certainly no close-ups of butts in tight shorts. Like this:
In addition to the games Nintendo has resurrected for its standalone collector’s edition NES, Game & Watch games come in other forms. super mario bros. and The Legend of Zelda game from a few years ago. Just like this dual screen:
