Sturdy enough to survive a bomb and 9 other facts about the Game Boy【Video】

Approximately 25 years ago the world was blessed with the Game Boy and the ability to play Tetris practically anywhere. And while video game technology has far surpassed the loveable green-and-black display (though Twitter is still fair game), it’s hard not to hold a soft spot in your heart for the humble Game Boy. To celebrate this quarter century-old game system, the trivia masters at DYKGaming/Normal Boots put out a video recently highlighting some pretty interesting facts about the Game Boy. Click below to read 10 Game Boy facts and watch the video about the origins of the portable machine, its creator and how much a gold-plated Game Boy costs!

1. First in space

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

The Game Boy was the first video game system in space when Russian cosmonaut and Tetris aficionado Aleksandr Serebrov spent his admittedly “rare minutes of leisure” playing the console. In 2011, the Game Boy and a note Serebrov wrote was sold at a charity auction for US$1,220.

2. It all started with a terribly bored business man

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

The creator of the Game Boy, Gunpei Yokoi, said he was first inspired to make a portable gaming system in 1979 when he saw an extremely bored business man on a train fidgeting with his calculator to pass the time.

3. The Game Boy’s D-pad won an Emmy

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

In 1982, the popular arcade game Donkey Kong was ported to Nintendo’s Game & Watch electronic game player and featured the D-pad for the very first time. It would go on to earn a Technology and Engineering Emmy in 2006.

4. Not even a bomb can stop the Game Boy

Image: Wikipedia

An American soldier brought his Game Boy to the first Gulf War and the poor device was a little too close when a bomb exploded during a raid. While it’s not the prettiest thing around, the Game Boy worked fine and you can see it in action at the Nintendo World Display in New York.

5. There’s a $29,500 Game Boy out there for a very rich gamer

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

The gold-plated Game Boy had diamonds around the screen and weighed six times more than the Game Boy us commoners were forced to play with.

7. Game Boy? Actually, Mr. South Korean customs officer, it’s a “Mini Comboy”

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

South Korea had an ongoing embargo on Japanese goods from WWII, so Hyundai had to sell the device for Nintendo in 1990 when it launched there. The Korean company renamed it the Mini Comboy.

9. The Game Boy Camera holds a world record

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

In 1998, the Game Boy camera held a world record for being the smallest digital camera at the time.

10. The album cover for Neil Young’s Silver & Gold was taken on a Game Boy Camera

Image: YouTube (DYKGaming)

Need more Game Boy Trivia? Make sure to check out the video below to learn much more about the Game Boy and how it became the world’s favorite handheld electronic system. After watching the video, let us know in the comments below if you were surprised by any of these Game Boy revelations or have a nostalgic moment to share about playing it!

Source: Kotaku Japan

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