Thursday 10 August 2017

back catalogue

Delightfully true to its roots, Nintendo continues to sell the traditional card and board games that the company got its start with in 1898. In addition to decks of Western-style playing cards, mah-jong sets and go games there are the traditional hanafuda cards that were the first company’s first popular product. While the kanji characters that make up the company’s name (ไปปๅคฉๅ ‚) probably does not translate to “leave luck to heaven” without taking a lot of license with the language, this examination into why it’s most likely too good to be true is a fascinating romp through the company’s history and a good primer for traditional gaming culture in Japan