The Game Boy

How this handheld device kicked off a cultural revolution, and what problem they solved to do so

The handheld concrete block known as the Game Boy became loved by kids and adults across the world. When Nintendo released its product, it wasn’t technically superior to competitors. It didn’t have better graphics, and playing it required a well-lit room, as it didn’t have a backlit screen. But the Game Boy gave people what they wanted: an accessible form of entertainment they could take wherever they went. It became the best possible way to play on the go.

The Game Boy became successful by offering 30 hours of gameplay, made possible by the great and powerful AA battery. They made the price accessible below 100 dollars. And, they made the games accessible. Cartridges were easily swappable, simple enough to play between train stops, and include friends in on the fun.

Nintendo’s Gunpei Yokoi got the idea for a small, handheld, LCD gaming device after seeing calculators solve boredom on end-of-day commutes. Yokoi had a famous methodology—which could be a good motto for many of the world’s most successful products—“lateral thinking with withered technology”.

Instead of looking for the latest, most-impressive—and unproven—technologies, Yokoi preached a method that encouraged “not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply”. The Game Boy would look for existing solutions to combine in a way to get people what they wanted.

People wanted an accessible form of entertainment they could take with them wherever they went. This wasn’t possible before the Game Boy because (1) Most gaming devices weren’t portable (2) Devices were too expensive and (3) Games were limited per device, hard to learn, and isolating to play. They solved this by (1) making a rugged, portable device with extended battery life, (2) making it accessible in price, and (3) offering a wide selection of interchangeable games that could be played with friends.

Game Boy graphics weren’t an aesthetic masterpiece. The 8-bit screen was lower resolution than other gaming consoles at the time (even portable ones). But the screen resolution, ink-only color, and lack of a backlit screen allowed for two important features: battery life, and price. The processor required consumed less power than other, more elaborate color displays. This meant that four AA batteries could power the device for 30 hours of gameplay. In isolation, the display wasn’t impressive. But this was a feature, not a bug, as it made the Game Boy playable for the duration of any road trip or cross-world flight.

This decision also meant that the Game Boy could be cheaper than competitors. With an initial price of $79.99 plus games, it was accessible as a gift to your kid, or to buy for fun. This wasn’t the case for other portable gaming devices at the time, like the NES, which started at $109.99 in 1988.

The device’s portability meant that the games could be played in a variety of places: during travel, at a restaurant, or in the sunlight. This opened up gaming to more than just the hardcore. Mastering a game didn’t require endless hours in a room with no light, or being chained to a television set. The Game Boy could be played anywhere.

The Game Boy foreshadowed future LAN-fueled Halo parties. You could connect multiple devices with a multiplayer cord, battling back and forth in games like F1 and Dr. Mario. There were even games designed to pass the device back and forth (doubling as an ad-hoc growth strategy). Games like chess and checkers could be played by sharing the Game Boy turn for turn.

The incumbent portable devices before the Game Boy had no way to interchange games, like Mattel’s Electronic Football. All of the software was downloaded to the device, never to be updated. The Game Boy borrowed a tactic from TV-required consoles, which was swapping games with cartridges. This proven technique made it easy to get new games. And the titles the Game Boy had were legendary. Tetris was a hit—depicted recently in a feature film—as it was easy to learn and quick to play. Pokemon took over years later as a cultural phenomenon powerful enough to turn into a just-as-popular card game. More games meant more entertainment.

The Game Boy, much like other products in their prime, solved their own problems with future iterations of the original device. The Game Boy Color offered color graphics a step above the monochrome pictures of the past. All while keeping the existing games compatible with the new device. Nintendo didn’t fix what wasn’t broken. People already loved the games they had, the color just gave them more. Apple does something similar with their hardware, creating problems with their products, and then solving them in the next iteration.

Because of the device’s portability and ease of use, gaming was opened up to more than just kids and the gaming-obsessed. The Game Boy was for everyone. This made it more likely to become the first product you went to when you were looking to pass some time.

The Game Boy was the best way to fulfill this want, making Nintendo’s next move to market this broadly. And they did. Commutes, flights, and travel were common talking points in the marketing.

Escapism was a thing in Game Boy ads.

With the best-in-class device, opening gaming up to the masses, and clever marketing the Game Boy became a successful product. They made the previously stationary gaming console portable, affordable, and easy to play a variety of games with friends. It solved the problem of being entertained on the go.

After selling out its one million device initial run, the Game Boy would go on to sell 120 million devices worldwide. It kickstarted social communities like Pokemon and ignited titles like Tetris to stardom. Even Game Boy itself has its larger-than-cult following and serves to this day as endless entertainment for long commutes. Even those outside of our little blue planet.