Jonathan Frahm

Staff Writer
@JNoodles_

First released on April 21, 1989 in Japan, the original Game Boy handheld system turns 25 years old today.

The little gray brick that could wasn’t just the first Game Boy that Nintendo had ever produced, but the first handheld system that the games company released ever in their expansive and illustrious history.

If that’s not impressive enough for you given Nintendo’s great success with handhelds even to this date with their current gen offering, the 3DS, one should remember that the Game Boy sparked much more than just a line of products that practically sold themselves for a corporation’s personal victories, but that it sparked a humongous cultural revolution. For a product that was initially labeled as “underpowered” and “terrible” in its design choices, it sure was a wonder that every sensible kid both young and old at the time begged their parents for it.

Even Will Smith famously mentioned it during one of his most memorable scenes as Agent J in the classic ’90s film, Men in Black!

It’s a testament to the genius of the late, great Gunpei Yokoi, who created the Game Boy from the ground up and fronted the project to bring his vision to fruition.

15 years later, Nintendo would release the first of its DS family based on Yokoi’s lateral way of thinking and showed that lightning really could strike twice, as the dual-screened handheld went on to outsell its predecessor with a whopping total of ~153 million units sold. So, let’s take a moment to celebrate not only the Game Boy, but its creator, and the massive legacy he has left which still looms high over game development processes to this day.

Here’s to you, Game Boy, and here’s to you, Yokoi-san.

Now, let’s all promise ourselves to do something productive today by getting out our old Game Boys and finally itching that Pokémon Yellow-induced scratch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycxmRZ66-kI

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