Handheld Storm

The late July sun blazed with near-scorching intensity. Even the cicadas seemed to have been roasted louder by the heat. Tokyo's streets surged with the distinctive energy of summer vacation. Students emerged in small groups from cram schools, arcades, and shaved-ice shops, their faces glowing with carefree smiles.

Sweeping across Japan alongside the heat wave was an entirely new gaming craze.

It did not come from the deafening speakers of arcades, nor from the flickering glow of television screens.

It was a quieter trend, yet one that spread even faster—handheld consoles.

More precisely, Sega's newly released handheld console and the copy of Tetris preinstalled on every unit.

At first, the craze spread only among students.

At the start of summer vacation, children were delighted to discover that Tetris, once playable only in arcades, could now be stuffed into their pockets.

The console was compact, its buttons simple. The rules were easy to grasp and the controls easy to learn, yet it possessed an irresistible magic.

On park benches, beneath the shade of trees, even on trains heading home.

Teenagers could be seen everywhere, heads lowered as they battled intensely.

When children gathered, they no longer chased and played around. Instead, each held a handheld console, connected by data cables as they competed to see who was better at clearing blocks.

Summer vacation might have been filled with this activity or that, with various part-time jobs as well, but many people gave every spare scrap of time to Tetris.

The craze soon broke beyond the boundaries of the student population.

During the morning rush hour, train cars no longer contained only the rustle of newspapers and sleepy, weary faces.

There were now many people looking down in concentration, their fingertips lightly tapping the buttons of the handheld consoles in their hands.

They were office workers in suits, immersing themselves in the pleasure of clearing blocks during the fragmented moments of their commute.

At lunchtime, offices became a little different as well.

People no longer simply buried their heads in naps or hurriedly wolfed down their meals.

Colleagues gathered together, no longer discussing mundane work matters, but their new Tetris records from the previous night or their secret gaming techniques.

Even housewives joined this nationwide block craze.

Between preparing meals and after putting their children to sleep, they too would pick up a handheld console, relaxing and passing the time in the world of falling blocks.

The handheld's compact portability was like invisible tentacles, silently seeping into every corner of social life.

From children to the elderly, from students to white-collar workers, nearly everyone was swept into this block storm.

By late August, the handheld version of Tetris was no longer merely a popular game.

It had become a social phenomenon.

Its far-reaching influence even caught the attention of Japan's authoritative media outlet, NHK.

The television station produced a special social feature exploring why the handheld version of Tetris had inspired such widespread enthusiasm.

The program interviewed players of every age, analyzed its addictive mechanics from a game designer's perspective, and interpreted the cultural significance behind its popularity through the lens of social psychology.

NHK's cameras faithfully documented the omnipresence of Tetris handhelds throughout Japanese society.

In parks, children sat in circles as their handheld screens flickered.

On trains, commuters stared down in absorption, their fingers busily moving.

In a corner of the kitchen, housewives briefly escaped the tedium of housework.

At the end of the program, the host's conclusion was thought-provoking.

"Perhaps the Tetris handheld is more than just a game. It is more like a mirror, reflecting a universal psychological need in Japanese society today—simplicity, focus, and instant gratification. In the increasingly fast pace of modern life, people long to find a moment of ease and a sense of control within fragmented moments of time."

Late August, Sega headquarters.

The atmosphere of the monthly review meeting was entirely unlike usual.

The head of the sales department walked briskly onto the stage, his face filled with unprecedented excitement and pride.

He cleared his throat and looked around, his gaze finally settling on Nakayama Hayao, seated at the head of the table.

"Everyone, let me first report the sales figures for the handheld version of Tetris."

The meeting room instantly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze focused on the director.

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the slightly hurried sound of his breathing.

"As of the end of August, the handheld version of Tetris...

Its cumulative global sales have surpassed...

12 million units!"

"Gasp—"

A collective intake of breath swept through the meeting room.

Even the executives who had prepared themselves mentally were left dumbstruck by the figure.

In their daily lives and workplace conversations, they had long sensed just how wildly popular the Tetris handheld had become.

On every street and in every alley, people holding handheld consoles could be seen everywhere.

Yet when the figure was truly laid out before them, it still struck them with an unbelievable force.

Twelve million units in a single month.

What kind of concept was that?

It was nothing short of a miracle in gaming history.

After the brief shock passed, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly boiled over.

Praise and congratulations rose one after another.

The executives all stood and crowded around Nakayama Hayao, scrambling to express their respect and admiration.

"President, this is absolutely incredible!

Twelve million units in one month—this is an unprecedented feat!"

"Like father, like son!

Takuya has truly inherited your exceptional genes. His vision and courage are utterly admirable!"

"I said it from the beginning—Takuya's proposal would definitely succeed!

The concept of fighting games has enormous potential as well!"

The executives who had once viewed Takuya's new proposal with skepticism, or even contempt, all changed their tune now, enthusiastically voicing their approval.

Takuya sat in the corner with a slightly bashful smile. He stood and nodded to thank his seniors.

"You flatter me, everyone. This was the result of the company's extensive resources and the team's combined efforts. I only did a small, insignificant part."

His attitude was humble and understated, yet it made him seem all the more composed and dependable.

An uncontrollable smile of satisfaction appeared on Nakayama Hayao's face as well.

Looking at his son surrounded by the crowd, his heart was filled with relief and pride.

This was not merely a tremendous commercial success.

It was also the perfect proof of his son's abilities.

Takuya was no longer merely "the president's son."

He had earned Sega's recognition and respect through his own strength.

Through the immense dual success of the Tetris arcade game and handheld console, Takuya had thoroughly established his position within Sega, particularly in development and marketing.

At Nintendo headquarters in distant Kyoto, Yamauchi Hiroshi also learned through NHK's special program and market feedback from various channels

of the astonishing success achieved by Sega's handheld version of Tetris, as well as the enormous impact it had caused throughout Japanese society.

The faces of ordinary people engrossed in the block game on the NHK program deeply pierced Yamauchi Hiroshi's nerves.

The sales figure of twelve million units weighed on his heart like a massive boulder, leaving him with a vague sense of unease.

In particular, the potential of handheld gaming devices as an emerging market

seemed to far exceed his previous estimates.

However, that concern did not last long.

Before long, good news from North America dispelled the gloom in Yamauchi Hiroshi's heart.

With the successful large-scale offline NES trial events, the immense appeal of Super Mario Bros. thoroughly conquered North American players and retailers.

The negative public opinion that had previously been growing louder

was gradually suppressed as well.

NES sales in North America began to surge, achieving initial success.

Yamauchi Hiroshi's strategic focus swiftly shifted back to the North American market.

In his view, the current core battlefield and primary source of profits still lay in the home console sector.

Although the handheld market posed a threat worth watching, its priority remained lower for the time being.

He still held to his ingrained view of the handheld market as being for "non-core players" and "non-mainstream."

At the subsequent executive meeting, one executive brought up a piece of intelligence worth noting.