Nintendo’s 125 Years Old!
No, your grasp on time and reality isn’t slipping away from you (well, it might if you’re going through a House of Leaves situation, but not in this instance).
While the Nintendo you know today may not have started its name in video gaming until 1983 when the original Family Computer, or Famicom, was released to Japanese households, the company itself actually began its legacy on September 23rd, 1889.
Nintendo, which is most often said to mean “leave luck to the heavens,” though that’s debatable, initially began as a playing card manufacturer.
Nintendo dabbled in a few other industries before landing on their breadwinner, however. We’re talking public taxis, a TV network, the food industry, toys, and even love hotels. Oh, yes, before Nintendo captured a generation of kids, it was providing short-term lodging for couples to make that aforementioned generation of kids.
By 1977, the company had released its first console – the Color TV-Game. (Soon after, a young fellow by the name Shigeru Miyamoto was hired aboard, beginning his storied career by creating casings for these one game Color TV things.) 1979 saw Nintendo give life to Game & Watch (inspired by a commuter playing with his calculator aboard a train). In 1981, Donkey Kong, designed by a Mr. Miyamoto, hit arcades, cementing Nintendo’s course in video gaming. Then ‘83 rolled around and the rest is, well, history.