For the past month, I've been living in Japan like a tourist, taking in the sights of Tokyo. The city's landscape bore a striking resemblance to Seoul in the 1990s. It made sense considering that Japan was often a decade ahead of South Korea in terms of trends back then.
"Hmm, it's still a bit boring without a cell phone," I muttered to myself as I savored an ice cream cone.
Co to think of it, it wasn't the Heisei era but the Showa era now. It felt completely different when I thought about it that way. I reached Akihabara Station while nibbling on my ice cream.
The place lacked the otaku culture that would later thrive in this area. There were no maid cafes or cosplayers to be found. When I had visited Akihabara in 2013, it was a bustling, chaotic place filled with posters of video ga and ani characters on the buildings. Stores selling video gas and manga were everywhere. But now, it was just a pure electronics market, with personal computers and small radios on display. Even the Walkman, with its cassette tapes, had a tiny presence.
"Isn't there a Family release event today? I'm pretty sure I heard that."
As I strolled through the crowded streets of Akihabara on a weekend, I observed the surroundings. Since the gaming industry hadn't taken off yet, there were no specialty ga stores like you'd find in the 2000s. Maybe I should just open a ga store myself? It didn't sound like a bad idea.
But wait, if I ca all the way here from MinTendo to fetch so items, would the old man at the ga store think I'm crazy?
In hindsight, I wondered if the old man I t was a "god-like" figure. Perhaps he was here to resurrect the faltering gaming industry. With my knowledge of future trends, I could gift users with even more amazing gas in the far-off year of 2015. But what should I do now to make that happen? I reached for my Ga & Watch to gather information about the Family's release.
MinTendo's Family, released on July 15, 1983. -
"Today is the day!"
I flipped through the pages on my handheld while enjoying my ice cream. Suddenly, a strange beat reached my ears.
"Huh? Just now..."
Boing... Boing... I found it! I quickly disposed of my ice cream in a nearby trash can and hurried toward the source of the sound. It was coming from the location where the ga trading company SoftMap would eventually set up shop. At the mont, it was just a row of small stores, but by the late 1990s, it would be a place filled with towering buildings. And there, I encountered a great gaming console that would follow in Atari's footsteps to conquer the 1980s.
One minor hiccup, though – I had no idea that this groundbreaking gaming console's first sales point was a street stall.
"Irrashaimase! Irrashaimase!"
Clearly, the staff promoting the product were not professionals but rather MinTendo headquarters employees, dressed in white shirts. Surprisingly, the audience's response was lukewarm. I expected a bit more enthusiasm for MinTendo, the company that would later sell nearly 70 million units worldwide. The impact of the Atari Shock on the gaming industry's collapse was imnse. Initially, when Atari introduced an open-source tool allowing anyone to create gas, it was well-received. But it didn't take long for a flood of low-quality, profit-focused gas to saturate the market, and gars quickly lost interest. Little did I know that the aftermath of this event would reach Japan so swiftly.
"Welco! Welco! This is MinTendo's next-generation 8-bit ga console, the Family, developed entirely by us. Everyone, give it a try!"
I approached one of the temple barkers and smiled as I inquired. In front of was a sowhat crude-looking Family unit with a mixture of red and white.
"Is it selling well?"
The salesman replied, "Well, we haven't sold a single one yet."
"Really? How much is it?"
"It's 14,800 yen."
I couldn't help but chuckle. The word "8-bit" was almost amusing to . I accepted the controller they handed . Oh, but the cable was way too short! In the 2010s, console controllers had Bluetooth wireless functionality, allowing you to sit comfortably on your couch and play gas. But the early models of the Family were designed with a 1P and 2P controller permanently attached to the ga console. You had no choice but to sit right in front of the CRT TV to enjoy your gas.
Who on earth designed it like this? I couldn't fathom the rationale behind such a structure. But at the ti, MinTendo likely didn't even realize the monster they had created – a machine that would eventually sell nearly 70 million units worldwide. This console was initially created as a way to capitalize on the success of the Ga & Watch. MinTendo hadn't set high expectations for it. The Family was still struggling to gain traction in its early days.
The Family launched with three gas, including Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. It was a ti when Japan's third-party ga developnt companies, such as NEGA and CAMCO, existed, but they mainly focused on creating arcade ga boards. A ho console like the Family wasn't receiving much attention.
"How many have you sold so far?"
The salesman hesitated. "Well, so far, we haven't sold a single one."
It's expensive, 14,800 yen in 1983... But I guess it's natural to pay such a high price for an untested first-generation console. I took a seat in front of the small television displayed outdoors. As I did, passersby started glancing at curiously.
"Could you start Donkey Kong for ?"
"Of course," the employee said.
He opened the cartridge slot cover, inserted the black cartridge, and turned on the power. The screen ca to life with the sounds of "Bap-bap-bap-bam" and "Bing-bam." Below, an Italian plumber nad Mario, sporting a red cap, was climbing a hill, holding a giant hamr.
The ga involved avoiding the barrels thrown by Donkey Kong or smashing them with the hamr while climbing to the top to defeat Donkey Kong. I grinned and maneuvered Mario left and right, attempting jumps. As I cleared each stage, people around couldn't help but express their amazent.
"Wow..."
Boing-boing. Doo-yong, doo-yong. The sound effects of Mario's jumps brought a satisfying smile to my face.
"Wow!"
Easily clearing the first stage, I was approached by the MinTendo employee, who cocked his head and asked, "You're really good at this, aren't you?"
"Maybe because I've spent a lot of ti at ga centers. I'll take Donkey Kong and also Pac-Man along with the Family, please."
"Our first custor to purchase the MinTendo Family. Thank you!"
To think that I'd beco the first purchaser of this legendary gaming console – it was a strange feeling. Then, one of the employees approached with a cara.
"Would it be okay to take a picture?"
A historic commorative photo? Not a bad idea. But then, a little voice behind chid in.
"Mom, can you buy that too?"
"No, Takashi. We promised to just take a quick look, rember?"
"But I can definitely beat him in this ga!"
Oh, the kid's quite confident, isn't he? I smiled and asked the child, "Hey, what's your na?"
"I'm Takashi Toshiyuki."
Takashi Toshiyuki... It sounded oddly familiar. I took out my Ga & Watch and checked for information about this Toshiyuki. Ah, I see, could this kid be the first-ever professional gar to be known as "Takashi" in the future? The speedrun master in the ga "Wonder Boy" released in 1994. I watched the child closely and asked, "Do you like gas?"
"Yes! I love them!"
"Is that so? Well, I have a gift for you. Could you please give him one of these as well?"
Takashi's mother looked surprised and tried to stop , saying, "You really don't have to..."
"It's okay. I'm doing it because I want to. Please accept it."
I handed Takashi one of the ga consoles brought by the MinTendo employee and ruffled his hair.
"Enjoy it."
"Thanks, mister. I'm really, really grateful!"
"Uh, about the custor photo..."
"Just take a photo of with this kid. There may co a ti when MinTendo is even more thankful to him."
"What do you an by that?"
"Just keep it in mind. You'll understand one day."
On that day, I returned to my hotel with a few more Ga & Watch items from MinTendo's booth. In one corner of the morning newspaper provided by the hotel the next day, there was a small photo of Takashi, beaming, holding the Family box in his hands.
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