Gunpei Yokoi - Mobygames

Gunpei Yokoi (横井 軍平, September 10, 1941 – October 4, 1997) was born in Kyoto and graduated from the Doshisha University with a degree in electronics. Nintendo hired him in 1965 to maintain assembly-line machines that manufactured hanafuda cards. He worked as a planner and designer for Nintendo as far back as the 1970s, creating their first electronic toy, the Ultra Hand, and going on to create their lineup of Game & Watch games. He also was the producer of Metroid and Kid Icarus.

Yokoi is best known for designing the Game Boy, one of the most popular handheld systems in the world. He helped produce some of its most popular titles, including the Mario Land series and many first-generation titles. He also helped create the Virtual Boy, Nintendo's less popular console. Even though the Virtual Boy failed, he continued to contribute to Nintendo every now and then. Yokoi died in 1997 in a car accident, He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in Japan, presented by Yuji Naka and accepted in his honor by his family.