Gunpei Yokoi
Gunpei Yokoi | |
---|---|
横井 軍平 | |
game producer | |
Years active | 1965–1997 |
Gunpei Yokoi (横井 軍平, Yokoi Gunpei, September 10, 1941 – October 4, 1997), sometimes transliterated as Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese
Career
Yokoi graduated from Doshisha University with a degree in electronics. He was first hired by Nintendo in 1965 to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its hanafuda cards.[2]
In 1966,
In 1981, Yamauchi appointed Yokoi to supervise
After the worldwide success of Donkey Kong, Yokoi continued to work with Miyamoto on the next Mario game, Mario Bros.[7] He proposed the multiplayer concept and convinced his co-worker to give Mario some superhuman abilities, such as the ability to jump unharmed from great heights.[7]
After Mario Bros., Yokoi produced several
Amid the failure of the Virtual Boy and the launch of the more successful
Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology
Yokoi said "The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply."[13] He articulated his philosophy of "Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology" (枯れた技術の水平思考, "Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō") (also translated as "Lateral Thinking with Seasoned Technology"), in the book Yokoi Gunpei Game House. "Withered technology" in this context refers to a mature technology which is cheap and well understood. "Lateral thinking" refers to finding radical new ways of using such technology. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting-edge technology; novel and fun gameplay are more important. In the interview, he suggested that expensive cutting-edge technology can get in the way of developing a new product.[16]
Game & Watch was developed based on this philosophy.
Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo from 2002 until his death in 2015, claimed that this philosophy has been passed on to the disciples of Yokoi, such as Miyamoto, and it continues to show itself in Nintendo's then current use of technology, with the highly successful Nintendo DS and Wii.[19]
The Wii's internal technology was similar to that of Nintendo's previous home console, the GameCube, and was not as advanced in terms of computational capability and multimedia versatility compared to its competitors: the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Instead, the system offered something completely different by introducing motion-based controls to the console market in an attempt to change the ways video games are played, and consequently, to widen the audience for video games in general. This strategy demonstrated Nintendo's belief that graphical advancement isn't the only way to make progress in gaming technology; indeed, after the Wii's overwhelming success, Sony and Microsoft released their own motion control peripherals. Nintendo's emphasis on peripherals for the Wii has also been pointed to as an example of Yokoi's "lateral thinking" at work.[20]
Death
On October 4, 1997, Yokoi was riding in a car driven by his associate Etsuo Kiso on the Hokuriku Expressway, when the vehicle rear-ended a truck.[21][22][23] After the two men had left the car to inspect the damage, Yokoi was hit and injured by a passing car. The driver of the car that hit Yokoi in the second accident was Gen Tsushima, a member of the tourism industry.[23] Yokoi's death was confirmed two hours later.[5][24] Kiso suffered only a fractured rib.[8]
Legacy
The title of his main biography from 2010 translates from Japanese as Father of Games – Gunpei Yokoi, the Man Who Created Nintendo's DNA.[14] A 1997 book's title translates to Yokoi's House of Gaming,[25] which was explored in English in 2010 by Tokyo Scum Brigade.[26] A 2014 book about him is Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo's God of Toys.[27]
In 2003, Yokoi posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Game Developers Association.[28] GameTrailers placed him on their lists for the "Top Ten Game Creators".[29] An art gallery in Japan created an art exhibit in 2010 titled "The Man Who Was Called the God of Games" featuring all his key Nintendo works.[30] In 1999, Bandai began releasing a series of handheld puzzle games named Gunpey as a tribute to their original creator, Yokoi.[31]
Works
Designer
- Ultra Hand (1966)
- Ultra Machine (1968)
- Love Tester (1969)
- Light Ray Gun SP Series (1970)
- Eleconga (1970)
- NB Block Crater (1970)
- Ultra Scope(1971)
- Light Ray Telephone LT (1971)
- Lefty RX (1972)
- Time Shock (1972)
- Laser Clay Shooting System (1973)
- Wild Gunman (1974)
- Shooting Trainer (1974)
- Light Ray Gun Custom Series (1976)
- Duck Hunt (1977)
- Battle Shark Skyhawk (1977)
- Radio Controlled Cleaner (1979)
- Nintendo Tumbler Puzzle (1980)
- Game & Watch (1980)
- Computer Mahjong(1982)
- D-pad (1983)
- Famicom Controller(1983)
- R.O.B. (1985)
- NES Zapper (1985)
- Game Boy (1989)
- Super Scope (1992)
- Virtual Boy (1995)
- Game Boy Pocket(1996)
- WonderSwan (1999, released posthumously)
- Gunpey (1999, released posthumously)
Producer
- Donkey Kong(1981)
- Donkey Kong Jr. (1982)
- Mario Bros. (1983)
- Donkey Kong 3 (1983)
- Wild Gunman (1984)
- Duck Hunt (1984)
- Hogan's Alley (1984)
- Urban Champion (1984)
- Balloon Fight (1985)
- Wrecking Crew (1985)
- Stack-Up(1985)
- Gyromite(1985)
- Gumshoe (1986)
- Metroid (1986)
- Kid Icarus (1986)
- Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School (1987)
- Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir(1988)
- Famicom Wars (1988)
- Tetris(1989)
- Super Mario Land (1989)
- Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind(1989)
- Solar Striker (1990)
- Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (1990)
- Dr. Mario (1990)
- Balloon Kid (1990)
- Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991)
- Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (1991)
- Fire Emblem Gaiden (1992)
- X (1992)
- Mario Paint (1992)
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)
- Battle Clash (1992)
- Yoshi's Cookie (1992)
- Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (1993)
- Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)
- Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (1994)
- Mario's Tennis (1995)
- Mario Clash (1995)
- Panel de Pon(1995)
- Virtual Boy Wario Land (1995)
- Kirby's Block Ball (1995)
- 3D Tetris (1996)
- Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (1996)
References
- ^ ISBN 9783000215841.
- ^ "Forgotten Giant: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Gunpei Yokoi". Game Informer. Vol. 12, no. 105. January 2002. p. 116.
- ISBN 978-0-7190-4717-6.
- Nintendo of America, Inc.13 September 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ a b Crigger, Lara (6 March 2007). "The Escapist: Searching for Gunpei Yokoi". Escapistmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ Kent 158.
- ^ Nintendo of America, Inc.13 November 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "Farewell, Game Boy". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. December 1998. p. 20.
- ^ US application 4815733, Gunpei Yokoi, "Photosensing video game control system", issued 28 March 1989, assigned to Nintendo Co Ltd
- ^ "Profile: Gunpei Yokoi". Nsidr. 23 October 2000. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 16.
- ISBN 978-1934287224.
- ^ OCLC 26214063.
- ^ ISBN 978-4-04-885058-2.
- ^ "Nintendo Key Figures - Gunpei Yokoi (横井軍平)". beforemario. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-4-89366-696-3.
- ^ Ryan, Jeff. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. Penguin. 2011.
- ^ a b Parish, Jeremy. The Troubled Past and Challenging Future of Nintendo 3DS: What the 3DS owes to Virtual Boy (and how it's different) Archived 11 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. 1up.com. 31 March 2011.
- ^ "後藤弘茂のWeekly海外ニュース". pc.watch.impress.co.jp.
- ^ Jones, Steven E. and Thiruvathukal, George K. Codename Revolution: The Nintendo Wii Platform. MIT Press. 2012.
- ^ "Virtual Boy – What about Channel 4?". www.rfgeneration.com. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ "Game Boy Inventor Dies in Car Crash". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 6 October 1997. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ a b Brian Ashcraft (7 April 2011). "The Father of the Game Boy Was Not Killed By Yakuza". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "IGN: Gunpei Yokoi Biography". Stars.ign.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ISBN 978-4893666963.
- ^ "Yokoi Gunpei's House of Gaming: The Toymaker". Tokyo Scum Brigade. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-2918272243.
- ^ "Game Boy Creator Gunpei Yokoi to Receive IGDA'S Lifetime Achievement Award At The 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards". 20 February 2003. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Top Ten Game Creators". Gametrailers.com. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ Walker, Matt (24 August 2010). "Gunpei Yokoi Exhibit in Harakuju: "The Man Who Was Called the God of Games"". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ "TGS 2006: Gunpey". IGN. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.