What was Gunpei Yokois past?

Answer 1

Gunpei Yokoi was born Septmeber 10th 1941 in Kyoto, Japan. Gunpei Yokoi graduated with a degree in electronics from Doshisha University, in Kyoto, Japan. After graduating, Yokoi worked as a maintenance engineer on the assembly line for a Nintendo Hanafua playing card factory.

In 1970, he was notced by Hiroshi Yamauchi, the President of Nintendo at the time. Yokoi had developed an electronic arm and Yamauchi took notice of it. Yamauchi asked Yokoi to develop the toy in time to market it at Christmas. It became known as the Ultra Hand , and eventually sold 1.2 million units. Yokoi was no longer in maintenance. He had moved up to Product Development.

Yokoi went on to develop many other toys during Nintendo's toy era. However, his best known invention was the Nintendo Game Boy.

August 15, 1996, Yokoi resigned from Nintendo and started his own company, Koto Laboratory, in Kyoto, Japan. He started production of a handheld system called WonderSwan, in partnership with Bandai. WonderSwan was released in 1999, two years after Yokoi's death.

Gunpei Yokoi died October 4, 1998, after being hit by a passing car while checking for damage on the car, after a minor accident, that he was riding in.

Gunpei Yokoi was posthumously given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 3rd Annual Game Developer's Choice Awards on March 6, 2003, in San Jose, CA.