New Masahiro Sakurai Video Discusses Games During His Childhood, Mentions Memory of Nihon Falcom

Masahiro Sakurai uploaded a new video onto his official YouTube channel, discussing his interactions with video games as a child. His first memory of games is expectedly Pong and titles like it, which were all pretty revolutionary for the time. Additionally, the bright presentation played an integral role in appealing to Sakurai’s young mind. Arcade games like Space Invaders were also quite memorable.

Interestingly, when at supermarkets with his parents, he would receive ¥200 for four nearby arcade games and then play more at a close Hobby Shop. Of course, such practices would never occur today, simultaneously due to safety reasons and arcades’ waning presence.

Sakurai also discussed how various stores gave him experience with computers since he didn’t own one until his high school years. He then mentioned developer Nihon Falcom and how they’re based in Tachikawa. Their development office used to be built directly into a PC store, so store-goers could technically see active game development in-person, albeit not in a personal way. Sakurai notes how that may have been his first in-person glimpse at game development.

Several other mini-stories and facts are brought up, making for a rather entertaining and informative watch. You can view Sakurai’s full video on his childhood with games below: