Library Checkout Gameboy Camera
1998
Hardware
Nintendo
Macalester Library
Label written by Lea Wang
This 23-year-old toy camera, featuring a small screen and a comparably large, googly-eyed camera, is only capable of producing grayscale photos with 0.5-megapixel and 2-bit resolution (128×112) and 4-color palette options.
Back in the ’90s digital cameras were still a novelty. Nintendo released the Game Boy Camera in 1998 and it was discontinued in 2002. However, twenty-something years later, enthusiasts and gamers alike are dusting the Game Boy Camera off and even enhancing its capabilities with DIY mods and artist creations. This small, rotatable device, not much larger than a Game Boy cartridge itself, transformed the handheld gaming console into a digital camera, allowing users to capture, edit, and print images using the Game Boy Printer.
What sets the Game Boy Camera apart is its playful interface, complete with a variety of minigames and editing features, making digital photography accessible and entertaining for a young audience. Developed by Game Freak, the developers behind Pokemon, images taken on a Game Boy Camera are imbued with a quirky charm you can’t find anywhere else, but what transcends the image quality is the nostalgic appeal. The significance of the Game Boy Camera lies in its pioneering role in mobile and gaming-integrated photography.
Bibliography:
Pomeroy, Ashley. English: A Game Boy Camera Mounted in a Game Boy Color. October 7, 2020. Own work. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_Boy_Camera_7996.jpg.
“Game Boy Camera.” In Wikipedia, December 21, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Game_Boy_Camera&oldid=1191057463.
