“Super Mario”, “Donkey Kong”, “The Legend of Zelda” – just the sound of these names makes millions of video game fans Germany and brought back warm memories from all over the world. Entire generations grew up with the heroines and heroes from the Japanese video game developer Nintendo. They are cult figures – and a piece of cultural history. How it all began and Nintendo’s rise to global status Video game-Giants succeeded, fans can admire this from October 2, 2024 in the world’s only Nintendo museum near Japan’s old imperial city of Kyoto. The nostalgic journey through the company’s history is a mixture of product exhibition and interactive play paradise. The German Press Agency was allowed to take a look around in advance.

Nostalgic start

The journey through the company’s 135-year history, from its beginnings in the 19th century to today, begins with an escalator on the 1st floor. What immediately catches the eye are oversized consoles from various Nintendo eras hanging from the ceiling. From the 1983 Family Computer or Famicom (marketed overseas in a different case as the Nintendo Entertainment System) to the GameBoy up to the current one Nintendo Switch. The visitors’ memories of their own past are immediately awakened. The idea was to create a place where three generations of a family could look back with joy on their own video game experiences and visitors could exchange ideas, says Nintendo’s famous video game developer Shigeru Miyamoto. The Japanese, who originally wanted to become a manga artist, became one of the most successful video game designers of all time with series such as “Super Mario”, “Donkey Kong”, “The Legend of Zelda” and “Pikmin”. “Every person can have their own place here where they can reminisce about beautiful memories,” says Miyamoto, describing the concept in an interview with selected foreign journalists. The individual consoles, including accessories and the associated games, are presented in their original packaging. The respective games can be seen in action on monitors above and heard over loudspeakers. “It’s also very surprising to me to know that all of these characters are more than 20 years old,” says Miyamoto. Fans will also find out how the graphics of the Nintendo consoles developed.

Analogue and virtual games represented

The circular exhibition ranges from Hanafuda playing cards, with which Nintendo’s company history began in 1889, to board games and other toys from the 1950s to 1970s Video game consoles. Initially the concept was to show Nintendo’s products. “But when I put myself in the perspective of the visitors, I would like to at least look a little behind the scenes, something that we have not made possible so far,” says Miyamoto. That’s why there is also an area with prototypes in which, for example, various concepts of the Wii Balance Board are shown.

Gamble like in old times

After the tour through the many exhibits, eight games await guests on the ground floor, depicting the diversity of the Nintendo world and at the same time creating new experiences. In a modern twist on the Game & Watch, the first portable, pocket-sized console released by Nintendo in the 1980s, visitors interact with a game projected on the wall using the shadows of their arms. There are two games for this: “Ball”, the first game and watch game at the time, and “Manhole”. In a kind of digital version of the traditional card game Hanafuda, visitors can also use smart devices to search for motifs that are projected onto the floor. Things get really nostalgic in the Nintendo Classics area, where you can try out more than 80 NES, Super NES or Nintendo 64 games on consoles for a limited time, almost like in the old days, including “Mario Kart“, “Donkey Kong” and “The Legend of Zelda“. Important to know: Each admission ticket is loaded with only ten digital coins. They are quickly sold off. There is no option to buy additional coins in the museum. If you want to play more, you have to register for a new admission ticket on another day. It is only available by lottery on the museum’s official website. It is said that no more than 1,500 to 2,000 visitors should be allowed in per day.

Nintendo: more than just video games?

The museum building itself is part of the history of Nintendo. The traditional company, founded in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing cards, initially used the building, which was built in 1969, to produce playing cards and from 2016 also as a warehouse before deciding to set up a museum there. The area in front of the museum building is now paved with 8-bit motifs from “Super Mario” games. The company sees itself as more than just a video game manufacturer. The aim of the museum is to express “that we are, first and foremost, an entertainment company,” says Miyamoto. New employees come to Nintendo every year, between 100 and 200. “And every year I give this lecture about what Nintendo is,” said Miyamoto. “And after doing that for 20 years, I somehow don’t want to do that anymore. ” At the same time, the museum content should continue to develop. Revising, changing and correcting is “exactly the same as with video games,” says the famous developer about the preparations. Even a few days before the opening, changes were made. “And if Nintendo makes new ones Games and hardware are being developed, this museum will grow with this development,” reveals Miyamoto. The current exhibits in the exhibition will be expanded accordingly. But only there. More museums are not planned. (With material from dpa.)