Memories of Video Play: The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Our first article for the series of Memories of Video Play starts off this month with:

The Nintendo Entertainment System

The year: 1983. The system: The Nintendo Entertainment System or NES for short. It is the system that brought many of us back to playing video games. For many others, it was their first real step into the world of power-ups, warps and high scores.

A little bit of history: The System, an 8-bit video game console, was released in 1983 by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Its Japanese equivalent was known as the Nintendo Family Computer, or Famicom.

The most successful gaming console of its time; Nintendo claims to have sold over 60 million NES units worldwide. The NES helped revitalize the video game industry following the video game crash of 1983, and set the standard for subsequent consoles in everything from game design (the first modern platform game, Super Mario Bros., was the system's first "killer app") to business practices.

Our hope with Memories of Video Play is to gather some of your experiences playing the video game system taht is highlighted. How old were you when you first played? What games did you play? Did this system set the bar for future in relation to video game play? Was this the last video game system you played? If so - why? We thank you in advance for sharing your comments.

DVD: Starcade First Edition #1

Description: Episodes: 19, 59, 60, 62, and 63 Invitational. Includes behind the scenes footage from Starcade. JM Productions.

STARCADE was a game show where contestants compete by answering trivia questions about video games and by playing video games. The show aired on TV stations across the US in the 1980's, generally on Saturday mornings or early afternoons. It featured the hottest video games of that time. Today, the games of STARCADE are considered the classics of the video game industry.

STARCADE shows included:
Game Questions: Trivia questions about video games were asked to determine which contestant would pick the game to be played.

Game Play: Two contestants played 4 different video arcade games for prizes and the right to play the Grand Prize round.

Grand Prize Round: Winning contestant played against the clock to try to score the average number of points scored by more than 30 different players playing the same game for the same amount of time. If the contestant scored the required number of points, he or she won the Grand Prize, most often a video arcade game.

Hotline: News and trivia about the video games.

Bumpers: Going to commercial breaks, questions were asked and answered against the backdrop of the side of a video arcade game.

Name the Game Board: Contestant with the most points after two games attempted to identify four video games by sight and sound for prizes.

Mystery Game: In every show, one game was designated as the Mystery Game. If contestants chose to play the mystery game, they instantly won a prize.

This is the first DVD release from the same people that created and produced the Starcade TV show. The video quality is amazingly good for a 20-year-old TV print. It includes:

• 5 Classic Starcade Episodes, including #63: Starcade Invitational which saw the champs from previous shows go head-on
• Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
• Episodes feature Super Pac Man, Buck Rogers, Tac Scan, Star Trek, Super Zaxxon, Joust, Star Wars, and more!

DVD: The Future of Video Games 2K4 Ultimate

Description: The ultimate E3 DVD. The Future of Videogames: 2K4 covers the world?s largest videogame exposition, The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). E3 is held in Los Angeles every year with over 90,000 industry professionals in attendance showing off the game(s) they intend to release in the forthcoming months and, in some cases, years. Videogame publishers and console manufacturers spend millions of dollars each year promoting and showcasing their biggest and best video games making E3 a truly awe-inspiring experience.

Produced in co-operation with the Interactive Digital Software Association and E3 Expo, The Future of Videogames 2K4 DVD gives viewers a chance to share in the excitement of attending the grand event.

The DVDs include exclusive interviews with leading game developers, hundreds of game previews for games that won't hit store shelves for months to come, behind the scenes footage of E3, full 5.1 Dolby Digital sound and an exclusive soundtrack from American band Digital:Newage.

The Future of Videogames: 2K4 will be a 4 DVD set. Each of the 3 major console platforms - Sony's Playstation2 (check exhaustive content here), Microsoft's Xbox (check exhaustive content here) and Nintendo's Game Cube (check exhaustive content here) - will have their own DVD to showcase their E3 presence.

DVD: E3 Access 2005

Description: E3 ACCESS 2005: The Future of Videogames 4-Disc set includes exclusive interviews with leading game developers, a myriad of game previews for titles that won't hit store shelves for months to come, behind the scenes footage of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, full 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, an exclusive soundtrack from Digital:Newage and more!

E3 is the world's largest, most exciting and well attended gathering of the finest minds in the video game industry and E3 ACCESS 2005: The Future of Videogames 4-Disc set brings together a complete behind the scenes package of games, interviews and babes.

Book: Lucky Wander Boy

Description: D.B. Weiss' first novel, "Lucky Wander Boy", is a story seemingly about a young man who ruins his life because of his obsession with the video games of his youth, and one game in particular - Lucky Wander Boy. But don't be fooled! The Video games that populate this book are every bit the McGuffin as was the black bird of Hitchcock's "Maltese Falcon". As you read, you will become increasingly aware that the story is really about something very different. It explores the protagonist Adam Pennyman's relationship to life as expressed thru the video games he plays and often worships.

Book: Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games

Description: Have You Mastered the Delicate Art of Hyperspace? Can You Say "Joystick" in Polite Conversation Without Blushing? Do You Remember the Difference Between Playing "Singles" and "Doubles"?

If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, Arcade Fever is the book for you—the world's first illustrated history of video games, with tributes to 50 all-time favorites like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Defender, Q*Bert, Tetris, and many, many others. You want little-known tips, tricks, and secrets? You want behind-the-scenes creation stories from the original programmers? You want to read about the first guy who actually DIED playing a video game, or the arcade classic that inspired an episode of Seinfeld? It's all right here, in a jam-packed celebration of '70s and '80s arcade culture.

Includes:

o Interviews with programmers, musicians, animators, and other legends from the golden age of video games

o A chronological history of video arcades—from the first coin-operated arcade game (no, it wasn't Pong) to obscure classics like Elevator Action, Crazy Climber, and Food Fight

o Tons of rad '80s spin-off products, including home systems, pajamas, alarm clocks, Saturday morning cartoons, sugar-coated breakfast cereals, and a really bad movie starring Jeff Bridges as a programmer who gets sucked into a computer.

Book: 2005 Gamer's Almanac

description: Your daily dose of gaming goodness for Xbox, PlayStation, GameCube, GameBoy, PCs, Macs, and Linux! The 2005 Gamer's Almanac: Your Daily Dose of Tricks, Cheats, and Fascinating Facts is filled with entertaining reviews of games and game gear, comprehensive coverage of mobile and handheld games, gadgets and much more. You will love the inside tips and one-stop shopping approach to insider game industry information and the coverage of all time classic games. Included in the almanac is:

* "Best of" and "Top 10" lists for every aspect of gaming
* Essential guides for LAN parties, case-moders and other who enjoy getting together with friends
* How-to articles on how to create your own games, mods and levels
* Online guides on where to get the best FAQs and walkthroughs for FREE!
* So much more!

This book is for you if you view gaming - be it PC, console or handheld gaming - as a major component of your life!

Book: Joystick Nation

Title: Joystick Nation: How Videogames Ate Our Quarters, Won Our Hearts, and Rewired Our Minds

Description: Amazon.com
This is a look at the revolution that changed the way we play video games. From the prototypical Space Wars, Hunt the Wumpus, and Adventure to modern shoot-em- ups, brain-busters and simulations. J. C. Herz examines what has kept us glued to screens and joysticks. It also explores how video games shaped the way those raised on them (like Herz herself) interact with their world. Joystick Nation gives an overview of video game history, interviews with the brains behind the most influential games, explorations of what makes various types of games work for various people, and even a peek into a major game development company during the critical countdown to a major release. Herz is a witty writer whose personal approach to the topic can resemble a riff by a stand-up comic. You'll find yourself nodding along with her reactions and smiling--maybe even laughing out loud.

Book: High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games

Description: "...overflowing with color screenshots, package art, reproductions of old game ads, shots of old machines, and photos of collectibles. Every picture triggers another memory, and before long you're awash in blissful recollections..."--Computer Gaming World, August '02

"...300+ pages offer a visually compelling record of the origins and development of electronic entertainment, so buy it for the pictures of rare game boxes and screens... it's a great nostalgia trip for old-timers and a primer on the industry's storied past for the less ancient reader."--Computer Games, August '02

From pinball to PlayStation, this photo-packed volume chronicles the history of electronic games--which has become both a billion dollar industry as well as a cultural phenomenon. Featuring hundreds of interviews with game creators and thousands of never-before-seen photos from the early days, this book honors the games that have captivated youngsters and the young-at-heart for more than 30 years--making this the ultimate tribute to electronic games.

Book Info
From pinball to PlayStation, this photo-packed volume chronicles the history of electronic games--which has become both a billion dollar industry as well as a cultural phenomenon. Softcover. (Amazon.com)

Book: The Ultimate History of Video Games

In this rollicking, mammoth history of video games from pinball to Pong to Playstation II Kent, a technology journalist and self-professed video game addict, covers almost every conceivable aspect of the industry, from the technological leaps that made the games possible to the corporate power struggles that won (and lost) billions of dollars. Anecdotes are legion. Readers learn that early Atari, for example, had the corporate climate of a dot-com startup, with rampant drug use and meetings staged in outdoor hot tubs. The original name for Pac-Man turns out to be Puck-Man; its creators changed the name after worrying that vandals in arcades would replace the P with an F. In 1978, there were so many people playing Space Invaders in Japan that the game caused a national coin shortage. Kent meticulously documents the rise of home video games and the console wars of the past decade, when Sega, Nintendo, Sony and others raced to produce the fastest, most powerful game system. Also addressed is the public backlash of the '80s, when video games were thought to distract students from homework, and the '90s, when Doom and other violent games were linked to the massacre at Columbine High School. Along the way, Kent interviews virtually every key player in the industry. At times, Kent's comprehensiveness is exhausting 500-plus pages on video games may be a bit much, even for their most ardent admirers. But most often Kent's infectious enthusiasm is enough to carry the reader along. Equal parts oral history, engineering study, business memoir, game catalogue and Gen-X nostalgia trip, Kent's book is a loving tribute to one of the most dynamic (and profitable) industries in the world today. (Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.)

Book: The Encyclopedia of Game Machines

Title: The Encyclopedia of Game Machines, Consoles, Handhelds & Home Computers 1972-2005

Description: This book presents almost every game computer and console ever created from Japan, USA, and Europe, along with classic software in all its pixilated glory. Each system entry includes brilliant pictures of the machine as well as some nostalgic screen shots. Also, detailed notes about each system, from background information to units sold to variants and successors, give you more information than you could have ever hoped for.

You’ll find all your favorite systems covered: from Atari to Xbox, from the C64 to Nintendo DS. Some were dream machines and million sellers; others were bizarre slip-ups or exotic variants. But all are celebrated in the pages of Game.Machines. Extensive appendices supplement the main entries with even more technical data. Game.Machines is the reference point for members of the PlayStation generation - whether you’re a gamer, collector, or all of the above. (Think Geek Description)

Book: Supercade – a visual history of the videogame age (1971-1984)

Description: It was a time when technology was king, status was determined by your high score and video games were blitzing the world... Supercade is the first book to illustrate and document the history, legacy and visual language of the video game phenomenon, from the fist interactive blips of electronic light at Brookhaven National Labs and the creation of Spacewar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the invention of the TV Game Project and the myriad systems of Magnavox, Atari, Coleco and Mattel that followed.

From Pong to Pac-Man, Asteroids to Zaxxon, more than 50 million people around the world have come of age within the electronic flux of video games, their subconscious forever etched with images projected from arcade and home video game systems.

Exuberantly written and illustrated in full colour, Supercade pays tribute to the technology, games and visionaries of one of the most influential periods in the history of computer science--one that profoundly shaped the modern technological landscape and helped change the way people view entertainment.

The book includes contributions from such commentators and participants as Ralph Baer, Julian Dibbell, Keith Feinstein, Joe Fielder, Lauren Fielder, Justin Hall, Leonard Herman, Steven Johnson, Steven Kent, Nick Montfort, Bob Parks, Carl Steadman and Tom Vanderbilt. --Miles Taylor

Review: Probably my favorite Video game related book. This is a coffee book that comtains hundred of pictures of Arcade machines and game screens. Beautifully put together with factoids on each game and game era. Yop grade!

DVD: Once Upon Atari

Descripsion: An extremely informative and an important documentary which captures the historic golden age of the Atari 2600 console. Hosted by legendary game designer Howard Scott Warshaw of Yar’s Revenge and E.T. fame.

Review: Great documentary by Howard Scott Warshaw, the guy who created Yar's Revenge - an individual who lived through the rise and fall of Atari. In this documentary, you will meet many of the important players taht had a part in setting the stage for the gaming industry at Atari. Many funny stories and some great footage.

DVD: Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession

Description: Explore the history of videogames from the arcade to the X-Box in this documentary hosted by world skateboarding champion Tony Hawk. In addition to exploring the secrets behind such classic games as Donkey Kong and Doom, interviews with such game designers as Atari's Nolan Bushnell and Activision's David Crane ensure that there's something for everyone from the classic gamer to the console junkie. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Nintendo DS (2004)

The Nintendo DS, (sometimes abbreviated NDS or just DS), is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The name "DS" is short for both Dual Screen and Developer's System, the latter of which refers to the features of the handheld designed to encourage innovative gameplay ideas among developers.

Atari 2600 Handheld - Phoenix (2004)

FRONT OF UNIT
1) Backlit 3.5" (diagonal) TFT active matrix LCD display
2) Built-in D-pad (joystick control) and trigger
3) Built-in paddle controller and trigger
4) Speaker and volume control.
5) Picture tint control (use small screwdriver through the hole) Tint can vary by battery type used (Ni-CD, Ni-MH, alkaline) so this allows you to adjust it depending on which you use.
6) 2.5mm mini-jack input allows you to hook up a Ni-MH charger and juice up the batteries while still in the system. (Requires special charger or adapter)
7) Enamel paint (main case) with quality laser-cut engraving plastic plates (over the screen and controls)

REAR OF UNIT
8) Game cartridge insert. Having it in the back keeps the unit smaller and also keeps the cartridge out of your way when playing.
9) Difficulty switch sets game to Easy or Hard. (Used in older games, some newer ones)
10) Brightness (video amplification) adjustment. (As with tint, use small screwdriver, adjust to taste)
11) (6) AA battery compartment (Tab and magnetic closure)
12) Spot where I sign my name and personally number the unit (This one is #00002 FYI BTW)

Nintendo Game Boy SP (2003)

In early 2003, Nintendo upgraded the Game Boy Advance giving it an internal front-light that can be turned on or off, a rechargeable lithium ion battery, as well as a folding case approximately half the size of the GBA. It was designed to address some common complaints with the original GBA.

Interestingly, complaints about the original GBA screen being hard to see prompted a cottage industry of lighting solutions. This included the Afterburner Frontlighting Kit. This was a kit that sold for $30 and needed to be installed inside the original GBA. This Front-light turned out to be almost identical to Nintendo's solution to lighting the GBA SP.

Nintendo Gamecube (2001)

The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named "Dolphin" during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendo's fourth home video game console, belonging to the Sixth generation era; the same generation as Sega's Dreamcast, Sony's PlayStation 2, and Microsoft's Xbox. The GameCube itself is the most compact and inexpensive of the sixth generation era consoles.

Microsoft X-Box (2001)

The Microsoft Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console first released on November 15, 2001 in North America and Puerto Rico, then released on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and later on March 14, 2002 in Europe. The Xbox was Microsoft's first independent venture into the video game console arena, after having developed the operating system and development tools for the MSX, and having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing.

Game Boy Advance (2001)

The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a handheld videogame console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is one of the latest in the Game Boy series of consoles, and the successor to the popular Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in Europe on June 22, 2001, and in China on June 8, 2004(Not inculding Hong Kong). Its codename during development was Project Atlantis.

Sony Playstation 2 (2000)

The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is Sony's second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. Its development was announced in March 1999, and it was first released in Japan on March 4, 2000 and in North America and Puerto Rico on October 26, 2000. It was released in Europe on November 24, 2000.

The PS2 is part of the sixth generation era, and has become the fastest selling gaming console in history, with over 100 million units shipped by November 2005, beating the previous record holder, the PlayStation, by three years and nine months.

Sega Dreamcast (1998)

The Sega Dreamcast; code-named "Blackbelt", "Dural" and "Katana" during development) was Sega's last video game console. An attempt to recapture the console market with a next-generation system, it was designed to supersede Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's N64, and although generally considered to be "ahead of its time", it failed to gather enough momentum before the release of the PlayStation 2 a year later. After the Dreamcast was discontinued, Sega withdrew from the console hardware business.

Nintendo 64 (1996)

The Nintendo 64, commonly called the N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console. The N64 was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, September 29, 1996 in North America and Puerto Rico, 1 March 1997 in Europe/Australia and September 1, 1997 in France. It was released with only two launch games in Japan and North America (Super Mario 64 and PilotWings 64) while Europe had a third launch title in the form of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (which was released earlier in the other markets). The Nintendo 64 cost $199 at launch in the United States.

Nintendo Virtual Boy (1995)

The Nintendo Virtual Boy (released on August 14, 1995 in the USA and July 21, 1995 in Japan) is a video game console that used a twin eyeglass style projector to display the games in "true" 3-D (though monochromatic). The launch price was around US$180.

The console was designed by Gunpei Yokoi, inventor of the Game & Watch LCD handhelds and the Nintendo Game Boy, but was not intended to replace the Game Boy in Nintendo's product line. Nintendo intended to use the console to take advantage of the then-recent interest in virtual reality brought on by movies like The Lawnmower Man and a number of virtual reality arcade games.

Resources:

Planet Virtual Boy

Sega Saturn (1994)

The Sega Saturn (Sega Saturn), is a video game console of the 32-bit era. It was released on November 22, 1994 in Japan, and May 1995 in North America. Approximately 170,000 machines were sold the first day of the Japanese launch.

Super Nintendo (1990)

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, and Australia. In Japan it is known as the Super Famicom. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy. That console was licensed and distributed by Hyundai Electronics.

Nintendo Gameboy (1989)

The Game Boy line (also: Gameboy, Game-boy) is a line of battery-powered handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo. It is one of the best-selling game system lines selling over 100 million units world wide to date, and has spawned many successful spin-offs. The original Game Boy's design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles.

Sega Genesis (1988)

The Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), North America (1989), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. It debuted under the name "Genesis" in North America, as Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in that territory.

Nintendo Entertainment System - NES (1983)

The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, is an 8-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Its Japanese equivalent is known as the Nintendo Family Computer, or Famicom. The most successful gaming console of its time in Asia and North America (Nintendo claims to have sold over 60 million NES units worldwide [1]), it helped revitalize the video game industry following the video game crash of 1983, and set the standard for subsequent consoles in everything from game design (the first modern platform game, Super Mario Bros., was the system's first "killer app") to business practices. The NES was the first console for which the manufacturer openly courted third-party developers.

Sega Master System (1983)

The Sega Master System (SMS for short), is an 8-bit cartridge-based gaming console that was manufactured by Sega. Its original Japanese incarnation was the SG-1000 Mark III. This console launched SEGA onto the same competitive level as Nintendo, at least in the Japanese market. The Master System was released as a direct competitor to the NES/Famicom. The system ultimately failed to oust its competitor, but has enjoyed over a decade of life in secondary markets, especially Brazil.

Vectrex (1982)

The Vectrex is an 8-bit video game console developed by General Consumer Electric (GCE) and later bought by Milton Bradley Company. The Vectrex is unique in that it utilized vector graphics drawn on a monitor that was integrated in the console; no other console before or after the Vectrex had a comparable configuration. It was released in late 1982 at a retail price of $199. As the video game market declined and then crashed, the Vectrex exited the market in early 1984.

ColecoVision (1982)

The Colecovision is Coleco's third generation video game console, released in August 1982. It offered arcade-like graphics and controllers, and an initial catalog of 12 titles, with 10 more promised titles on the way. All told, approximately 170 titles were released on plug-in cartridges during its lifetime. The controller was a flat joystick, two side buttons, and a number-pad, which allowed the user to put inserts for customized buttons. The majority of titles in its catalog were conversions from coin-operated arcade games. The ColecoVision introduced two new concepts to the home videogame industry - the ability to expand the hardware system, and the ability to play other video game system games.

Pac-Man Tabletop - Coleco (1981)

Mattel Intellevision (1979)

The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1980; development of the console began in 1978 (less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the legendary Atari 2600 aka the Atari VCS).

ATARI 2600 (1977)

The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. It was originally known as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System, and the name "Atari 2600" (taken from the unit's Atari part number, CX2600) was first used in 1982, after the release of the more advanced Atari 5200. It was wildly successful, and during the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media. The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game.

Magnavox Odyssey (1972)

The Magnavox Odyssey is the first home video game console, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. The Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer, who had a working prototype finished by 1968. This prototype is affectionately known as the "Brown Box" to classic video game hobbyists. Unlike most video game consoles, the Odyssey is analog rather than digital, which makes its invention all the more amazing in spite of its rather crude graphics and controller responsiveness. Also, unlike any conventional console today, this system was powered by batteries. The Odyssey and its variants (excluding the Odyssey²) also lack sound capability (hence a silent console), which was not uncommon in early Pong systems of that era.