A single video game company dominated the 1980’s and the 1990’s and that company was Nintendo. Today, at the age of 85, the man behind the company’s success passed away.
More than just the face behind a company, he was the sole reason the company existed. After seeing the potential for growth his company possessed, he turned the focus from playing cards to toys and eventually towards gaming. With the development of arcade style systems and eventually the NES and Game Boy, Yamauchi singlehandedly turned Nintendo into a word synonymous with video games.
Growing up in that era you would’ve been hard-pressed to find someone without a Game Boy or an NES back home. He brought the console home and began an era of handheld gaming, the influence of which is still seen today. He changed the way a medium operated and was behind some of largest series and franchises in video game history. He is the man that changed gaming and had it not been for his dedication towards a new direction, gaming wouldn’t be where it is today.