How The NES Conquered A Skeptical America In 1985 | War Stories | Ars Technica

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ค. 2024
  • Today on War Stories, Ars Technica is joined by Gail Tilden, the visionary marketing mind behind Nintendo of America's triumphant launch of the NES in 1985. 35 years ago, Nintendo knew they had a winner on their hands with the revolutionary Nintendo Entertainment System. However, following the early-1980’s collapse of the U.S. video game market, skeptical retailers and consumers alike would prove a difficult obstacle in bringing their product to the masses. Learn surprising details about the ups and downs Gail and her band of colleagues overcame in making the NES the cultural icon it is today, the methodology and partnerships that went into convincing doubtful retailers, and how Nintendo ultimately persuaded millions of families to open their living rooms to more than "just the next fad." If Gail's interviews for "High Score" on Netflix left you wanting more, this episode has you covered.
    --
    00:00 Introduction
    00:58 A Famicom For The U.S.
    05:54 Convincing America That This Was New
    10:52 The NES - Fun For The Whole Family
    19:44 Now You’re Playing With Power
    --
    Footage used in this video:
    News Report: Nintendo's Revival of the Video Game Industry. December 1988
    • News Report: Nintendo'...
    The Best NINTENDO Arcades
    • Best NINTENDO Classics...
    Game & Watch - Flagman (c)1980 Nintendo [MAME emulation footage]
    • Game & Watch - Flagman...
    Nintendo - Mario's Cement Factory Video Game Commercial - 1983
    • Nintendo - Mario's Cem...
    Very first Nintendo Family Computer Commercial [1983]
    • Very first Nintendo Fa...
    Famicom commercials
    • Famicom commercials
    NES TV Commercials (1986-1994) - NintendoComplete
    • NES TV Commercials (19...
    NUTS FOR NINTENDO special on ABC news 2020 from 1988
    • NUTS FOR NINTENDO spec...
    16 Minutes of Atari 2600 Commercials from the 70s / 80s
    • 16 Minutes of Atari 26...
    Excavating the Atari E.T. Video Game Burial Site-GameLife-WIRED
    • Excavating the Atari E...
    Early NES Nintendo Commercial featuring ROBtherobot
    • Early NES Nintendo Com...
    Nintendo Zapper Commercial
    • Nintendo Zapper Commer...
    Duck Hunt (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
    • Duck Hunt (NES) Playth...
    Golf (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
    • Golf (NES) Playthrough...
    Clu Clu Land - NES Gameplay
    • Clu Clu Land - NES Gam...
    Ice Climber - NES Gameplay
    • Ice Climber - NES Game...
    Parents Upset Over New Nintendo Console - Super Nintendo - Circa 1991
    • Parents Upset Over New...
    Ninja Kid - NES Gameplay
    • Ninja Kid - NES Gameplay
    Baseball (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
    • Baseball (NES) Playthr...
    Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1986) - NES Gameplay HD
    • Mario Bros. (Nintendo,...
    1980s Electrical store 1980s Dixons British Retail British Shops TV Eye 1986
    • 1980s Electrical store...
    Nintendo-Published NES Games (1985-1986)
    • Nintendo-Published NES...
    RealSports Tennis for the Atari 8-bit family
    • RealSports Tennis for ...
    The Console Wars -- XMas 1990
    • The Console Wars -- X...
    Teddy Ruxpin Commercial
    • Teddy Ruxpin Commercial
    Punch-Out!! - NES Gameplay
    • Punch-Out!! - NES Game...
    My Top 10 BEST Issues of Nintendo Power
    • My Top 10 BEST Issues ...
    1990 Nintendo Power Commercial
    • 1990 Nintendo Power Co...
    Connect with Ars Technica:
    Visit ArsTechnica.com: arstechnica.com
    Follow Ars Technica on Facebook: / arstechnica
    Follow Ars Technica on Google+: plus.google.com/+ArsTechnica/...
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    How The NES Conquered A Skeptical America In 1985 | War Stories | Ars Technica
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ความคิดเห็น • 448

  • @CSM100MK2
    @CSM100MK2 3 ปีที่แล้ว +344

    I remember waking up at like 3am one night when I was about 6 and my parents were playing Super Mario 3 with the volume off and had gotten to the Desert Land.

    • @pyxelpub8251
      @pyxelpub8251 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      That's just cruel, man. To leave you like that and try to beat the game without you. Cold stuff, my good man.

    • @basteagui
      @basteagui 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      its almost worse than catching them mid coitus.
      how did you cope with that trauma :D

    • @sudochop
      @sudochop 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@basteagui lmao.

    • @myfoodishere
      @myfoodishere 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      and they didnt tell you how they got there probably

    • @Christophe3411
      @Christophe3411 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Dude……This comment hit deep in the soul!

  • @cartossin
    @cartossin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +244

    As a child, I took no promise more seriously than the Nintendo Seal of Quality.

    • @fishforuranium
      @fishforuranium 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Legit tho.

    • @jrvbamafan1
      @jrvbamafan1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      As an adult. I still take that promise seriously....lol

    • @WestSide1207
      @WestSide1207 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      The seal isn't worth jack s***... Plenty of terrible games on the NES, look at all those LJN games, shovelware, etc. The console had some amazing games, but just as many crap ones. People let nostalgia cloud their minds, remembering the good and forgetting the bad. Believe me, I play my Famicom almost every day.

    • @anarchyantz1564
      @anarchyantz1564 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Wow they really suckered you in. Prepped you ready to believe the lies you get told as adult in Murica!

    • @shane1489
      @shane1489 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Was the seal only on NINTENDO developed games? I don’t remember.... If not then it was a joke because there were soooo many rip off terrible games.

  • @kendarsin
    @kendarsin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    My first two games for nintendo were Metroid and Castlevania. As a 10 year old I was blown away.

    • @jrvbamafan1
      @jrvbamafan1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      You started out with 2 classics. Metroid and zelda were probably my two favorites, but I cant pick just 2. So many great games for that system

    • @hypnos9336
      @hypnos9336 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      you are extremely lucky to play castlevania so early. not only did it probably make you very skilled, but it's one of the best games on the system.

    • @tchitchouan
      @tchitchouan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      really good games

    • @kendarsin
      @kendarsin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@hypnos9336 I guess I just grew up at the right time. Our family had an atari, intellivision and a ColecoVision before the nintendo. Got it for xmas in 86.

  • @StevenCasteelYT
    @StevenCasteelYT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    RPGs like Super Mario RPG, Earthbound, and Chrono Trigger helped me learn to read.

    • @beedwarf
      @beedwarf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      That's one of the great benefits of gaming; reading, writing and math skills are vastly improved in order to succeed.

    • @hjames78
      @hjames78 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You definitely need to know how to read to play those games lol

    • @Ernireg3
      @Ernireg3 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      For me it was Ocarina of Time. I had played Mario before it on the snes and 64. Oot was my first Zelda game and it changed my life! Even my grades went up!

    • @Tinbeef22
      @Tinbeef22 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lies

    • @DisasterxUs
      @DisasterxUs 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The bonus level in Donkey Kong Country taught me how to spell N-I-N-T-E-N-D-O when I was 4... great marketing 😂

  • @Epic_C
    @Epic_C 3 ปีที่แล้ว +116

    I knew a bit about Nintendo history in the US before, but hearing her entire story was amazing. Awesome to hear how this all happened because Nintendo was a major part of my childhood.

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      NES launched in NYC on October 18,1985 and begin hitting Select Big Cities November 1st. By Christmas '85, it was mostly available in most of the US. It didn't hit Canada until September 1986 and reached the Deep South by February 19,1986.
      I should know, I was around then. Living in NJ, I Saw the NES for the first time in Halloween of 1985.

    • @ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI
      @ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Get a book called "Console Wars”... Covers this period of Nintendo pretty well.

  • @chitownsuperfan
    @chitownsuperfan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Gail started Nintendo Power! Legend! Modern day developers should watch this and see her genuine love of the games and the respect for the customer, and take notes. This is why Nintendo is so successful

  • @jesserogalski1402
    @jesserogalski1402 3 ปีที่แล้ว +104

    25 minutes covering old school Nintendo?
    My body is ready

  • @irotinmyskin
    @irotinmyskin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    i was 4, my dad surprised my sister and I with a nintendo and 2 games, mario and zelda, but he got hooked on zelda and he didn't let us play it cause he was a afraid we would overwrite his save

  • @groom_of_the_stool
    @groom_of_the_stool 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    When I was in college, this was probably in 2005 or so, I had a classmate who was majoring in marketing and her minor was in journalism. I was a journalism major. We were in a journalism class together. She would go on and on about Gail Tilden being her hero for bringing video games back to North America. She's not at all a gamer, but truly admired the fact that one woman came up with a marketing plan so well that it created one of the biggest industries on the planet.

    • @doraeguyakaneddie6586
      @doraeguyakaneddie6586 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      The video game crash only affected America. The industry was still thriving in Japan and Europe

    • @groom_of_the_stool
      @groom_of_the_stool 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@doraeguyakaneddie6586 Umm, that's what I said.

    • @doraeguyakaneddie6586
      @doraeguyakaneddie6586 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@groom_of_the_stool Then why you say she created the industry

    • @mathgasm8484
      @mathgasm8484 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@doraeguyakaneddie6586 I got my NES when it first came out in West Germany. I loved it.

  • @Fuuntag
    @Fuuntag 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Gail seems like a genuinely lovely person.

    • @BigSocksProds
      @BigSocksProds 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Lol what ? 🤦‍♂️

    • @prodigalsongod
      @prodigalsongod 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@BigSocksProds it's the voice, bro. fenton feels the voice.

    • @BigSocksProds
      @BigSocksProds 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@prodigalsongod 😂😂

  • @caleblatreille8224
    @caleblatreille8224 3 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    I could watch a whole episode just about the launch of Nintendo Power (or EGM, of which I was a long-time 90s subscriber). A really captivating speaker and time in video games, thanks for this great episode

    • @Epic_C
      @Epic_C 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's still fun reading through the first issues. I have my collection from the start, at least the first 100 issues.
      th-cam.com/video/GOR58ZeNxUU/w-d-xo.html

    • @moosemaimer
      @moosemaimer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I worked at a grocery store in high school... on my break I would grab a cup of coffee and read all the video game magazines on the rack. At one point I had 4 or 5 subscriptions running.

    • @j.d.6915
      @j.d.6915 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You might enjoy reading Console Wars by Blake J. Harris. IIRC, there's an entire chapter devoted to how the Nintendo Power came about.

    • @bizm
      @bizm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I hope they release the extended version of the interview like they did with Rand Miller (the co-creator of Myst). Gail Tilden seems like she has so many interesting stories to share!

    • @chosento2988
      @chosento2988 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      EGM...I still have the first issue I ever got, #12.
      Remember 'SUSHI-X' ??? He was the head game reviewer for EGM and was the original SF2 king in '92-93.
      Now....do any of you remember GAMEFAN magazine??? GF was hands down the BEST game magazine ever!

  • @Dousch
    @Dousch 3 ปีที่แล้ว +124

    This channel is my favorite discovery this year. You continue to deliver fascinating stories with top notch production value. Very inspiring to see.

  • @SinfulJon
    @SinfulJon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    My family grew up with the NES, one thing I remember most was waking up and seeing my mom play Mario at like 3am with a blanket over her on our tiny little TV.
    We were all sleeping on the floor near the old fireplace because it was cold as heck and our floor cement so we had a blanket to lay on because it was too cold. My dad used to make coffee on that fireplace, that's how old it was! :D

  • @chris-hayes
    @chris-hayes 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    This one you really get to see the bigger picture of game design, the whole product lifecycle. Very interesting!

  • @MerkinMuffly
    @MerkinMuffly 3 ปีที่แล้ว +76

    I remember playing Zelda night and day as a kid. It caused my brother, in his twenties, to give up video games forever. He stayed up all night and finally found the secret grave stone after we'd been stuck for 3 days. He went to work without sleeping, when he came home he said, I'm out.

    • @BirdsOfGlass
      @BirdsOfGlass 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I was lucky enough to have the 1st Nintendo Power that came with a map of hyrule.

    • @sdjsfan4ever961
      @sdjsfan4ever961 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      His loss.

    • @sdjsfan4ever961
      @sdjsfan4ever961 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@armamentarmedarm1699 Okay, hippie.

    • @brannycedeno6823
      @brannycedeno6823 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@armamentarmedarm1699 And from friends, and from family, and from anything else that drives you astray from "inner peace" by that rule. Guess what, mr. buddhist? The only peace you will ever be able to find in this world is Jesus Christ and our Father. So yeah, video games won't make anybody happy, but neither will whatever it is you think you're doing, which in reality is nothing for you're worshiping an inexistent god, whatever it is.

    • @brannycedeno6823
      @brannycedeno6823 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      It's okay if he didn't want to keep playing. Games are not for everyone. Furthermore, there is people that isn't able to control how much they play, and without proper guidance from parents, it's clearly a path for demise. But so is anything else in this life when you're not taught to balance things. Yes, including "good" things like work and study. Everything in excess is harmful, says an old saying in my culture, surely in yours too.

  • @onionheadguy7094
    @onionheadguy7094 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I love seeing these unassuming people that played huge parts in creating the world that we live in today.

  • @gregoriolobato3033
    @gregoriolobato3033 3 ปีที่แล้ว +65

    Excelent and unique material. This channel is something else.

  • @rogacien666
    @rogacien666 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    That's SO cool to see her face, hear her voice. Read her name SO often in nintendo power when I was young!

  • @Lorfarius
    @Lorfarius 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Thank you for this Gail, really wonderful to hear some of the smaller stories that happened back then. Such a huge part of my youth.

    • @IllusionSector
      @IllusionSector ปีที่แล้ว

      I have these sincere words for her from the bottom of my heart:
      Conglaturation !!!
      You have completed a great career.
      And prooved the justice of our culture.
      Now go and rest our heroes !

  • @shane1489
    @shane1489 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I got a NINTENDO at age 4.... because of NINTENDO POWER I was able to read on a basic level in Kindergarten. I’ll always be thankful for that head start.
    Also Miyamoto is like the Walt Disney of video games IMO.

  • @JoeCensored
    @JoeCensored 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    It is interesting being a kid at the time, being on the receiving end of this marketing campaign, and now seeing how the sausage was made.

  • @dwilliams21
    @dwilliams21 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Loved hearing this sharp woman discuss her career in the industry! I really would have eaten this interview up as a kid, I loved books like "Behind the Scenes at Sega" and read a lot of videogame magazines.

  • @Mike-sy5zn
    @Mike-sy5zn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    One things now stands out to me from Nintendo Power and that is, if I’m remembering correctly, a message written into Nintendo from issue 27. This writer said something on the lines that there will be many many Mario games. One such game will be called Super Mario Galaxy. I only remember the name of the game he was guessing, but I wonder if he or she realizes today how accurate that prediction was?

    • @battledwarf8872
      @battledwarf8872 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Maybe an indicator that some video games are, perhaps, years in the making; maybe Super Mario Galaxy was conceptualized long ago but did not materialized once the game developers formed a creative team; maybe the technology to bring the game into action wasn't ready yet 'cause it's all about execution; as anyone can see, Nintendo is about perfection.

    • @LunaTulpa
      @LunaTulpa 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@battledwarf8872 super mario land, world, galaxy is a pretty natural next step in naming top I feel

    • @nickwallette6201
      @nickwallette6201 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Did the letter predict the future, or did the letter _inspire_ the future? Woooaaaahhhh... X-D

  • @pstrap1311
    @pstrap1311 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    I remember this lady from the Gaming Historian video.

    • @Kylefassbinderful
      @Kylefassbinderful 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I remember her from the Netflix docuseries _High_ _Score_

  • @skeletankmcgraw7343
    @skeletankmcgraw7343 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I have heard the stories about the early days of the NoA and the NES before; however, it was nice to see an actual audio/video interview with one of them.
    Everyone who worked for NoA in those days are the ones who really made NoA, or even Nintendo in the West in general, what it is today. They did the hard work in making the brand gold in a time where everyone was against them due to the video game crash of 1984. For anyone who has worked for NoA since, they have had it relatively easy due to the fact that Nintendo is now a household name. All they really have to do now is just make sure they don't do anything outrageously dumb.

  • @rob_4227
    @rob_4227 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    These 3 sisters babysat for me when I was a kid and they always brought over their NES. It was sooo awesome! They didn’t know it, but they created a gamer for life.

  • @beedwarf
    @beedwarf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +61

    Nintendo did it through marked perseverance, tremendous research and tireless creativity.

    • @shane1489
      @shane1489 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      None of that would matter if the product was trash..

    • @theamazingj7172
      @theamazingj7172 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@shane1489 games were good. Now people have a reason to call games bad because of gun violence. :(

    • @dinohermann1887
      @dinohermann1887 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@theamazingj7172 The problem was, that Nintendo didn't stop inept publishers like LJN from releasing their "games" on the NES!

    • @theamazingj7172
      @theamazingj7172 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@dinohermann1887 true. Those “Games” LJN made were a piece of crap.

    • @dinohermann1887
      @dinohermann1887 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@theamazingj7172 Purple for putrid gameplay, blue for bad musical abominations, green for graphical farts and garls, yellow for piss poor lack of loyalty to the source material, orange for aren't you a f*ckin' idiot, and red for high stress anger inducing masochism! Put that all together and you got a sh*t rainbow, hooray LJN!

  • @davidanderson7643
    @davidanderson7643 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Thank you, Gail, you're an angel! Because you're such a good saleswoman, here we are with the amazing Nintendo Switch! I grew up with the NES and the SNES and thank you for showing the marketplace the way.

  • @ENOB19
    @ENOB19 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    What an amazing episode! So great to hear about this from a different angle, the one that is typically not emphasized but in reality made it possible for us to get our hands on this wonderful machine and the ones that followed. I also liked the 'bug factor' concept, so cool! And what a nice person the speaker seems to be. Thank you!

  • @elialexander-tanner5784
    @elialexander-tanner5784 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing to get Gail Tilden for this interview. Every word is solid gold.

  • @motojunkie8348
    @motojunkie8348 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I was born in 82 and was considered a "latch key kid" by the age of 8. Nintendo was my life when I was a child. My fondest memories include me and my mother playing Mario and Donkey Kong on the first 3 Nintendo systems.
    While I haven't really been into gaming since I was 18, I now have a 3 year old son who I'm looking forward to making memories for him as well.

  • @Abelhawk
    @Abelhawk 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I love War Stories so much. Knowing the behind the scenes of stuff like this makes me appreciate them so much more.
    I know it's a stretch, but I would love to know more about the Overlord PC games series if at all possible.

  • @King-ci8sk
    @King-ci8sk 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you!
    You're part of something that changed my life forever.

  • @BjornThePaladin
    @BjornThePaladin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This was a fantastic episode! I plan to share this video with my Strategic Marketing instructor. Lots of great information!

  • @garb7477
    @garb7477 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Couldn't agree more on NES golf. IDK why but I love that game

    • @seanc.5310
      @seanc.5310 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ditto. It was a classic. Like Excitebike

  • @SorcererLance
    @SorcererLance 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This is all interesting stuff, but personally I'm more amazed how well Mrs Gail Tilden has aged over the past 35 years after being an Advertising Manager back in '85

  • @milkcarton6654
    @milkcarton6654 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    30+ years ago i read her name so many times opening my nintendo power issues (that I still have btw, kept all of them) but that's all she was to me, a name. It was nice to put a face to the name and hear her talk about this period and how instrumental she was to nintendo's success in North America. I know she'll never read this but either way, thank you Gail for having a part in making our childhood much more magical. Your job might have come down to making money for Nintendo, but it incidentally brought us who were kids then a lot of happiness.

  • @imnotgivingmynametoamachine683
    @imnotgivingmynametoamachine683 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm glad you guys put the spotlight on a non-technical person, its easy to forget how many people it takes to make something successful and it is a massive team effort. Its hard to imagine how things would be if people like Gail were not successful in getting the brilliant technical work to the masses.

  • @jamiecampbell8855
    @jamiecampbell8855 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great work. We need more videos of this quality preserving the history of gaming.

  • @tezkhaos
    @tezkhaos 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I would love to see a dedicated video on Nintendo Power with Gail

  • @kuntdestroyer5093
    @kuntdestroyer5093 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    She’s awesome what a treat for her to share her story with us. Truly an honour.

  • @RetroDoneRight
    @RetroDoneRight 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Like most, I've heard these stories lots of times, but it's way more interesting listening to someone who was actually the in the middle of it. She's a very entertaining speaker.

  • @wesleyackerman8211
    @wesleyackerman8211 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    So nice seeing an interview with her and incredibly interesting!

  • @meowplow
    @meowplow 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fantastic interview. Thank You for making this.

  • @Mastorguhch
    @Mastorguhch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    this could be written into a movie honestly

  • @diegoleao
    @diegoleao 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for all your work :) You did a great job ^^

  • @jedgrahek1426
    @jedgrahek1426 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was so, so wonderful... I was one of those kids reading Nintendo Power from the start... I remember the joy every time a new issue came, I would always just look at the contents and see what was there, and save it for first thing early on Saturday morning (kids wake up ready to do things so amazingly) to pour over in detail. It's so neat to see your face and hear your voice and know you were intimately involved in making things that I loved as a kid.

  • @ColbyWanShinobi
    @ColbyWanShinobi 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Such a great interview! 😄

  • @Jnice6901
    @Jnice6901 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank u so much for bringing Nintendo to the states Gale!!! You made my childhood the best it could be....so many great memories!!!

  • @andywolan
    @andywolan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As a kid, I used to memorize the tips discussed in each issue and wow kids in school with my gaming knowledge, and I would study the maps before diving into a game.
    Keeping the last level and boss a secret was as good idea; never liked it when later strategy guides would not follow that rule.
    I would say that just having the magazine go over the first few levels of each game was helpful enough for me to decide if the game would be fun to me or not without having to rent it first. Made many wise purchases thanks to NP!

  • @MandoMTL
    @MandoMTL 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You helped convince my dad to splurge (he was a blue collar Joe like most) for the whole Mario/Duck Hunt + 2 remote + light gun and storage cabinet combo. Sincerely, thank you.

  • @komemiute
    @komemiute 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Absolutely brilliant!

  • @erickgregoryful
    @erickgregoryful 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Terrific. Thank you for this. So interesting. Seriously...........thank you.

  • @moosemaimer
    @moosemaimer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    When our Atari was getting long in the tooth my dad took me to Montgomery Ward and we looked at the Sega Master System. I thought we would get one until I came home one day and there was an NES all hooked up.

  • @kristianTV1974
    @kristianTV1974 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Great interview. However, these US-centric docs usually don't take into account the fact that other regions (specifically UK/Europe) at the time (around 82-83) were just ramping up, with home computers rather than consoles being the real driver of gaming growth. I worked for an indie computer shop from 87-97 in the UK, and we were all Sega console (Master System, then Megadrive in terms of systems and carts sold) until the GB/SNES arrived, so the story is slightly different here. We did stock the NES and games, but the ratio of sales was 20 Sega to 1 Nintendo for quite a while How times changed though!

    • @GreyWolfLeaderTW
      @GreyWolfLeaderTW 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I believe that the Gaming Crash of 1983 also hit Europe (and Great Britain) really hard, but also caused a surge in personal home computer video game interest. It played out differently there than here in the States, where microcomputers were largely unheard of in the home in the 1980s, as the ZX Spectrum was completely absent and the other home computers like the Commodore 64, IBM 5150, Apple II, and others only had modest success and were almost strictly for business-minded consumers (or schools) and not gamers. Rare was the breakout crossover success of games like the Apple II version of the Oregon Trail, Lode Runner, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. The US has always had a much more console-focused gaming market than PC market.

    • @mielthesquid6536
      @mielthesquid6536 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      ​@@GreyWolfLeaderTW Atari was still strong in some Europe countries like France in 1985. There is no know market crash in Europe about video games. This is a common misconception from US residents that the crash was worldwide.

    • @herakets3259
      @herakets3259 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@mielthesquid6536 The US was always a larger market than Europe though, especially in the 80's and 90's. To say that only the American market was hit seems like a bit of understatement. Japan specifically targeted North America, and when that market went under, rather than head to Europe, they seem to have gotten more insular until the NES/SNES. In other words, whether Europe knew they were hit or not, they clearly were not receiving the NES games en masse for a reason, and that reason was the videogame market crash. What affects one major world market affects all others by default, because the money is not flowing in and products are not being produced.

    • @medes5597
      @medes5597 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      The NES was exclusive to Boots stores in the UK until 1991 though? How did you stock it?

    • @javisanchez7488
      @javisanchez7488 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Home computers were far from growing the industry, after the 1983 crash video game revenues worldwide dropped considerably. While the NES didn't do as successful in Europe, the NES bringing America back into gaming made the industry flourish worldwide

  • @andocobo
    @andocobo 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another excellent vid - I love this series

  • @fensoxx
    @fensoxx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That was so damn awesome. I lived through that as a kid who saw ROB in a toys r us catalog back then and randomly put it on my Christmas list not even knowing what the hell it was (I was 7). Still playing today.

  • @MariaM-dp9jo
    @MariaM-dp9jo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Fascinating interview. She was also a big part of the US launch of Pokemon. PLEASE interview her about that sometime!

  • @ShaunCurrier
    @ShaunCurrier 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Really interesting stuff. Love the war stories episodes.

  • @jakesteel2423
    @jakesteel2423 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    This story is amazing!

  • @zeldamike
    @zeldamike 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I loved reading Nintendo Power so much. Even if I didn't have all the games the posters were great and seeing all that fan artwork was just cool growing up.

  • @nh8444
    @nh8444 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Mario and Zelda on the NES were some of my first memories of video games. Late nights with the volume down and the lights off. Those were the days.

  • @annmimi_extraextra
    @annmimi_extraextra ปีที่แล้ว

    Interesting interview!
    I didn't know it was shipped away at night!
    Lots of other interesting stories as well.
    Nice to get the whole story told by the person who was in charge of the whole operation!

  • @williamstewart1638
    @williamstewart1638 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks Gail for the insight into the NES.

  • @Yungbeck
    @Yungbeck 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What a lovely lady! I love these War Stories, great production even during this recorded-calls-era.

  • @ctw195
    @ctw195 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    So much nostalgia...

  • @david-spliso1928
    @david-spliso1928 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    We weren't aware of the video game crash in the 80s. The UK had its own homegrown booming market that only went upwards throughout.

    • @Lifesizemortal
      @Lifesizemortal 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      yeah we completely missed the cassette era

    • @akxmedia0
      @akxmedia0 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Lifesizemortal From what I've read over the years, you didn't miss much. Nothing but horror stories on getting those to work/load, load times were atrocious etc. Even the Famicom had a data cassette recorder iirc.

    • @medes5597
      @medes5597 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@akxmedia0 3 - 5 minute load times weren't bad because people had nothing to compare it to. Buying full games for less than a fiver while Americans paid six times that was pretty good.

    • @medes5597
      @medes5597 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Except we did?
      Atari was popular here and people got sick of the over saturation and switched to computers that they felt could do much. Atari lost market share here at a comparable rate to the US at the same time. Acorn and Sinclair both lost thousands, if not millions, in the American Market where they attempted to launch as game machines, leading to both companies being sold to pay off massive debts.
      We had a crash and we had losses in the UK industry because of it. The "no crash in the UK!" narrative is a myth pushed by Larry Bundy Jr because he dislikes the NES and doesn't like UK based people covering it.

    • @david-spliso1928
      @david-spliso1928 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      In no universe can you genuinely say that the UK had a videogame crash. Fortunately we were immune because of the homegrown home computer market which remained rich and diverse throughout.

  • @amlesion9142
    @amlesion9142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    One of my biggest regrets in life is giving away my NES and collection of games (~30) to charity.

    • @mrflamewars
      @mrflamewars 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Emulators are a thing. Don't forget.

    • @amuzulo
      @amuzulo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mrflamewars Funny to think that for the price of an NES game back then, you can now pay the same price to get a handheld that plays the entire library. 😮

  • @PaulBosanova
    @PaulBosanova 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great snippet of Nintendo history, thankyou.

  • @pyxelpub8251
    @pyxelpub8251 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    This right here is the world's most badass grandma. Be grateful, people!

  • @josephwintrich7294
    @josephwintrich7294 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    When Bad Dudes was a hit in the arcades I just had to have the NES version on the way. I would run about the house throwing my arms up exclaiming "I'M BAD!"

  • @firecode3495
    @firecode3495 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    You did a great job!.

  • @stphinkle
    @stphinkle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Interesting story of how the NES overcame unbelievable odds at the time and became the #1 video game console in the USA back in the late 1980s.

  • @blakfloyd
    @blakfloyd 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really got rope-a-doped by her calm, sweet demeanor before the bombshell at 6:49 lol.

  • @markmerberger7997
    @markmerberger7997 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I started before Nintendo in gaming but, they was the top of world. The Nintendo Power was so helpful and not all them downing ads in most mags, and you really was ready to see the ads for the next game. it was one of the best system games I ever played and had tons of fun. trying to work on the spinning top with the robot yes I still remember it and will always be part of my gaming world Thank you very much from a Old Gamer !

  • @MrLurchsThings
    @MrLurchsThings 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I guess today, it’s easy to forget that Nintendo America in the early days was not a big company and after the game crash it really would have been a struggle to get the NES in stores and selling.

  • @jonwallace6204
    @jonwallace6204 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I still trust the Nintendo brand as a mark of quality. Since they don’t really announce their games way ahead of time, they don’t rush out unfinished games. It’s the only brand I’ll buy a game before the first patch is released.

  • @ignorantrempit
    @ignorantrempit 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It's interesting that Gail said the ad campaign for the NES, which positioned the console as a social activity for the whole family, is potentially dated or corny today. After the failure of the WiiU, the marketing for the Switch and Nintendo's rethinking of how to position their system among current gen and next gen consoles really saved the company from obsolescence and brought it back to the top again-and what were the ads like? Nintendo as a social activity for the whole family (and friends).

  • @DerrickRuthless
    @DerrickRuthless 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Exceptionally cool!

  • @AaronRose2421
    @AaronRose2421 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I absolutely love this series.

  • @Cobra-yo7fx
    @Cobra-yo7fx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Very very nice!

  • @robross6462
    @robross6462 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is such a great video. Felt like I was having coffee with Gail, could have talked for hours.

  • @howyoudurrinhunneh
    @howyoudurrinhunneh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was given a brand new Atari 2600 for Christmas 1985 and soon after all of the neighbor kids got one too.
    I had no idea how outdated they were until the summer of 87 when I saw my cousin's NES and had to wait for Christmas of 89 for mine.

  • @__-bm5zj
    @__-bm5zj 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Grateful for this woman, nes programming is my life

  • @lateefpou2986
    @lateefpou2986 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you Gail Tilden u and ur team changed the world

  • @TRJ2241987
    @TRJ2241987 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I haven't seen Gail Tilden since the mid 90s. This is awesome to see. I love that she talks about the NES only launching in New York City, and did not go national until much later in 1986. Most people do not know this, and this often gets glossed over in Nintendo history. Not many Americans knew the Super Mario Bros in 1985, or played the system. It was only sold at FAO Schwarz in New York. It really wasn't until 1987 that it started getting popular and by 1988 Mario was a legitimate nationwide hysteria. But it was not an immediate thing like people think.

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      NES launched in NYC on October 18,1985 and begin hitting Select Big Cities November 1st. By Christmas '85, it was mostly available in most of the US. It didn't hit Canada until September 1986 and reached the Deep South by February 19,1986.
      I should know, I was around then. Living in NJ, I Saw the NES for the first time in Halloween of 1985.
      I was living in Cape May,NJ in Late October 1985. I remember seeing NES for the first time that Halloween because my babysitter brought it for her 5 year old son's birthday.
      I litterally spoke to on Retrowave someone who was 15 in 1985 and said he brought the NES Control Deck from Zayres in Boston in Late October '85.
      Her recollection among many others are off by a year and a month. Howard Lincoln's is more accurate. The NES didn't launch exclusively in NYC September, but on Friday October 18th it made its debut there and was gradually released in Select Cities throughout late 1985 making its way cross country to the West Coast in during a 3 week trial release period making its way to Los Angeles by November 1st.
      And to retailers who didn't carry NES, had it available as a Mail order item.
      The claim that consumers hated Video games also is a moot point. Because it's not entirely factual. They hated and were SICK Of ATARI, not VGs. Now retailers did hate VGs.
      I know my Nintendo history. I lived it and was around then. NES wasn't exclusive to NYC in 1985. Regarding SMB 1, it didn't get talked about much until the Start of 1986 because it became the main Kiosk game on Display once the NES became more widely available during the first half of '86.
      Another thing often glossed over is Toy Company Worlds Of Wonder. They helped distribute the Nintendo Entertainment System during '85-86 and helped get it into skeptical retailers.

  • @wizzgamer
    @wizzgamer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    For a 1983 console the NES was very impressive the most impressive for it's generation considering it's age.

  • @123hellstorm
    @123hellstorm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    enjoyed watching.

  • @123coffeeshop
    @123coffeeshop 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    @arstechnica was where I first really got into READING about games, and now I meet the woman who helped launch the entire category of WRITING about video games. Full circle! =)

  • @nategreatgames78
    @nategreatgames78 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This lady and the people she worked with back then to launch the NES were geniuses

  • @Keithustus
    @Keithustus 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    1:15 in and she’s established credibility: has a favorite Game & Watch game from the pre-NES years. (Also I recognized her name from all the Nintendo Power references years and years ago.)

  • @bluethunder7391
    @bluethunder7391 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very interesting. Nice to know the point of view from inside nintendo.

  • @TheSultan79
    @TheSultan79 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I absolutely love Nintendo and it’s games they are so fun to play still even play them to this day

  • @NESADDICT
    @NESADDICT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    She started 2 days after my 2nd birthday and by the time i was 8 I had an NES!

  • @kamilorado6979
    @kamilorado6979 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Awesome!!

  • @lawrence703
    @lawrence703 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great work in getting the US back into videos gaming, it really shows that all that extra effort was worth it in the end. It would be interesting to see a video on why your colleague failed to have the same kind of success for NoE. In Europe we were blissfully unaware that the Americans had a video game crash at the time that we had a video game boom yet most of my customers were not buying the incredibly expensive NIntendo consoles.

  • @matthewmerola8735
    @matthewmerola8735 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is so good.

  • @morsteen
    @morsteen 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    And it worked marvelously.

  • @kelblueskies3937
    @kelblueskies3937 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Self proclaim "experts" were wrong, imagine that, you could have ask me at the time as being a young teenager, I would have told you this is awesome, this machine will be a huge hit.

  • @packers12to80
    @packers12to80 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You say it looks kinda corny...yet, that's what my family looks like . I grew up playing video games unlike my parents. So I play every day with my kids.