The first game ever released for Game & Watch was called Ball.
The gameplay was simple and addictive, and the portable form factor made the Game & Watch extremely popular only succeeded by the Game Boy.
Each device came with a single game preinstalled and over its lifetime, a total of 60 Game & Watch devices were released in 12 different series, with each series consisting of its own unique form factor. The Game & Watch series ran from 1980 to 1991. The D-pad was first implemented on the Game & Watch unit of Donkey Kong. Keeping the Game & Watch portability in mind, Nintendo developed something called the “D-pad” or “directional pad” which is the primary way to use and make controlling directional actions in video games even today. One of the things Yokoi prioritised while developing the Game & Watch was to find a solution that replaces a conventional joystick. The use of inexpensive LCD technology and its low power draw alongside the easy availability of “battery-cell” batteries ensure longer battery life. The focus on fun and unique gameplay over advanced technology makes a Nintendo device different from its competition. Yokoi somehow figured out he could use the same LCD technology in the calculator to create a miniature game that could help kill time and also double up as a watch. His philosophy was called ‘Lateral thinking of Withered Technology.’ Simply put, it means using existing and readily available technology in a different way to create something new. The principles laid out by Yokoi at that time, can be found across Nintendo hardware design even today. The development journey of the Game & Watch has been fascinating. That gave him the idea of developing a portable gaming device. Yokoi came up with the idea of creating a simple, portable gaming system when he was travelling on the Shinkansen and saw a businessman fiddling with an LCD calculator to pass time.
Created by Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi (he’s the same guy who created the Game Boy, Metroid and Virtual Boy), the Game & Watch were a series of handheld gaming systems mass-produced between 19.