After 34 years, the Gulf War Gameboy finally leaves active service and returns to Nintendo HQ
Wars are not generally full of stories that can make you smile, but the tale of the Gulf War Gameboy has always interested many.
Having launched in 1989, less than one year later, one particular Gameboy found itself in a warzone, presumably in the hands of young American soldiers who had been deployed during Desert Storm.
Its owner, Stephen Scoggins – a registered nurse from Oklahoma who was stationed in the Middle East told The Verge that the machine was damaged in a fire when the tent burned down. There had been a bombing at the location, but it was the dire that damaged it.
The Gulf War Game Boy has officially been retired from @NintendoNYC
After not seeing it on display for a while, I asked one of the workers about it. He told me it was returned to Nintendo’s headquarters in Redmond Washington. pic.twitter.com/wCPJDa3vlp
— VideoGameArt&Tidbits (@VGArtAndTidbits) June 29, 2023
Stephen originally sent his damaged Gameboy to Nintendo Power magazine in 1991 and they sent him a replacement for his service. Somewhere along the way the Gameboy, which incredibly still works, ended up at the flagship Nintendo Store in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, on display and became the subject of many a photo and stories of urban legend.
However, it seems to now have finally finished its tour of duty and a shopworker confirmed that it had been sent to Nintendo’s main headquarters in Washington state.
I’ve repaired and modded a fair few Nintendo Gameboys in my time and they have always been resilient little things that could often be brought back to life. The screens were always the issue and this one seems to have taken most of its damage on the back and sides of the case, but it is still remarkable that the heat did not kill it completely.
Hopefully, this little piece of unique gaming history won’t just find its way onto somebody’s shelf at home, or be locked in a store cupboard somewhere.
As a display piece covering not only the Gulf War but significant gaming history, we would love to see this particular Gameboy on permanent display somewhere soon. Come on Nintendo, do the right thing.
Images courtesy of Sean Hollister
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