Retronauts Episode 351: Gunpei Yokoi, Part 2
Virtual Boys, Be Ambitious
Late last year Jeremy had a nice conversation with Matt Alt and Bill Mudron about Gunpei Yokoi, the tinkerer-turned-gamemaker who was an integral part of making Nintendo the powerhouse it is today. That conversation was recorded & released to you as Episode 341 of Retronauts but a funny thing happened: They spoke so much about Yokoi's background and the state of Nintendo (and Japan) in the 1960s and 70s that they ran out of time before really getting to the whole video game part of Gunpei Yokoi's career.
So please, enjoy this nice second conversation between the same three people listed above as they discuss Gunpei Yokoi's video game career, including the creation, boom, and subsequent burst of the Game & Watch, lots of Donkey Kong and Game Boy talk, Bill's spot-on Yokoi impression, and an always relevant defense of the Virtual Boy. When Jeremy says the phrase "Game Boy cargo pants" I promise it will make sense in context!
PS: That interview with Satoru Okada referenced in this episode was in a print magazine, but here's an online summary including the relevant quote on Yokoi's ideas for the Game Boy.
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MP3, 51 MB | 1:47:57 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Libsyn
Artwork for this episode by Greg Melo and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.
