We write about Nintendo every day, we talk about Nintendo every day, but sometimes we tend to forget its 125 years of history and what happened Before Mario. Because of that I have decided to listen to Erik Voskuil, blogger and Nintendo’s past researcher. Between information’s research, collecting and discoveries this is our chat. A big thanks to Erik Voskuil for his time.
Q: How and when did you decide that the history before Mario was key to your interests?
A: I had been a Nintendo fan ever since playing Donkey Kong in the arcade and getting my first Game & Watch in the early 1980s. But it wasn’t until I read the book “Game Over” by David Sheff in the mid 1990s that I became aware of, and interested in, the long history of Nintendo before video games.
Q: What kind of obstacles have you faced researching such past?
A: The first ten years of my search for vintage Nintendo items, there were hardly any sources of information. There was very little documented, even in Japan. Although David Sheff’s book described the history in some detail, there was very not much information or pictures included about the actual items.
Of course, as Nintendo’s products before 1980 were only released in Japan this further complicated research.
This changed when the first edition of Florent Gorges’ first volume of “The History of Nintendo” was published in, if I remember correctly, 2008 (in French). This was the first serious catalogue of Nintendo’s past products.
Q: What kind of involvement and participation did you get from Nintendo?
A: None. Although I have reached out to Nintendo on a number of occasions, they have declined to participate or open their archives.
Q: How much content do you think there is still to be uncovered?
A: It is always hard to say something about what is unknown, but in the last few years new parts of Nintendo’s history have still been discovered every now and then (for instance the work they did on the Bassmate fishing computer). I also still find Nintendo items that we did not know about before (the recent find of a Panda electric clock, for example). So I believe there is still things to discover. It would be great if one day Nintendo did participate in the research. That could provide a flood of new information, although some of the past may not be documented well enough within the company as well.
Links: Bassmate ; Panda clock
Q: Do you think Nintendo is proud or ashamed of their past business decisions before digging into gaming?
A: It is clear they are proud of their heritage as toy maker. There are many examples of old toys being included in current games (In Wario Ware, Animal Crossing). Also, they company guides they hand out to prospective employees have extensive information about their past.
Link: Company guide 2015
Q: What are your plans for the upcoming future?
A: I will continue expanding my collection and adding information to beforemario.com
And maybe a second book, although I have no concrete plans right now.
Q: How would you respond to someone asking you what kind of cultural value the beginning of Nintendo has?
A: Nintendo’s games have made a lasting cultural impact across the world. Most of this happened after Mario, but the company culture and its methods and values were formed well before that.
The transformation Nintendo went through in its 125 year history, from local card maker to video game giant, is a nice illustration of Japan’s modernization and post-war development. Most social and technology changes are reflected in the toys made by Nintendo across these areas. And in some cases Nintendo even was a force that contributed to these changes.
Q: What’s your opinion on gaming collections and what’s the difference between looking for a rare videogame and a rare Nintendo item from the past?
A: I always enjoy people’s enthusiasm and dedication to collecting, and I love collections of all kinds. I personally like collecting with a challenge, where the thrill of discovering something that is new and hard to find is part of the fun. Video game history is so well documented that there are very few hidden gems. In that sense I like collecting Nintendo vintage items better. It is still partly unchartered territory.