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|align="center" bgcolor="lightblue" | '''Hiroshi Yamauchi'''
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|align="center" bgcolor="lightblue" | '''Hiroshi Yamauchi''
 
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|'''Date of Birth:''' November 7, 1927
 
|'''Date of Birth:''' November 7, 1927
 
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|'''Date of Death:''' September 19, 2014
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|'''Occupation:''' Retired
 
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'''Hiroshi Yamauchi''' was the third president of [[Nintendo]] and served for 53 years. He was the person responsible for transforming Nintendo from a small Hanafuda card company to the video game giant it is today.
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Hiroshi Yamauchi was the third president of [[Nintendo]] and served for 53 years. He is the person responsible for transforming Nintendo from a small Hanafuda card company to the video game giant it is today.
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
  
===Early Life===
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==Early Life==
  
 
Hiroshi Yamauchi was born in November 1927. Shortly afterwards, his father left his family. He was raised by his grandparents.  
 
Hiroshi Yamauchi was born in November 1927. Shortly afterwards, his father left his family. He was raised by his grandparents.  
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Yoko married [[Minoru Arakawa]], who would later lead Nintendo of America. Fujiko stayed in Japan and married a doctor. Katsuhito joined an advertising agency named Dentsu, which later became [[NDCUBE]].
 
Yoko married [[Minoru Arakawa]], who would later lead Nintendo of America. Fujiko stayed in Japan and married a doctor. Katsuhito joined an advertising agency named Dentsu, which later became [[NDCUBE]].
  
In Yamauchi's late 20s, his father wanted to see him, but Yamauchi refused. Later, Yamauchi was informed that his father had died of a stroke. After spending a day thinking, Yamauchi decided to go to his father's funeral and forgave him for the past.
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In Yamauchi's late 20s, his father wanted to see him, but Yamauchi refused. Later, Yamauchi was informed that his father had died of a stroke. After spending a day thinking, Yamauchi decided to go to his father's funeral and forgive him for the past.
  
 
Yamauchi decided to open an American branch to cash in on the growing arcade market. His son-in-law, Minoru Arakawa, headed the operation. Japanese hits such as ''[[Radar Scope]]'', ''[[Space Fever]]'', and ''[[Sheriff]]'' did poorly. It wasn't until [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] created ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' that a Nintendo game did well in America.
 
Yamauchi decided to open an American branch to cash in on the growing arcade market. His son-in-law, Minoru Arakawa, headed the operation. Japanese hits such as ''[[Radar Scope]]'', ''[[Space Fever]]'', and ''[[Sheriff]]'' did poorly. It wasn't until [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] created ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' that a Nintendo game did well in America.
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By this time, Nintendo had gone beyond arcade games and were producing a series of handhelds called the [[Game & Watch]] series and a series of console called Color TV Games.
 
By this time, Nintendo had gone beyond arcade games and were producing a series of handhelds called the [[Game & Watch]] series and a series of console called Color TV Games.
  
===The Console Years===
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==The Console Years==
  
 
However, the Color TV Games weren't as successful as Yamauchi had hoped. With only one game, they weren't versatile enough. He gave [[Masayuki Uemura]] and his team a task: to create a video game console that more sophisticated than the Color TV Games. The system would have to be cheap to make, but complicated enough that no one would be able to copy it for a year. On top of all that, the console must be easy to program for. According to Yamauchi, it was artist, not technicians, who made excellent games and he wanted his company to be a haven for artists. The system they created was the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].
 
However, the Color TV Games weren't as successful as Yamauchi had hoped. With only one game, they weren't versatile enough. He gave [[Masayuki Uemura]] and his team a task: to create a video game console that more sophisticated than the Color TV Games. The system would have to be cheap to make, but complicated enough that no one would be able to copy it for a year. On top of all that, the console must be easy to program for. According to Yamauchi, it was artist, not technicians, who made excellent games and he wanted his company to be a haven for artists. The system they created was the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].
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In 1992, Yamauchi decided to buy the Seattle Mariners. No one is quite sure why since Yamauchi didn't have much of an interest in baseball. The residents of Seattle were happy because the man that was going to buy the team previously was going to move them to Florida. The baseball commissioner tried interfere by saying that foreign ownership wasn't allowed. His argument was considered invalid because there was already  teams owned by Canadians.
 
In 1992, Yamauchi decided to buy the Seattle Mariners. No one is quite sure why since Yamauchi didn't have much of an interest in baseball. The residents of Seattle were happy because the man that was going to buy the team previously was going to move them to Florida. The baseball commissioner tried interfere by saying that foreign ownership wasn't allowed. His argument was considered invalid because there was already  teams owned by Canadians.
  
===Retirement===
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==Retirement==
  
 
Yamauchi announced his retirement several times before actually retiring. Many people speculated about his successor. Candidates included vice president [[Atusho Asada]], Minoru Arakawa, Yamauchi's son [[Katsuhito Yamauchi]], and [[Satoru Iwata]].
 
Yamauchi announced his retirement several times before actually retiring. Many people speculated about his successor. Candidates included vice president [[Atusho Asada]], Minoru Arakawa, Yamauchi's son [[Katsuhito Yamauchi]], and [[Satoru Iwata]].
  
On May 31, 2002, Yamauchi stepped down from his position as president in favor of [[Satoru Iwata]] and became the head of the board of directors. He left the board on June 2005 due to his age. He refused his pension, reportedly between $9 million and $14 million, saying that Nintendo could put it to better use. He was still known as the wealthiest in Japan in 2008, and he donated 7.5 billion yen to a cancer treatment center in Kyoto.
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On May 31, 2002, Yamauchi stepped down from his position as president in favor of [[Satoru Iwata]] and became the head of the board of directors. He left the board on June 2005 due to his age. He refused his pension, reportedly between $9 million and $14 million, saying that Nintendo could put it to better use.
 
 
He died in 2013 at the age of 85, due to complications from pneumonia.
 
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
 
*During the war, Hiroshi gave his supervisor some rice in exchange for an afternoon off.
 
*During the war, Hiroshi gave his supervisor some rice in exchange for an afternoon off.
 
*One employee referred to Yamauchi's office as "the realm of the [[Mother Brain]]."
 
*One employee referred to Yamauchi's office as "the realm of the [[Mother Brain]]."
 
{{Presidents of Nintendo}}
 

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