Game & Watch electronic games
Object No. 2006/112/11
The Game and Watch series was a successful line of products from Nintendo that generated enough profit for the company to invest heavily in researching and developing the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Gameboy. This ensured the company's survival and dominance through a competitive period of electronic game industry development, consumption and growth. These small hand-held games broke new ground in the application of electronics to toys. They have a monochrome LCD (liquid crystal display) screen on which the player can control the movement of characters through a themed set of tasks. The balance between an achievable outcome and a degree of difficulty invited the user to play the game again and again, thus achieving one of the principal goals of electronic game design. These four Nintendo games come from a group of twelve items donated by Michael Henry, which together provide a glimpse of play and family life in one Australian household.
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Electronic games (4), 'Game and Watch', metal / plastic, made by Nintendo, Japan, used by the Henry Family, Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia, 1981-1982
Physical Description
Four Nintendo Game and Watch electronic games. Each consists of a rectangular console with plastic casing and metallic front and an LCD display screen with permanent graphics incorporated. The LCD characters move through this display. The control buttons are red and there is a battery casing at the back. Decorative transfers. No packaging. The console is designed to be held comfortably in both hands and operated with the game controls under the thumbs. 'Turtle Bridge', model No TL-28, 1982 is white with black front face, clear screen, red buttons. Battery cover missing. 'PopEye', model No TL-PP-33, 1981, is dark green, with gilt coloured front, clear screen, red left/right buttons and PopEye decorative transfer 'Donkey Kong Jr', model No DJ-101, 1982, is dark green, with bright green face, clear screen, red control buttons, and decorative stickers 'Fire' Model No FR-27, 1981, dark blue with a gilt coloured front and clear screen, red left and right buttons.
DIMENSIONS
Height
68 mm
Width
113 mm
Depth
11 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Made by Nintendo, Japan.
HISTORY
Notes
Used by the donor Michael Henry (born 1973), his brother Jason and sister Karen. The Henry family lived at Bankstown. Donor Michael Henry told the acquiring curator 'I was given Donkey Kong Jr for my 9th birthday in 1982. I played it for hours and hours and just loved it. Popeye was Jason's and he didn't like other people playing with it. Fire was Karen's. Turtle Bridge was borrowed from a friend.'
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of the Henry family, 2006
Acquisition Date
14 August 2006
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry