Don James (video games)
Encyclopedia
Don James is an American video game executive and currently serves as the executive vice president of operations for Nintendo
of America.
As a key member of the team led by Howard Lincoln
and Minoru Arakawa
, James played a critical role in the reintroduction of home video game consoles in North America after the Video Game Crash of 1983
, when the Nintendo Entertainment System
spawned a late-1980s rebirth of video games. After the collapse of the home video game industry in 1983-84, retailers and press widely agreed that "video game consoles are dead, and the computer game industry is a niche market which mass market retailers should ignore." Arakawa, Lincoln and James coordinated the introduction of the NES while struggling to overcome that skepticism, and ultimately paved the way for Nintendo (and, to a lesser extent, Sega
and Atari
) to rebuild the multi-billion dollar industry during the last half of the decade.
James joined Nintendo of America in August 1981, and his employment with the company has now spanned over 30 years. He has been responsible for manufacturing, product development, and design for both coin-op and home games.
James participated in organizing and creating the Interactive Digital Software Association (later renamed the Entertainment Software Association
) and was a leader in the creation of the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show for the video game industry, the largest event of its kind in the world. He still sits on the advisory committee of the ESA.
He also helped to create the Entertainment Software Rating Board
rating system and currently sits on the Advisory Committee for the ESRB. The ratings system was designed in response to concerns from the United States Congress
about violence and other content in video games that was inappropriate for younger players. James has been a key figure in Nintendo's conservative approach to such mature game content.
James has been a member of the board of directors of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
since the inception of the organization.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
of America.
As a key member of the team led by Howard Lincoln
Howard Lincoln
Howard Charles Lincoln is an American lawyer and businessman, known primarily for being the former chairman of Nintendo of America and the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, representing absentee majority owner Hiroshi Yamauchi...
and Minoru Arakawa
Minoru Arakawa
was the founder and first president of Nintendo of America from 1980 to 2002.Born in Kyoto, Japan, he attended Kyoto University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1972, he was hired by Japanese conglomerate Marubeni as part of their international staff, with the responsibility of...
, James played a critical role in the reintroduction of home video game consoles in North America after the Video Game Crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
, when the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
spawned a late-1980s rebirth of video games. After the collapse of the home video game industry in 1983-84, retailers and press widely agreed that "video game consoles are dead, and the computer game industry is a niche market which mass market retailers should ignore." Arakawa, Lincoln and James coordinated the introduction of the NES while struggling to overcome that skepticism, and ultimately paved the way for Nintendo (and, to a lesser extent, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
and Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
) to rebuild the multi-billion dollar industry during the last half of the decade.
James joined Nintendo of America in August 1981, and his employment with the company has now spanned over 30 years. He has been responsible for manufacturing, product development, and design for both coin-op and home games.
James participated in organizing and creating the Interactive Digital Software Association (later renamed the Entertainment Software Association
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
) and was a leader in the creation of the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show for the video game industry, the largest event of its kind in the world. He still sits on the advisory committee of the ESA.
He also helped to create the Entertainment Software Rating Board
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
rating system and currently sits on the Advisory Committee for the ESRB. The ratings system was designed in response to concerns from the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
about violence and other content in video games that was inappropriate for younger players. James has been a key figure in Nintendo's conservative approach to such mature game content.
James has been a member of the board of directors of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
since the inception of the organization.