Gunpei yo koi biography

Gunpei Yokoi

Japanese video game designer (–)

In this Japanese name, the surname is Yokoi.

Gunpei Yokoi (横井 軍平, Yokoi Gunpei, 10 September – 4 October ), sometimes transliterated as Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese toy maker and video game designer.

As a long-time Nintendo employee, he was finest known as creator of the Game & Watch handheld system, inventor of the cross-shaped Regulate Pad, the original designer of the Game Boy, and producer of a few long-running and critically acclaimed video game franchises such as Metroid and Kid Icarus.

Career

Yokoi graduated from Doshisha University with a degree in electronics. He was first hired by Nintendo in to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its hanafuda cards.[2]

In , Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo, came to a hanafuda factory where Yokoi was working and took notice of a toy, an extending arm that Yokoi made for his own enjoyment during spare time while doing maintenance.

Yamauchi ordered Yokoi to develop it as a proper product for the Christmas rush. The Ultra Hand was a huge success, and Yokoi was asked to work on other Nintendo toys, including the Ten Billion Barrel puzzle, a miniature remote-controlled vacuum cleaner called the Chiritory, a baseball-throwing machine called the Ultra Machine, and a "Love Tester".

He worked on toys until the company decided to make video games in ,[3] when he became one of its first game designers, only preceded by Genyo Takeda.[4] While traveling on the Shinkansen, Yokoi supposedly saw a bored businessman playing with an LCDcalculator by pressing the buttons.

Yokoi then got the idea for a watch that doubled as a miniature video gaming pastime.[5]

In , Yamauchi appointed Yokoi to supervise Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Shigeru Miyamoto.[6] Yokoi explained many of the intricacies of game design to Miyamoto at the beginning of his career, and the venture only came to be approved after Yokoi brought Miyamoto's game ideas to the president's attention.[7]

After the worldwide success of Donkey Kong, Yokoi continued to function with Miyamoto on the next Mario game, Mario Bros.[7] He proposed the multiplayer concept and convinced his co-worker to offer Mario some superhuman abilities, such as the ability to spring unharmed from great heights.[7]

After Mario Bros., Yokoi produced several R&D1 games, such as Kid Icarus and Metroid.[8] He designed R.O.B.[9] and the Game Boy, the latter of which became a worldwide success.[8] Another of his creations, the Virtual Boy, was a commercial failure.

Nintendo has denied that the Virtual Boy's poor performance in the market was the reason for Yokoi's subsequent departure from the company,[10] holding that his retirement was "absolutely coincidental" to the market performance of any Nintendo hardware.[11] According to his Nintendo and Koto colleague Yoshihiro Taki, Yokoi had originally decided to retire at age 50 to complete as he pleased but had simply delayed it.[12] According to David Sheff's book Game Over, Yokoi never actually intended for the console to be released in its present form.

However, Nintendo pushed the Virtual Young man to market so that it could focus development resources on the Nintendo [13]

Amid the mistake of the Virtual Boy and the launch of the more successful Game Boy Pocket, Yokoi left Nintendo on 15 August , after thirty-one years at the company.

Leaving with several of his subordinates to build a new company called Koto, Yokoi led the development of the BandaiWonderSwan handheld game console.[14][15]

Design philosophy

Yokoi said "The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the declare of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply."[13] He articulated his philosophy of "Lateral Thinking with 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 manual Yokoi Gunpei Game House.

"Withered technology" in this context refers to a mature technology which is cheap and well understood. "Lateral thinking" refers to conclusion 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.[17] At the time of its development, Acute and Casio were fiercely competing in the digital calculator market.

For this reason, there was a glut of liquid crystal displays and semiconductors. The "lateral thinking" was to find an original and fun use for this cheap and abundant technology. The NES and Game Young man were developed under a similar philosophy.[18] In the handheld market, Yokoi's refusal to adopt a color display for the Game Boy, in favor of lengthy battery life, is cited as the main reason it prevailed against Sega's Game Gear and Atari's Lynx.[18]

Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo from until his death in , 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 flourishing Nintendo DS and Wii.[19]

The Wii's internal technology was similar to that of Nintendo's previous abode console, the GameCube, and was not as advanced in terms of computational capability and multimedia versatility compared to its competitors: the Xbox and PlayStation 3.

Instead, the system offered something completely different by introducing motion-based controls to the console market in an attempt to transform 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.

Biography: Gunpei Yokoi played a key role in Nintendo's increase to prominence in the gaming industry. He developed their layout philosophy of Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō ("Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology"), which involved using older, cheaper technology in creative ways.

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 4 October , 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 motorcar to inspect the damage, Yokoi was hit and injured by a passing car.

The driver of the car that strike 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 translates from Japanese as Father of Games – Gunpei Yokoi, the Male Who Created Nintendo's DNA.[14] A book's title translates to Yokoi's House of Gaming,[25] which was explored in English in by Tokyo Scum Brigade.[26] A guide about him is Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo's God of Toys.[27]

In , 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 titled "The Man Who Was Called the God of Games" featuring all his key Nintendo works.[30] In , Bandai began releasing a series of handheld puzzle games named Gunpey as a tribute to their original author, Yokoi.[31]

Works

Designer

Producer

References

  1. ^ abForster, Winnie ().

    Computer and video game makers (in German). Gameplan.

    Most likely, in the collective imagination, the Japanese city of Kyoto brings to mind ancient temples and the more traditional part of Japan. But far from the decidedly more futuristic lights of Tokyo, Kyoto was the birthplace of one of the people considered among the most important in the history of video gaming: Gunpei Yokoi. His name may tell you nothing, and Gunpei Yokoi's personal story may border on the ordinary if browse in a passive, superficial way: a degree in electrical engineering and first job as a maintenance worker at a business that manufactured playing cards and toys. But perhaps the story is to be read in a different light if you knew that the company was Nintendo and that Gunpei Yokoi revolutionized the world of video game entertainment forever.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;.

  2. ^"Forgotten Giant: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Gunpei Yokoi". Game Informer. Vol.&#;12, no.&#; January p.&#;
  3. ^Fleming, Dan ().

    Powerplay. Manchester University Press ND. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

  4. ^"The Proposition is to Use Two Televisions". Iwata Asks: Punch-Out!!. Nintendo of America, Inc. 13 September Retrieved 18 March
  5. ^ abCrigger, Lara (6 March ).

    "The Escapist: Searching for Gunpei Yokoi". Archived from the original on 18 April Retrieved 1 June

  6. ^Kent
  7. ^ abc"Mario Couldn't Vault At First".

    Iwata Asks: Fresh Super Mario Bros. Wii. Nintendo of America, Inc. 13 November Retrieved 18 March

  8. ^ abc"Farewell, Game Boy". Electronic Gaming Monthly.

    No.&#; Ziff Davis. December p.&#;

  9. ^US application , Gunpei Yokoi, "Photosensing video game rule system", issued 28 March , assigned to Nintendo Co Ltd&#;
  10. ^"Profile: Gunpei Yokoi".

    Nsidr. 23 October Retrieved 3 July

  11. ^"Nintendo's Leap into the Unknown".

    Gunpei Yokoi: The Transformation of Nintendo – Game Crater: As a long-time Nintendo employee, he was best established as creator of the Game & Watch handheld system, inventor of the cross-shaped Control Pad, the original designer of the Game Boy, and producer of a few long-running and critically acclaimed video game franchises such as Metroid and Kid Icarus.

    Next Generation. No.&#; Imagine Media. November p.&#;

  12. ^Inoue, Osamu (27 April ). Nintendo Magic: Winning the Videogame Wars.

    Biography. Gunpei Yokoi was among the first video game designers at Nintendo and spearheaded the company’s transformation from a maker of toys and playing cards into a global electronic gaming empire.

    Paul Tuttle Starr (translator). Vertical. ISBN&#;.

  13. ^ abSheff, David; Eddy, Andy (). Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children.

    GamePress. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

  14. ^ abMakino, Takefumi (). Father of Games – Gunpei Yokoi, the Man Who Created Nintendo's DNA (ゲームの父・横井軍平伝 任天堂のＤＮＡを創造した男, Geemu no Chichi, Yokoi Gunpei Den: Nintendo no DNA wo Souzou Shita Otoko) (in Japanese).

    Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN&#;.

  15. ^"Nintendo Key Figures - Gunpei Yokoi (横井軍平)". beforemario. 8 March Retrieved 12 July
  16. ^Yokoi, Gunpei; Makino, Takefumi (May ). Yokoi Gunpei Game House (横井軍平ゲーム館, Yokoi Gunpei Gēmu-kan).

    ASCII. ISBN&#;.

  17. ^Ryan, Jeff. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. Penguin.
  18. ^ abParish, Jeremy.

    Gunpei Yokoi —sometimes transliterated Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese video game designer. Gunpei Yokoi grew up in Kyoto where he graduated from Doshinsha University with a degree in electronics. He was first hired by Nintendo in to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its Hanafuda cards. InNintendo began as a playing cards manufacturer, their Hanafuda playcards were very popular.

    The Troubled Past and Challenging Future of Nintendo 3DS: What the 3DS owes to Virtual Boy (and how it's different)Archived 11 July at the Wayback Machine. 31 March

  19. ^"後藤弘茂のWeekly海外ニュース". .
  20. ^Jones, Steven E.

    and Thiruvathukal, George K. Codename Revolution: The Nintendo Wii Platform. MIT Push.

  21. ^"Virtual Boy – What about Channel 4?". . Retrieved 16 April
  22. ^"Game Boy Inventor Dies in Car Crash".

    IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 6 October Retrieved 27 July

  23. ^ abAshcraft, Brian (7 April ). "The Father of the Game Boy Was Not Killed By Yakuza". Retrieved 18 June
  24. ^"IGN: Gunpei Yokoi Biography".

    Archived from the authentic on 13 September Retrieved 1 June

  25. ^Yokoi, Kohei; Makino, Takefumi (). Yokoi's House of Gaming (横井軍平ゲーム館) (in Japanese). ASCII. ISBN&#;.
  26. ^"Yokoi Gunpei's House of Gaming: The Toymaker".

    Tokyo Scum Brigade. 5 April Retrieved 12 July

  27. ^Various (9 January ). Gunpei Yokoi: The Life & Philosophy of Nintendo's God of Toys.

    Yokoi graduated from Doshisha University with a degree in electronics. He was first hired by Nintendo in to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its hanafuda cards. InHiroshi Yamauchipresident of Nintendo, came to a hanafuda factory where Yokoi was functional and took notice of a toy, an extending arm that Yokoi made for his hold amusement during spare time while doing maintenance. Yamauchi ordered Yokoi to develop it as a proper product for the Christmas rush.

    Les Editions Pix'N Devotion. ISBN&#;.

  28. ^"Game Boy Creator Gunpei Yokoi to Receive IGDA'S Lifetime Achievement Award At The 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards". 20 February Archived from the unique on 15 June Retrieved 27 November
  29. ^"Top Ten Game Creators".

    Retrieved 24 January

  30. ^Walker, Matt (24 August ). "Gunpei Yokoi Exhibit in Harakuju: "The Gentleman Who Was Called the God of Games"". Nintendo World Report.

    Inthe family-run Nintendo Playing Card Company hired him to maintain the manufacturing equipment that produced its hanafuda cards. But by the mids, the domestic playing card market was declining, and the company searched for novel sources of profit. Yokoi moved from the assembly line to research and development. To manufacture this toy, Yokoi collaborated with Masayuki Uemura, who worked for the Sharp Corporation on solar cells.

    Retrieved 12 July

  31. ^"TGS Gunpey". IGN. 2 November Archived from the original on 23 March Retrieved 23 March

External links