Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story

Peel back the curtain on the famously secretive Japanese company that would eventually take the global videogame industry by storm. Discover the humble beginnings of a gaming business that began many decades before the invention of television, and ride along the bumpy road of hits, misses, and wild ideas that turned Nintendo from a local playing card maker into a worldwide household name.

Documentary

Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story

Documentary

Created By: Jeremy Snead
First Aired on: Mar 01, 2021
Popularity: 3.2608: 2 votes
Networks: (US)
Status: Ended: Show Ended

Seasons & episodes

Total 1 seasons, 5 episodes

Season 1

Aired 4 years ago

5 Episodes

Episode 1Play Your Cards Right60 min
The birth of Nintendo begins in 19th-century Japan, when a young entrepreneur finds a way to sidestep local gambling laws. His scrappy family business holds fast through war, cultural revolution, and a run-in with Disney to bring the world a certain barrel-hurling ape.
Episode 2A Trojan Horse60 min
The once-mighty U.S. gaming industry is reduced to a pile of rubble. But unbeknownst to the world, the “Donkey Kong Company” is quietly developing a machine that could revive gaming in a big way. But can they convince retail giants to buy back into a market they just escaped?
Episode 3A Sleeping Giant60 min
Somewhat shaken after a tussle with Sega, Nintendo confidently presses forward into the '90s. The invention of CD technology gives way to new gaming possibilities, but as Nintendo buys into this exciting new paradigm, they inadvertently create their own worst enemy.
Episode 4Forward Motion60 min
As PlayStation and Xbox wage war on the industry, Nintendo faces an identity crisis. Do they keep treading water with the diminishing returns of the GameCube? Or is it time for a hard left turn? A revolution is brewing.
Episode 5Reset Button60 min
Plunging stock, natural disaster, a death in the family, and yet another failed console plague Nintendo. Not to mention a seismic industry shift led by Apple. Nintendo faces their most difficult decade since 1889, yet the Donkey Kong Company is never afraid to switch things up.