Part 1: The Men Who Dared to Dream - A Decision in Kyoto
The time is the 1970s. The place is the ancient city of Kyoto. Back then, the word "game" was not as common as it is today. There was a third-generation president of a long-established company that manufactured Hanafuda and playing cards. "The nature of entertainment changes with the times," he thought. "We, too, must create new forms of entertainment." That man's name was Hiroshi Yamauchi, the very person who would later lead Nintendo to become a global entertainment empire.
At the time, Nintendo was a company that made traditional playthings. But the tides of the era were unmistakably changing. As televisions became a staple in every home and children's ways of playing diversified, Yamauchi felt a strong sense of crisis. "We cannot continue like this."
"I want to create something new, something that will captivate everyone."
At the headquarters in Kyoto, Yamauchi looked to the future, quietly but passionately fueling his fighting spirit. He spent his days searching for "something" that had not yet taken form. But the story of the "magic box" that would later take the world by storm was certainly beginning to unfold in this very city of Kyoto.
Part 2: An Encounter with Games - A Glimmer of Light in an Age of Uncertainty
In his search for something new, Yamauchi began to turn his attention to the cutting-edge "electronic technology" of the era. It is said that when he learned of the existence of "video games," which had just been born in America, he had a flash of intuition: "This is it!"
However, video games were still in their infancy. They were mainly large arcade cabinets, not something that could be easily played at home. The technology was expensive, and know-how was scarce. Nintendo had neither the knowledge, the personnel, nor the funds to create video games.
Nevertheless, Yamauchi's passion never waned. He explored partnerships with other companies and sought out talent with electronic skills. These were truly days of trial and error. While repeatedly failing and hitting walls, he moved forward step by step, driven by a powerful desire "to make children smile."
Part 3: A Fateful Meeting with a Young Genius - And "Will" Begins to Take Shape
In the midst of this difficult search, a fateful encounter awaited both Yamauchi and Nintendo. It was his meeting with a young engineer named Gunpei Yokoi.
Yokoi possessed original ideas and the genius-level skill to give them form. The smash-hit "Game & Watch" series was born from his concepts. Yamauchi recognized his talent and approached him directly, "With your skills, could you create a new kind of game that can be played at home?"
A visionary leader who saw the future. A peerless, genius engineer. The moment these two talents met, history began to move in a big way.
What lay at the foundation of it all? It was an incredibly pure and powerful will to deliver "the next new way to play"—something no one had ever seen, born from what was still undeveloped.
The reason our shop treasures this story is also right there.We, too, want to have that kind of strong will and create a shop that can give energy and courage to everyone involved. The story of the Famicom's birth teaches us this lesson, time and time again.
(To be continued in Part 2: Overcoming Hardship as the Dream Takes Shape)