Remembering the Game Boy: We loved you, man

The 20th anniversary of the Game Boy's release (in Japan, anyway) was Tuesday. Today, a whole generation of kids will grow up with nary a clue about what the Game Boy is and how it affected our lives. But the rest of us look back fondly at the handheld, so I thought it appropriate to remember our old friend.

The Game Boy was created by Gunpei Yokoi, a Nintendo employee who had moved up in the ranks from being a janitor to working on product development. It was originally a simple device with a monochrome screen, four buttons (A, B, Start, Select), and a four-way directional pad. But over the years, Nintendo transformed that simple handheld into a full-featured gaming platform, complete with a color screen and outstanding titles.

Ah, the good old days with the Game Boy.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Over 118.69 million units were sold (including Game Boy Color versions) around the world. And millions more were sold in future iterations. That simple mobile device transformed the industry. It became one of the world's most celebrated video game platforms.

But instead of getting into the full history of the Game Boy (you can find that on Wikipedia, after all), I think it's important that we explore exactly how it achieved that success.

The Game Boy was, quite simply, the best handheld ever released, and for one big reason: simplicity. Unlike competitors like Atari's Lynx, which was nearly twice the size and the cost of the original Game Boy, Nintendo gave users what they wanted: a simple video game experience that kept them entertained.

When the Game Boy was first released, the video game industry was much different. There were fewer developers, less growth, and some doubt about the viability of video games in the consumer market. The Game Boy changed all that and became a significant contributing factor to the success the industry enjoys today.

And that's why we loved the Game Boy. It rebuffed the wisdom of the day and brought gaming back to its basic goal: fun.

I can still remember the first time I laid my hands on a Game Boy. I played Tetris, which came bundled with the original systems. It wasn't sophisticated like some of the games I was playing on Nintendo's home system the NES. It didn't have color, and the screen was small, but I sat there for hours arranging those falling boxes just because it was so darn fun.

I was one of many that felt the Game Boy was different, special. We all needed to have one. We all wanted to have the latest games. And we all swapped cartridges whenever one of us had a game the other wanted to play. My friends and I were content to sit in the same room with each other without talking, just playing a game on our respective Game Boys. You can't say that for many other gaming devices.

Was the Game Boy perfect? Of course not. Its screen was small and its third-party support was a little suspect at times. The company released numerous proprietary peripherals like the Game Boy camera and printer with promises of building integration into upcoming titles--all of which never materialized. But that didn't matter. I, like many others, owned every iteration of the Game Boy and couldn't wait to fire it up each day.

And though I always enjoyed the handheld's Mario games and playing Zelda titles, it was always Tetris on that old monochrome display that held a special place in my memories. And what memories they are.

Happy Birthday, Game Boy.

Check out Don's Digital Home podcast, Twitter stream, and FriendFeed.

[sting7k]

You know of all the electronics I've ever had the only one I've ever kept after I was done with it was my original Game Boy. Yup, the one in the picture of this article. I remember when my Grandma got it for me for Christmas 1989 (I was 7!). The original Tetris theme song is forever burned into my brain. I got a Game Boy Advanced SP when it first came out to bring some new life to my old games. I got rid of the SP but still have my original, still works. I still play Tetris (on my iPhone now) but I always remember the monochrome days, kind of sad the original theme was remixed by EA in the iPhone version.

Great reminder Don. Maybe today I'll put down the iPhone and go back to the old days for a little while for the memories.

[Tronman161]

Horray! Goodness how I loved my Gameboy. I still have it, and all my games, in fact I gave it to my Mom after I got my SP and she takes it on bus trips to play Super Mario and Tetris :) I can clearly remember how insanely happy I was when I got it ... few things have matched the pure excitement of it since then. Thanks for trip down memory lane.

[CallMeKiz]

Ahh, just the mention of Tetril starts the usic playing in my head. I got it soon after launch (I was 5) complete with tetris and Spiderman, and have owned every gameboy (Except the GBA) since. It was this Machine alone that started my love affair with one of the greatest games of all time: Zelda.
Keep going GB ! I feel you may have annoyed alot of people with the removal of the GBA slot for a poor performance novelty camera In the DSi, but I imagine you will be forgiven !

[infinitely]

I think the most interesting part is that it was created by a former janitor. Now you wouldn't get near there without some ******* marketing or business degree.

[viper396]

CNET is trying to be dramatic with the way they phrased it. Gunpei Yokoi had a degree in Electronics and was the maintenance guy who repaired and maintained their production machinery. His job duties may have included some janitorial work but that certainly was not his primary resposibility.

[Fletch02]

Also, it should be noted that Gunpei Yokoi had risen up in the ranks long before he made the Game Boy.

[zhakidd532]

Gameboy's are awesome. I remember getting the Pokemon game on Gameboy. That game was epic. I logged so many freaking hours on that thing.

[Sporlo]

The only two games I've played on the original Game Boy have been Tetris and Paper Boy (can't remember if that's its name or something different). I would play them every time I went to my aunt/uncle's house. Tetris really was the best ever.

[techgeekdude]

The Gameboy is an example of much I miss simplicity. Everything else these days are about glitzy graphics or who has the biggest screen. The Gameboy was really one of the best gaming devices ever for what it delivered: fun.

[Inconnux]

Nintendo knows that FUN not graphics is what really sells... I loved my Gameboy, then my GBA and now my DS lite. All of them are 'underpowered' compared to their competitors, but each of them win the FUN factor.

[maxnewsroom]

wow, what a terrific story! I still have both my original Game Boy, and Game Boy Color, along with my more recent Nintendo DS Lite. Amazing that some of the basic functionality of all three devices continued through all three iterations. I just found it amazing that Nintendo stopped publishing Tetris DS even though demand was still high. I had to dig out a used copy at a Game Stop in Orlando to find one, to give me my favorite game on the new platform!

[CyberNutter]

I was Tetris Queen ... I still remember the elation when I finally cracked Tetris Game B, Level 9, High 5. It took me ages and my thumbs still bear the callouses. There are photos of me from that time, at parties, sitting in the background, totally absorbed in my Game Boy. The shape of things to come.

[benjwah]

"And that's why we loved the Game Boy. It rebuffed the wisdom of the day and brought gaming back to its basic goal: fun."

Yeh, because the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear were mainly useful for spreadsheets.

Another over-simplified article from the Reisinger.

Also, this gem: "The Game Boy was, quite simply, the best handheld ever released, and for one big reason: simplicity. "

Had nothing to do with Nintendo's bundling strategy? The Gameboy's battery life? Or cheaper price? Or about a billion other factors?

I put it to Don Reisinger that there were more than ONE reason for the Gameboy's success. I know that might mean that he'd have to think about what he's writing, but one might expect as much from a "professional writer".

[BenAl02]

Being a 22 yr. old guy, Gameboy is one of those things that introduced me to a bigger and wider electronic world. I remember how me and my cousin take turns with "MY' Gameboy that he Loves to Borrow whenever we're together.

And that's what gameboy taught me, how to share things that you love selfishly.

[iioolluaah]

im 17 so i havent been around when the first versions came out but i know that ive spend a lot, a lot, a lot of time on my game boy colour. damn... that was like the friend i never had. LMAO. kidding. it was cool. those fresh ideas are dead right now... nothing can compare to that, right?!