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L'Histoire de Nintendo #1
История Nintendo 1889-1980 От игральных карт до Game & Watch
This highly detailed publication delves into the rich and varied (and often forgotten) 120-year history of the world's leading video game company. For the very first time, Nintendo's historical product portfolio is catalogued in painstaking and loving detail, with over 500 card games, tabletop games, toys, electronic, and arcade games, all compiled into one superbly crafted book. This book details Nintendo's humble beginnings as a playing card manufacturer, charting progress through the entire range of toys and games, including such legendary products as Love Tester, Ten Billion, Ultra Hand, Custom Gunman, and hundreds more, progressing up to the first video arcade games, home consoles, and Game & Watch series.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 15, 2014
For a more comprehensive reading, The History of Nintendo book was divided in different chapters, comprising information and photos of the many markets Nintendo has gone through since it all started in 1889. In this sense, keep in mind that the book does not follow a clear chronological order between chapters, opting to present all products of a certain category in its corresponding chapter (and thus respecting a timeline among products of the same category).
Besides the chapters describing all Nintendo products until the release of the Game & Watch series, the book features two separate segments thoroughly describing the history of Nintendo, packed with all kinds of interesting information that helps understanding the company's culture: the opportunity the founder saw in establishing a playing-cards business in a time the ban had just been recently retracted, the troubles of attaining new audiences and expanding the product lines beyond the falling playing cards business, the propaganda cards during WWII and the perks of the post-war golden age, the successful and long-living Disney collaboration, the completely unrelated products (and we're talking about things like taxis, love hotels and baby prams), the key collaborators and how they contributed to get Nintendo over critical situations (starring the likes of Gunpei Yokoi and Hiroshi Yamauchi), or the arcades and Color TV-Game era (and how they started in the business by creating clones of existing concepts, until the release of Donkey Kong designed by Shigeru Miyamoto; ironic, huh?) and many other chapters of the rich history Nintendo carries.
However, as a big part of the book is in no way related with the industry Nintendo is currently known for, I am afraid most nowadays Nintendo devotees would not find the information collected in this book relevant as to go through more than 200 pages of completely unrelated products, just for the sake of being Nintendo branded. Video game collectors, historians and overall industry professionals, however, will certainly be amused by the roller coaster that is Nintendo's history and how they ended up in the business they are now renown for on a global scale.
I was also expecting a greater focus in people and not so much in the end products, though, which would certainly lead to a more comprehensive understanding of all the business directions taken throughout the decades, though one can perceive the efforts of the author in doing so. Some chapters were clearly not so interesting, mainly those describing toys and board games based on existing licenses, most prominent during the pre-Yokoi era, though it sure helped paving a more clear direction towards Nintendo's desire in creating original and accessible products (a quality they are usually well known for regarding game design).
Despite some common typing errors and occasional odd grammatical sentences, the English version is still worth getting and brings a lot of valuable information never before made available in this language.
Besides the chapters describing all Nintendo products until the release of the Game & Watch series, the book features two separate segments thoroughly describing the history of Nintendo, packed with all kinds of interesting information that helps understanding the company's culture: the opportunity the founder saw in establishing a playing-cards business in a time the ban had just been recently retracted, the troubles of attaining new audiences and expanding the product lines beyond the falling playing cards business, the propaganda cards during WWII and the perks of the post-war golden age, the successful and long-living Disney collaboration, the completely unrelated products (and we're talking about things like taxis, love hotels and baby prams), the key collaborators and how they contributed to get Nintendo over critical situations (starring the likes of Gunpei Yokoi and Hiroshi Yamauchi), or the arcades and Color TV-Game era (and how they started in the business by creating clones of existing concepts, until the release of Donkey Kong designed by Shigeru Miyamoto; ironic, huh?) and many other chapters of the rich history Nintendo carries.
However, as a big part of the book is in no way related with the industry Nintendo is currently known for, I am afraid most nowadays Nintendo devotees would not find the information collected in this book relevant as to go through more than 200 pages of completely unrelated products, just for the sake of being Nintendo branded. Video game collectors, historians and overall industry professionals, however, will certainly be amused by the roller coaster that is Nintendo's history and how they ended up in the business they are now renown for on a global scale.
I was also expecting a greater focus in people and not so much in the end products, though, which would certainly lead to a more comprehensive understanding of all the business directions taken throughout the decades, though one can perceive the efforts of the author in doing so. Some chapters were clearly not so interesting, mainly those describing toys and board games based on existing licenses, most prominent during the pre-Yokoi era, though it sure helped paving a more clear direction towards Nintendo's desire in creating original and accessible products (a quality they are usually well known for regarding game design).
Despite some common typing errors and occasional odd grammatical sentences, the English version is still worth getting and brings a lot of valuable information never before made available in this language.
September 15, 2011
If you're interested in what Nintendo did before making video games, this book is perfect. Such an amazing quantity of interesting things that you'll never find on wikipedia.
July 20, 2019
Il y a quelques années, je me suis procuré plusieurs livre d’histoire sur le monde des jeux vidéos. Cependant après avoir lu The Ultimate Story of Vidéo Games, j’avais l’impression d’avoir lu tout ce que j’avais à lire. J’ai donc mis une pause sur ma lecture. Le mois dernier j’ai eu a faire une recherche sur Nintendo et pour accumuler assez de faits j’ai donc ré-ouvert certain livre dont L’Histoire de Nintendo par Florent Gorges. Ce qui a été une rapide prise de donné est devenu une lecture complète. Donc voici ce que j’en ai pensé.
La première chose qu’on remarque en prenant le livre est que l’histoire commence au tout début de Nintendo, avant sa première console symbolique, même avant ses fameux arcades, en fait on commence au siècle dernier, au moment où la compagnie ne faisait qu’un seul produit: les Hanafuda. L’hanafuda est un jeu de carte oriental qui comprend 48 cartes, il en existe plusieurs variance et dans ce livre on voit comment Nintendo a réussi à prendre de grandes parts de marché et comment, partie de rien, elle est devenu une grande compagnie dans les années 50 avec leurs jeux de cartes traditionnels Trump que l’on connaît tous. C’est impressionnant de voir les décision d’affaire et d’innovation que la compagnie ainsi que son président faisait à l’époque. Le succès d’une compagnie ne se fait pas seul et ce livre le démontre vraiment bien.
Après les cartes on a l’histoire des essais de Nintendo sur un panoplie de produits incluant du riz instantané, des poussettes, des machines à coudre, des photocopieurs, des jeux de société et des jouet. Tout ça avant l’invention des jeux vidéos. Il est facile de croire que Nintendo a toujours vécu dans le succès, mais leurs 90 premières années d’existence ont été balancé entre réussite et échec cuisants. La compagnie aurait pu fermé ses portes plusieurs fois et il est intéressant de voir comment la compagnie s’est renouvelé et à quel point les employés clé d’une compagnie ont une impacte sur le succès d’une entreprise.
Seulement à la fin le livre nous introduit l’entrée de Nintendo dans le monde du jeu vidéo avec une courte section sur les arcades et sur la première console qu’ils ont créé (qui n’a pas passé les fontières). C’est dans le prochain volume que je vais pouvoir savoir ce qui a été l’entrée réelle de Nintendo dans le domaine de la console maison et enfin de la console portable.
Le livre est vraiment intéressant, mais ce qui rend le livre carrément passionnant c’est le nombre de photo et de descriptions que l’auteur nous donne. On a droit à un vrai musée sur pages et c’est plus que plaisant à regarder. On dit qu’une image vaut 1000 mots, donc ce livre fait des millions de mots tellement il est riche en images. Vraiment un vrai plaisir a consulter.
Pour conclure, bien que The Ultimate Story of Vidéo game est vraiment l’ultime livre pour en apprendre sur l’histoire des jeux vidéo en général, mais si vous voulez apprendre l’histoire de Nintendo au Japon c’est vraiment L’Histoire de Nintendo que vous devez lire. Un livre magnifique et superbement produit. J’ai hate de lire la suite. Hautement recommandé.
La première chose qu’on remarque en prenant le livre est que l’histoire commence au tout début de Nintendo, avant sa première console symbolique, même avant ses fameux arcades, en fait on commence au siècle dernier, au moment où la compagnie ne faisait qu’un seul produit: les Hanafuda. L’hanafuda est un jeu de carte oriental qui comprend 48 cartes, il en existe plusieurs variance et dans ce livre on voit comment Nintendo a réussi à prendre de grandes parts de marché et comment, partie de rien, elle est devenu une grande compagnie dans les années 50 avec leurs jeux de cartes traditionnels Trump que l’on connaît tous. C’est impressionnant de voir les décision d’affaire et d’innovation que la compagnie ainsi que son président faisait à l’époque. Le succès d’une compagnie ne se fait pas seul et ce livre le démontre vraiment bien.
Après les cartes on a l’histoire des essais de Nintendo sur un panoplie de produits incluant du riz instantané, des poussettes, des machines à coudre, des photocopieurs, des jeux de société et des jouet. Tout ça avant l’invention des jeux vidéos. Il est facile de croire que Nintendo a toujours vécu dans le succès, mais leurs 90 premières années d’existence ont été balancé entre réussite et échec cuisants. La compagnie aurait pu fermé ses portes plusieurs fois et il est intéressant de voir comment la compagnie s’est renouvelé et à quel point les employés clé d’une compagnie ont une impacte sur le succès d’une entreprise.
Seulement à la fin le livre nous introduit l’entrée de Nintendo dans le monde du jeu vidéo avec une courte section sur les arcades et sur la première console qu’ils ont créé (qui n’a pas passé les fontières). C’est dans le prochain volume que je vais pouvoir savoir ce qui a été l’entrée réelle de Nintendo dans le domaine de la console maison et enfin de la console portable.
Le livre est vraiment intéressant, mais ce qui rend le livre carrément passionnant c’est le nombre de photo et de descriptions que l’auteur nous donne. On a droit à un vrai musée sur pages et c’est plus que plaisant à regarder. On dit qu’une image vaut 1000 mots, donc ce livre fait des millions de mots tellement il est riche en images. Vraiment un vrai plaisir a consulter.
Pour conclure, bien que The Ultimate Story of Vidéo game est vraiment l’ultime livre pour en apprendre sur l’histoire des jeux vidéo en général, mais si vous voulez apprendre l’histoire de Nintendo au Japon c’est vraiment L’Histoire de Nintendo que vous devez lire. Un livre magnifique et superbement produit. J’ai hate de lire la suite. Hautement recommandé.
August 12, 2018
I am giving this book a 2 star rating, not because it is historically inaccurate or that I wouldn't recommend it. I simply think it was ok. If you know why you are reading this book, then it is well worth it. If on the other hand you want a easy-to-consume first-timers history of Nintendo, then this is likely not what you are looking for. This book is pure fact and pictures. Nothing more and nothing less. I would not recommend as your first book in gaming history or even specifically Nintendo history. It's focus is to present the major accomplishments of Nintendo from its founding in 1889 to the beginning of the Game-and-Watch handhelds in the 1980's. There is often very little context or feeling of continuity as it simply reads off the major events in the form of product releases and their sales figures.
What this book does well is provide many visuals of a large amount of the products Nintendo launched over a 100 year time span and carefully provides the best information it has on each one. This book may be best described as a historical product catalog which would be great for anyone looking to collect early Nintendo products. As a supplement to other Gaming or Nintendo histories, this book fills in some gaps and gives more detailed insight with respect to Nintendo's evolution from long time maker of playing cards to Video Game juggernaut. I personally found the most interesting parts of this book to be; the Yamauchi family's history, the many strange and less celebrated products released by Nintendo, and the detailed chronology of Nintendo's arcade cabinet innovations. Finally, as one more call out, I appreciate that this book openly described the parts of Nintendo's history that were unknown rather than simply ignoring them.
What this book does well is provide many visuals of a large amount of the products Nintendo launched over a 100 year time span and carefully provides the best information it has on each one. This book may be best described as a historical product catalog which would be great for anyone looking to collect early Nintendo products. As a supplement to other Gaming or Nintendo histories, this book fills in some gaps and gives more detailed insight with respect to Nintendo's evolution from long time maker of playing cards to Video Game juggernaut. I personally found the most interesting parts of this book to be; the Yamauchi family's history, the many strange and less celebrated products released by Nintendo, and the detailed chronology of Nintendo's arcade cabinet innovations. Finally, as one more call out, I appreciate that this book openly described the parts of Nintendo's history that were unknown rather than simply ignoring them.
May 12, 2021
Для тех кому интересно как из компании производителя карт можно дойти до создания игровых консолей.
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For those who are interested in how from the card manufacturer company you can go to the creation of game consoles.
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For those who are interested in how from the card manufacturer company you can go to the creation of game consoles.
September 17, 2019
В русской версии много опечаток и ошибок перевода, Белое Ябдоко неприятно удивило.
В книге множество редких архивных материалов, интересно было прочитать про эту часть истории Nintendo.
В книге множество редких архивных материалов, интересно было прочитать про эту часть истории Nintendo.
December 7, 2022
Muy completa la historia, muestra el manera ordenada como nintendo forjó su camino para llegar a lo que es actualmente. Pero me pregunto ¿cuabtass anécdotas habra dejado por fuera ?
February 6, 2017
Este libro no narra los hechos de lo que pasaba en nintendo tiempo atrás. Ha pesar de describir un poco sus orígenes, es una recopilación de todos y cada uno de los artículos y juegos que hizo nintendo desde su creación hace 120 años. Todas sus cartas, sus juguetes, sus muebles de oficina...
A pesar de no ser un relato de "historia" al uso, el exhaustivo trabajo, la calidad de sus hojas, estar a todo color y venir con la portada cubierta con un plástico, le da a este libro una gran calidad. Ésta es la primera parte, que tan solo llega hasta las máquinas recreativas.
A pesar de no ser un relato de "historia" al uso, el exhaustivo trabajo, la calidad de sus hojas, estar a todo color y venir con la portada cubierta con un plástico, le da a este libro una gran calidad. Ésta es la primera parte, que tan solo llega hasta las máquinas recreativas.
May 2, 2014
The French to English translation of this book is poor and riddled with typos. However, it is good enough to get the information across and the bulk of the book is pictures. It's a fascinating look at the early days of Nintendo and it details dozens of products you've probably never seen before. Highly recommended, just don't expect much depth from the accompanying text.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews