The Rise of the King: How Nintendo Dominated the Gaming Industry, and Why They Own Your Nostalgia
/
Official Nintendo Logo // courtesy of nintendo
In a we recent poll we conducted with gamers among peers and fellow students, one of the questions was “What is the first video game company you can think of?”. The most common answer to this was Nintendo, by an absolute landslide of 14 answers. The second place was Sony with 3. This is probably not a surprise to anyone reading this, but why is that? How exactly did Nintendo become so synonymous with videogames as a whole?
In order to understand Nintendo’s current place in gaming culture, we need to look back at their beginnings. The company known as Nintendo had existed as a playing card and toy manufacturer long before videogames ever entered the picture. Their first forays into the gaming market were fairly humble, mainly producing light gun accessories for Magnavox hardware in the 70’s. It wasn’t until the 80’s when Nintendo jumped into full on game development, and this was certainly a difficult time to attempt entering into the industry. While the 1983 launch of the Famicom console went rather smoothly in Japan, things would not be so simple for in the west.
The Japanese Famicom sitting on top of two of its western countepart, the nes // courtesy of wikipedia
By this time the western videogame industry was in shambles following the great videogame crash of 83, and most consumer had brushed of videogames as a short-lived fad. However, these troubling circumstances would prove to be blessing to Nintendo in the long run. Not only would Nintendo’s console (rebranded to the NES for the west) thrive in the western market, it single handedly revived videogames as a whole. Without notable competition, Nintendo dominated the whole industry, and became the premiere game console. While other competitors did crop up to oppose them, most namely SEGA, none of them could dethrone Nintendo’s position on top. The big N would remain king through the 80’s and early 90’s, until the rise of the PlayStation in 95 would mark a shift to a more even playing field. However, this meant Nintendo still spent over a decade as the definitive face of videogames and defined the medium for an entire generation. That leaves a cultural footprint that is hard to wipe away.
However, Nintendo’s success doesn’t just come down to their hardware or their revival of a falling industry. The most important factor is Nintendo’s games. The entire reason for the crash of 83 in the first place was that the industry had become flooded with games of incredibly poor quality. Nintendo, on the other hand, made a name for themselves by producing consistently high-quality titles, establishing themselves as a more trustworthy brand. Not only did they make their own games to a certain standard of quality, but they also made a point of only allowing games on their consoles if they met that standard as well. This improved the quality of games across the board, not just Nintendo games.
The most important thing about Nintendo’s game, however, is how iconic they were. So many of Nintendo’s titles produced long lasting franchises that still stand the most beloved and influential series in the medium. From Mario, to Zelda, to Pokémon; so many Nintendo games have achieved such fame that even most non-gamers will recognize their names. When you also factor in that these games are primarily aimed at younger and more impressionable audiences, Nintendo’s hold over the minds of the public is not surprising.
It really shouldn’t be any wonder why Nintendo are the most recognizable company in videogames. They revitalized the western gaming market during its darkest hour and normalized quality standards in the industry. Their games and characters capture the hearts of an entire generation, becoming the most beloved and nostalgic icons in the medium. They ruled the industry so thoroughly during its early days that their name is now synonymous with video games as a whole. Nintendo showed up at the right time, with the right strategy, and great games; and that’s how they became the king.
An assortment of Nintendo game series, both iconic and obscure alike // courtesy of nintendofandj on deviantart
Gareth Myers - A hardcore casual fighting game scrub, childhood Nintendo baby, and practically the text book definition of a basement dwelling nerd. I have spent many an hour studying the history and art of videogames, when I probably should have spent that time learning even the most basic combos to avoid online bodying. I wish to one day use my writing talents to make my own sci-fi fantasy novels to bring my own characters and stories to life, but until then rambling about games for the internet will be fine enough practice.
