Nintendo's Founder Fusajiro Yamauchi and 120 Years of Breaking Records

In a time where video game makers are going out of business and laying off employees by the thousands, Nintendo has proven itself recession proof as revealed in their record breaking 2008 financial reports. The Nintendo Wii is the first video game console to sell more than 10 million units in a single year. Not only does the Wii hold 55% of the next-gen console sales of 2008, but the Nintendo DS beat out the handheld competition with 72% of the market.

It's no big surprise as breaking sales records is a Nintendo tradition dating back over 120 years when their founder, Fusajiro Yamauchi, was revolutionizing card games in his small shop in Japan. Who would have figured that one of the important figures in the history of video games would pass away 12 years before the first video game was even invented?

• Video Game History Makers: Fusajiro Yamauchi - Founder of Nintendo
• The History of Nintendo Part 1 - From Playing Cards to Electronic Toys
• The History of Nintendo Part 2 - Goodbye Playing Cards - Hello Video Games
• The History of Nintendo Part 3 - Video Game World Domination