Although the first digital camera in history came into operation in 1973 (for six years it took more than 300,000 images of the Earth while orbiting in a space shuttle), the first one that was small enough to fit in our pocket arrived in the mid-80s: it could take up to 10 photos, which were stored on a 2-megabyte memory card, and the quality was rather questionable. In any case, these early models were not designed for the everyday consumer, because after all, no one had a computer at home. It had to be Nintendo, of course, to show us the way.
Say “Nintendo!”
On February 21, 1998, thousands of Japanese children watched the future unfold on their Game Boy with a gadget that now seems like a relic of the past but at that time was the height of modernity: a camera that attached to the cartridge slot of the console and allowed you to take black and white photos with a resolution of 128 pixels by 128 pixels. But the important thing was not the photos themselves, but what you could do with them.
You could not only take photos, but you could also add all kinds of stickers, use filters (of the time, of course, nothing like Instagram. Think more along the lines of visual tricks) and even draw on them. Additionally, you could create your own animations by combining several photos, play, using your face, the four mini-games that came with the cartridge, and even, oh surprise, print the images.
Think that, back then, if you wanted a photograph in your hand, and unless you already had an expensive digital camera, you had to take the film to be developed and come back a few days later, only to find out that half of the photos turned out poorly. With the Game Boy Camera, all you needed was to buy an additional Game Boy Printer (along with the necessary thermal photo paper), six batteries, and enjoy. Because, in addition to being able to print your photos, you could stick them around! For a ten-year-old, you won’t find many greater joys.
Send a photopixel
The Game Boy Camera was more than just a fad. In fact, even in Japan they were able to use the external disk 64DD to create animated 3D avatars of themselves based on photos from the camera. I won’t lie to you: they weren’t very good, but back then they were the Sistine Chapel of fun. These avatars could later be included as avatars in games like SimCity 64, and modified with Mario Artist. Not bad at all.
It was so popular that, when Game Boy Advance was released, they decided it couldn’t come out alone, and they planned the GameEye, which could take color photos and even had a dedicated game for it on GameCube, Stage Debut. In the end, by that time, real digital cameras were taking over the rest of the market, and they decided to cancel it before it flopped. However, Game Boy Camera has been very present in history, with hundreds of artists using it to create their works.
It is no coincidence that the Game Boy Camera is considered the first contact for an entire generation with digital editing, file transfer, and even the possibilities that the future opened up before us. Some artists who continue to use the add-on along with the Game Boy Printer for their projects are Jim Lockey and Jean-Jacques Calbayrac, who have found a vein in that unique and distinctive tone evoked by black and white pixels.
In the end, Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS already came with a built-in camera showing that, deep down, nothing has been invented and by the late 90s we already had everything in a small device that was as excessively expensive as it was incredibly fascinating. And if you had one, you know exactly what I mean. Oh, by the way! If reading this has made you curious about selling yours or buying another, don’t forget to check what saved photos might be there, because current buyers have encountered all kinds of craziness. Yes, exactly what you’re thinking. Yikes.