Listen Up: Nintendo Museum showcases company’s history and vintage video games

4. According to the podcast, which games can museum visitors play on the giant console?
A. Donkey Kong and Mario games
B. Zelda and Luigi games
C. Mario and Zelda games
D. Luigi and Donkey Kong games

5. Which word can replace “vintage” in the podcast?
A. mature
B. extinct
C. out-of-date
D. retro

6. What can fans do in one of the workshops?
A. design their own video games
B. make their own playing cards
C. customise their own Nintendo consoles
D. all of the above

7. What does Shigeru Miyamoto hope visitors will learn about at the museum?
A. the history of video games
B. the cultural impact of Nintendo’s games
C. Nintendo’s philosophy
D. Nintendo’s video game characters

8. How much do children have to pay to enter the museum?
A. HK$172
B. HK$3,300
C. HK$100
D. information not given

9. How many neck straps can each visitor buy?
A. one
B. three
C. seven
D. nine

10. Which Universal Studios theme park currently has a “Super Nintendo World” zone?
A. Italy
B. Japan
C. Orlando
D. Beijing

11. Arrange these Nintendo products in order from the oldest to the newest, with 1 being the oldest.
(a) Nintendo DS: ______
(b) Game Boy: ______
(c) Nintendo 3DS: ______
(d) Game Boy Advance SP: _______

1. C
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. D
6. B
7. C
8. D
9. A
10. B
11. (a) 3; (b) 1; (c) 4; (d) 2

Adapted from Agence-France Presse

Voice 1: Nintendo opened its first museum early this month in a renovated factory in Kyoto, showcasing the long history of the Japanese video game giant from playing cards to Super Mario. In 1889, the company began producing Japanese playing cards called hanafuda as well as Western-style ones. Nintendo’s hanafuda cards became so well known across Japan that the company eventually started to develop other classic Japanese and Western card games. This eventually led them to create video games.

Voice 2: Nintendo launched its first home video-game machines in 1977. The Super Mario games were released in 1985, two years after the company began selling its classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console. In 2006, it launched a home console called the Wii.

Voice 1: The Game Boy, the first portable, handheld game system with interchangeable game cartridges, was first introduced in Japan in 1989. The Game Boy Advance SP launched in 2003. These early portable consoles were followed by the Nintendo DS, a dual-screen handheld released in 2004. In 2011, the company introduced the Nintendo 3DS, which offered a groundbreaking feature: 3D visuals that could be enjoyed without wearing special glasses.

Voice 2: Many exhibits at the museum in Kyoto are interactive – including an area where two people can play Mario and Donkey Kong games together on a giant console. Other zones focus on Nintendo’s vintage products. For example, there is a digital version of an ancient Japanese poetry game, and a workshop for fans to create their own hanafuda cards. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario, visitors can learn about Nintendo’s commitment to play and originality.

Voice 1: Tickets are priced at 3,300 yen or about HK$172 for adults and less for children, but they are already sold out for November. The Nintendo Museum also announced through its official X account that some merchandise in the gift shop will be limited to one per customer. These include miniature controller keychain collections, neck straps, magnet collections, certain hanafuda card sets, and controller-shaped cushions.

Voice 2: Nintendo first announced plans for the museum in 2021. It is part of the company’s efforts to broaden its brand exposure, including with a hit animated film last year featuring the Italian plumber and his colourful crew. The company has also built a “Super Nintendo World” zone at the Universal Studios Japan theme park, featuring a Mario Kart ride with a real-life Bowser’s Castle. A similar area is set to open at the park’s location in the US city of Orlando next year.