Nintendo has been a titan in the video game industry for decades, but that wasn't always the case. At its very core, Nintendo sees itself as a toy company which is evident in its products from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the Nintendo Switch 2. Today on the show, we explore Nintendo's history and examine how a small playing card company in Japan became a multimedia giant. Related episodes: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/22/1197963994/indicator-from-planet-money-live-service-games-warframe">Forever games: the economics of the live service model</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/23/1197964005/the-indicator-from-planet-money-the-last-of-us-accessibility-gaming-04-23-2024">Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1197964043/the-boom-and-bust-of-esports">The boom and bust of esports</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/25/1197964047/video-game-unions-crunch-sega-microsoft-04-25-2024">Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/26/1197964057/video-game-industry-week-the-final-level">Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level</a> For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/">plus.npr.org</a>. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Mixing family business with US trade policy in Vietnam

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