Today in Focus – "Let’s-a go!" The Story of Nintendo

Date: March 13, 2026
Host: Annie Kelly (The Guardian)
Guest: Keza McDonald, The Guardian’s Video Games Editor

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the fascinating legacy of Nintendo through the eyes of Keza McDonald, a lifelong Nintendo fan and now The Guardian’s video games editor. The conversation traces Nintendo’s transformation from 19th-century Japanese playing card maker to global giant—unpacking its impact on culture, personal lives, and the gaming industry at a time when tech and AI are reshaping the landscape. The episode also explores wider issues: online toxicity, gaming’s social power, concerns about AI and big tech in gaming, and why Nintendo’s stubbornness may be its greatest strength.

Childhood Connections & Nintendo Memories

Personal Stories and Passions

• Keza recounts her earliest video game memories, not of playing, but reading magazines about Nintendo as a child.

  "My earliest memories of video games, it’s not even playing them. It’s sitting and reading magazines about Nintendo... just imagining what video games must be like..." – Keza McDonald [00:55]

• She describes finally getting a Super Nintendo at age six and her first experience playing Super Mario World, which brought "sheer and utter joy" to the household.
• Keza’s childhood dream was to attend the Pokémon World Championships (she succeeded later as a journalist, not a competitor).

  "I finally got to go to the Pokemon World Championships when I was about 25. It was in Washington D.C., and I went as a journalist, not a player. But I think it still counts." – Keza McDonald [01:46]

The Power and Evolution of Gaming

How the Industry Grew

• Keza left school at 16 to work at a video games magazine—at a time when the industry was "really taking off" but still extremely male-dominated.

  "The games industry was extremely male dominated... 90% plus of people who worked in the games industry were men in 2005..." – Keza McDonald [04:45]

• She explains the explosive growth:

  "The games industry is worth, depending on who you ask, somewhere in the region of $200 billion... more money than most of the other creative industries combined." [05:40]
  "About 65% of people [in the UK] play video games in some form... if you look at people under 30, it’s 95%." – Keza McDonald [05:40]

Gaming as a Cultural and Political Force

• Video game audiences are often "early adopters" and precursors of broader social change. The Gamergate scandal is cited as a pivotal moment for online harassment and misogyny, stoked by far-right elements to politicize and radicalize young men.

  "For Anita Sarkeesian, this is the new normal. Armed escorts at public events, tracking her every move. I'm constantly aware of the fact that there's an enormous amount of hate directed towards me, hate in the form of bomb threats, rape threats." – [07:02]

  "Bannon clocked onto something really important... there were a lot of disaffected young men who could be quite easily manipulated..." – Keza McDonald [07:48]

• Politicians (like Trump’s campaign) borrow gaming iconography and language for their messaging.

  "They tweeted out an AI image of Trump as the Halo hero Master Chief. They’re releasing ICE recruitment ads with like, ‘gotta catch ’em all’, which is the Pokémon slogan, which is really disgusting." – Keza McDonald [08:12]

Inside Nintendo: Culture, History, and Mystique

Secretive Creativity and Enduring Appeal

• Nintendo is described as exceptionally secretive:

  "I did my best to get under the skin of Nintendo. That’s been my 20-year project... I was able to visit Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto, which very few people have done..." – Keza McDonald [10:04]

  "When you’re a kid, you think of Nintendo like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory... And then you go there and it’s just a big white office building in Kyoto. No one’s allowed past the first floor." – Keza McDonald [10:41]

Origins: From Playing Cards to Super Mario

• Founded in 1889 making playing cards; became the first in Japan to distribute Western-style cards—with Disney characters—then moved into board games, toys, and much else, before landing on video games in the late 1970s.
• The failure of initial arcade game efforts led to the creation of Donkey Kong by Shigeru Miyamoto, which paved the way for Mario and Zelda.

  "Donkey Kong by Shigeru Miyamoto, who then went on to make Mario and Zelda. And then 40 years later, Mario and Zelda are two of the longest-lived and most beloved franchises in all of games—and all of culture." – Keza McDonald [12:04]

Pokémon: A Personal and Social Phenomenon

The Origin Story

• Pokémon’s creator, Satoshi Tajiri, was dubbed "Dr. Bug" as a kid for his obsession with bug collecting—the inspiration behind the Pokémon world.

  "He had this wonderful image of little creatures sort of crawling across that cable from one Game Boy to another..." – Keza McDonald [13:16]

• The series became a slow-burn hit in Japan and then a massive global phenomenon.

  "It took a long time to make. Many other game developers would have canned it... but when it did come out, it quickly became like a huge success." – Keza McDonald [13:50]

Multigenerational Appeal

• Keza notes how Pokémon is now a family ritual for many millennials and their children.

  "...Now they’re watching their kids pick their first Pokémon. And it feels like a really beautiful moment. It feels like this lovely shared experience." – Keza McDonald [14:45]

Nintendo’s Ethos: Play, Joy, and Bringing People Together

• The design philosophy: fun and play are prioritized, making Nintendo an especially safe and communal choice for families and children.

  "Nintendo is a family friendly game company. Nothing bad is going to happen. If you let your kids sit for a few hours with the Nintendo Switch, they’re not going to talk to some stranger online." – Keza McDonald [09:03]

• Keza reflects on the positives and negatives of gaming, recognizing its double-edged nature:

  "Video games in general have always been social... when games came into the home, companies like Nintendo really focused on the idea of playing together as a family..."
  "The other side is that games can also be extremely exploitative... Some games are designed to ensnare our attention kind of against our will..." – Keza McDonald [16:16]

Parental Perspectives: Screen Time and Gaming

• Keza emphasizes the diversity of "screen time" and the importance of context and supervision.

  "Screen time is not... all one thing... What’s most important is what are they doing on the screen?" – Keza McDonald [18:13]

• She contrasts today’s parental controls with her own childhood restrictions.

  "You can make the iPad or the Nintendo switch or the PlayStation just turn itself off after an hour. That is so much better than what my mum used to do, which was come up and physically pull the plug out of the wall..." – Keza McDonald [18:50]

The Industry’s Present and Precarious Future

Recent Instability and AI Threats

• COVID-era growth led to overinvestment and now severe contraction:

  "Something like 20% of the entire gaming workforce has lost a job in the last few years. It’s insane." – Keza McDonald [21:18]

• AI is viewed with anxiety; Microsoft’s leadership changes signal a potential future where AI dominates game design, raising concerns about creative quality.

  "Everyone’s very worried about what Microsoft’s intention is... are they going to force all these developers to essentially try and make AI video games that nobody actually wants?" – Keza McDonald [22:14]

• The Saudi Public Investment Fund is a major investor in gaming, raising questions about the industry’s future direction.

  "So the question comes down to like when people own gaming, what will they do with it and why?" – Keza McDonald [23:24]

The Unique Nintendo Model

• Nintendo has resisted the rush to online, sticking to family/adult living room experiences. What once seemed out-of-touch is now an asset.

  "Nintendo just basically refused to join in online gaming... Now it’s actually a huge plus for Nintendo systems because parents, particularly families, are looking for a safer gaming option." – Keza McDonald [25:00]

• Their financial success and independence enable risk-taking and insulation from big market shocks.

  "Nintendo has this luxury of being able to just behave experimentally and keep a commitment to core values of fun, because it’s been so successful over the years. And it has this massive war chest..." – Keza McDonald [25:44]

Final Reflections: Playfulness as a Human Need

• Keza closes with a defense of fun, play, and joy as vital for all ages, a spirit Nintendo embodies and which is needed now more than ever.

  "It’s really important to keep that space for fun and joy in your heart... we are playful animals, humans, we need play... Whatever it is for you, for me, it’s video games, and for millions of other people, it’s video games." – Keza McDonald [26:32]

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "My earliest memories of video games, it’s not even playing them. It’s sitting and reading magazines about Nintendo..." – Keza McDonald [00:55]
• "I remember my school careers counselor literally laughing in my face when I said that was what I wanted to do." – Keza McDonald [04:45]
• "The games industry is worth... somewhere in the region of $200 billion..." – Keza McDonald [05:40]
• "Bannon... clocked onto something really important... there were a lot of disaffected young men who... could be quite easily manipulated..." – Keza McDonald [07:48]
• "Nintendo was founded in 1889, long before video games were a thing... board games, toys, lots of weird and wonderful stuff..." – Keza McDonald [11:20]
• "Pokémon arose from this idea of there being creatures everywhere in the world hiding in the long grass..." – Keza McDonald [13:16]
• "Nintendo is a family friendly game company. Nothing bad is going to happen..." – Keza McDonald [09:03]
• "Games can also be extremely exploitative... ensnare our attention kind of against our will." – Keza McDonald [16:35]
• "If you start designing games based purely on... the most compulsive algorithm... you’re not going to create anything interesting art-wise at all." – Keza McDonald [24:36]
• "It’s really important to keep that space for fun and joy in your heart... For me, it’s video games, and for millions of other people, it’s video games." – Keza McDonald [26:32]

Suggested Listening Points (Timestamps)

• Keza’s Childhood Nintendo Memories: [00:55] – [01:46]
• Industry Growth & Demographics: [05:34] – [06:20]
• Gamergate and Politics: [07:00] – [08:44]
• Nintendo’s Corporate Mystique: [10:04] – [11:05]
• Pokémon’s Origin & Impact: [12:49] – [14:58]
• On Play, Fun, & Family: [15:00] – [17:53]
• On Screen Time & Parenting: [18:13] – [19:19]
• Industry Layoffs & AI Fears: [21:03] – [23:50]
• Nintendo’s Current Position: [24:49] – [26:18]
• Closing Reflections on Playfulness: [26:32]

Conclusion

This episode weaves Nintendo’s story into a broader narrative about creativity, joy, and resilience in the digital age. Keza McDonald’s journey from childhood fan to critic and parent offers both a personal and professional insight. The discussion is not only a love letter to Nintendo, but also a meditation on why—as big tech and AI disrupt the digital arts—it’s vital to keep the spirit of play alive.