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Gameboy Color: A history in the making and already made.

© Gregor Simeonov

The first day the Nintendo Gameboy was released in Japan in 1987, everyone knew a masterpiece was at hand, literally. Gameboy, if you aren't yet aware, is the longest running video game console ever released, topping hundreds of sale charts with remarkable software. Since 1987, Gameboy has evolved, but it is still a top-seller in stores nationwide. Even when Gameboy seemed to lose its touch and popularity, one simple RPG series boosted its ratings more than ever, Pokemon.

Gameboy started off as a small handheld system in early 1987, published in 1989, owning only a handful of titles. The creator of Gameboy was Gumpei Yokoi who was there all along until the development of Gameboy Pocket, but unfortunately passed away in a car accident in 1997. But Gameboy didn't stop there. As you are well aware, Gameboy Color has been a huge success in the past three years, where colour was first introduced in the system.

Although Gameboy had some fair competition from Gamegear and NeoGEO Pocket Color, it managed to pull through and monopolize the market. Recently, NeoGeo Pocket Color, an frightfully superior handheld system compared to the Gameboy Color, had to retreat to Japan from North American shelves, the system could not live up to Gameboy's retail standards.

So why is Gameboy so successful? To many it may seem like a mystery. But in my opinion, Gameboy is so respected because of its primitive game designs and gameplay. The good thing about this is that when you pick up a Gameboy with any regular game, you can start playing it without having to read through a ton of manuals or go through game options to figure out the controls, like with so many other consoles. Gameboy offers two-action-buttons gameplay, reviving that feeling you get when you play in the arcades. Gameboy Color isn't known for technological revolutions, heck it can't even support 3D software, but the simple 2D games that are released are proven to be extremely fun and addictive, ask any Gameboy player.

Here area a couple of fast facts:

-When Gameboy was released in 1989, designers predicted that it would sell 25 million units in three years. By 1991, it had already sold 32 million.

-The biggest-selling Gameboy game of all time was the original Super Mario Land, which sold 17 million copies. Pokemon Red and Blue have sold about 14 million copies combined.

-Due to the Pokemon craze, Nintendo sold 10 million Gameboy Colors in 1997, outselling the friendly Nintendo 64.