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  • Published: 21 November 2012
  • ISBN: 9781591845638
  • Imprint: Portfolio
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $40.00

Super Mario

How Nintendo Conquered America





The definitive story of the rise of Nintendo.

In 1981, Nintendo of America was a one-year-old business already on the brink of failure. Its president, Mino Arakawa, was stuck with two thousand unsold arcade cabinets for a dud of a game (Radar Scope). So he hatched a plan.

Back in Japan, a boyish, shaggy-haired staff artist named Shigeru Miyamoto designed a new game for the unsold cabinets featur­ing an angry gorilla and a small jumping man. Donkey Kong brought in $180 million in its first year alone and launched the career of a short, chubby plumber named Mario.

Since then, Mario has starred in over two hundred games, gen­erating profits in the billions. He is more recognizable than Mickey Mouse, yet he’s little more than a mustache in bib overalls. How did a mere smear of pixels gain such huge popularity?

Super Mario tells the story behind the Nintendo games millions of us grew up with, explaining how a Japanese trading card company rose to dominate the fiercely competitive video-game industry.

  • Published: 21 November 2012
  • ISBN: 9781591845638
  • Imprint: Portfolio
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $40.00
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penguin pop image