The 21st of April 1989 marked a special date in video game hardware history. Forever this date has transcended a cultural phenomenon with the debut of the simple designed grey brick of gaming joy. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Game Boy has become the most iconic video game console in electronic hardware history.
Everyone young and old associates any portable gaming devices with that unambiguous name ‘Game Boy.’ Even in my primary school years, I use to play my Sega Game Gear and my Mum without fail used to always say, ‘Turn off your Game Boy, dinner is ready.’ This device has carved a name in everyone’s mind as the one and only portable gaming machine and to go one to become Nintendo’s second all-time best seller.
According to latest numbers on the Nintendo official website, the Game Boy has gone on to have sold over 118 million units to date which includes the Pocket and Colour variants, along with 501 million in software sales. The sales of the original Game Boy were definitely influenced by the attractive bundle with the addictive block stacker, Tetris. This marriage of hardware and software paved the way for future entertaining and challenging titles combined with flawless control system for any hands to hold.
The Game Boy had a long and successful run for more than 15 years and secured its legacy by being inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2009. With its rectangular box design and khaki green screen rendering a blend of black and grey pixels, this simple piece of electronic equipment changed the way people played games forever. On this special milestone for Nintendo’s Game Boy, we raise a glass to this fantastic piece of gaming past!
Make sure you share your fondest Game Boy memories and favourite games in the comments section below!
