Nintendo's First Game: "Light Gun" (1973) Before Donkey Kong

Nintendo's very first electronic game product was "Light Gun" (often called Beam Gun series), released in 1973 for the Japanese market.

What Was It?

• Not a video game in the modern sense—no screen, no CPU.
• Optoelectronic arcade toy: A rifle-shaped controller shot a light beam at a separate target box with a photosensor.
• Hit detection: Triggering the sensor lit a bulb or rang a bell on the target.
• Precursor to: Wild Gunman (1974 arcade), Duck Hunt (1984 NES), and the Zapper.

First Video Game Success

Donkey Kong (1981)—designed by Shigeru Miyamoto—was Nintendo's breakout video arcade game, launching Mario and the company's global dominance.

Timeline Context

• 1889: Nintendo founded as hanafuda card maker.
• 1960s: Toys (Ultra Hand, Love Tester).
• 1973: Light Gun / Beam Gun series (first electronic).
• 1977: Color TV-Game 6 / 15 (first home consoles, Pong clones).
• 1980: Game & Watch (first handheld LCD).
• 1981: Donkey Kong (arcade).
• 1983: Famicom / NES (cartridge console).