Today in Focus ‘Let’s-a go!’ The story of Nintendo
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Mar 13, 2026 
Keza MacDonald, Guardian video games editor and author who studies Nintendo's history and cultural impact. She recalls childhood sparks like Mario and Zelda. She maps Nintendo's century-long evolution, its focus on play and family, visits to Kyoto, and how its resistance to online trends shaped its appeal. She also discusses industry scale, politics around gaming culture, and why playfulness still matters.
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From Pokémon Fan To Journalist Under Pikachu
- Keza describes dreaming of attending Pokémon World Championships as a child and later returning as a journalist at 25 under a giant inflatable Pikachu.
- That arc from fan to journalist signalled to her why she started covering games.
Gaming Is A $200B Cultural Industry
- The games industry now earns about $200 billion and reaches roughly 65% of the population, with 95% of under-30s playing.
- Games have eclipsed many creative industries in revenue and cultural reach, shaping a massive global audience.
Gamergate Foretold Online Political Mobilisation
- Gaming communities often prefigure wider online trends and were early sites for organized harassment like Gamergate.
- Keza links Gamergate's mobilisation to broader radicalisation tactics used by alt-right media.