Nintendo Switches Things Up With a New Museum That Embraces Nostalgia and Celebrates Gaming History

It’s-a-finally here! On October 2, the first official Nintendo Museum is opening in Kyoto, Japan, inviting fans to dive into decades of gaming history.

The iconic Japanese company has been around since 1889, when it sold playing cards. The new museum, located inside a renovated factory, is a shrine to its beloved games and characters.

“Of all the gaming companies that needed a museum to chronicle their extensive history, it would be Nintendo,” writes Forbes’ Ollie Barder. “After all, having just celebrated its 135th anniversary, Nintendo’s history is a uniquely long and varied one.”

He adds that he had “a thoroughly magical experience” at the museum.

The museum features three main sections, according to Wired’s Asuka Kawanabe. The first, “Learn,” is devoted to the company’s history, while “Experience” features a series of interactive exhibits. The third, “Create and Play,” is a workshop where visitors can make their own creations.

Nintendo has always embraced a unique style—whimsical, dreamlike and accessible rather than gritty or realistic—and the museum celebrates that instinct. Renowned video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, known for creating Nintendo staples like “Super Mario,” “The Legend of Zelda” and “Donkey Kong,” tells the New York Times’ Zachary Small that this spirit is baked into Nintendo’s DNA.

“It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special,” Miyamoto tells the Times. “There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”

Upon entering the museum, guests are given a card with ten coins that they can use to play with one of the interactive exhibits. There are eight exhibits total, with names like “Zapper & Scope SP,” “Ultra Hand SP” and “Big Controller.” Guests must choose their own adventure, as ten coins won’t be enough to try everything.

“The ‘Big Controller’ was probably my favorite, with you needing to partner with someone to control a game,” writes Barder. “I played parts of ‘Zelda: A Link to the Past,’ saving the princess and a few boss fights. The size of the controller makes the whole thing very charming.”

In the workshop area, guests can make their own hanafuda playing cards—one of Nintendo’s earliest products. Afterwards, visitors can learn the game and play it with real hanafuda cards.

The history area is expansive, featuring displays of past Nintendo models, including a clay likeness of the N64 controller and vintage cartridges of breakout games.

“This is a museum of products, but Nintendo knows that these games and consoles are more than just objects,” writes the Guardian’s Keza Macdonald. “They’re portals, both to different times in our own lives, and to gaming experiences that we cherish for decades afterwards.”

The museum includes few written materials about Nintendo’s history, and it doesn’t offer guided tours. The goal is to make the space feel accessible, so that gamers from all backgrounds are able to enjoy a similar experience, as Miyamoto tells the Times.

He adds: “We wanted to make sure that this is someplace that regardless of any language or cultural barrier, people can come to interact and understand.”

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.