THE BIRTH OF TWO ICONS
DONKEY KONG1981
ARCADE • DESIGNER
Although Shigeru Miyamoto came up with
Donkey Kong
’s gameplay mechanics and iconic characters, programming duties were instead handled by Ikegami Tsushinki, a Japanese manufacturer.
Donkey Kong helped redefine arcade gaming due to its memorable characters, an actual story and new play mechanics like the ability to jump over gaps and objects. Both Donkey Kong and Jumpman (as Mario was then known) would go on to become massive stars, while the game itself changed Nintendo’s arcade fortunes in the West.