Opinion2026-07-02

Donkey Kong (1981) made Nintendo what it is today

Jason Venter Polygon

71 articlessince 2015Active

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Filed in Week of Jun 29, 2026 →

Writer

Top genres

Adventure FPS RPG

Writes forPolygon · GameSpot View profile →

SERIESSubject

Donkey Kong

Active · 1981–2026

Latest · Donkey Kong Bananza

Top genres · platformer, arcade, adventure

826 articles 226 writers 74 games

COMPANYSubject

Nintendo

Role · Developer / Publisher

Active · 1980–2026

Latest · Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

Top genres · platformer, adventure, puzzle

15561 articles 951 writers 1322 games

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Other writers on Donkey Kong

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Scott McCrae

GamesRadar+ · 28 May

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Liam Doolan

Nintendo Life · 1 Oct

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Ollie Reynolds

Nintendo Life · 7 Aug

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Johnny Yu

Polygon · 8 Aug

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Jim Norman

Nintendo Life · 11 Jun

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Thomas Whitehead

Nintendo Life · 30 Jul

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Gavin Lane

Nintendo Life · 11 Oct

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383

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Tom Phillips

IGN · 30 Sept

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344

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Alana Hagues

7 Jun

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327

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Kyle Hilliard

Game Informer · 18 Sept

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301

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