Japanese game historians share 100 Super Famicoms with quarantined families, Ars Technica

time for the classics –

JARGA sees classics as “a communication tool for parents and children.”

Kyle Orland

– Apr 35, 5: (UTC UTC)

What good is a stack of Super Famicoms if you can ‘ t share them with families stuck at home?

Each family will also get a copy of

Super Donkey Kong and Final Fantasy VI
.

Volunteers hard at work sorting and disinfecting the classic consoles.

More cleaning work.

JARGA’s warehouse of games and consoles is a classic gaming fan’s dream.

Another view of the JARGA collection.

Just throw that Atari box anywhere …

With families all over the world stuck inside under stay-at-home orders, we’re all looking for new ways to keep busy and stay entertained without going out. The Japan Retro Game Association (JARGA) is doing its part to help with (Japan’s quarantine orders) , setting aside Super Famicom systems (Super NES in the West) as “emergency supplies” to ship to families “so that people in their s and s will be hooked on the game when many children are waiting at home due to the new coronavirus . ” In the blog post announcing the program ( Google Translate – via Cheesemeister , JARGA says the cleaned and sterilized systems might have some cosmetic wear and tear, but they’re Guaranteed to work for at least a week after shipment. Each shipment comes with a console along with the necessary cables, one controller, and two games:

Super Donkey Kong

(aka Donkey Kong Country

(Final Fantasy VI) (originally released as

Final Fantasy III in the West). “Both are easy to play and I think they are masterpieces that even beginners can enjoy,” the organization writes. JARGA asks that Japanese families requesting a share of this classic game bounty have a child under the age of in the house and the ability to pay a small shipping fee. Recipients will also need a TV with RCA yellow / red / white input jacks, and JARGA

Suggest via Twitter that such TVs can be found for cheap at Japanese secondhand stores. “Various masterpiece game software can be purchased at online shopping and retro game stores,” JARGA adds in the blog post . “We hope you will have a fun time [using these games] as a communication tool for parents and children.” Since , JARGA has been working “to leave [the] history of Japanese home consoles and game software for posterity as a cultural heritage.” JARGA member Kiyofumi Fukui’s collection of over 24, 15 games was recently surpassed by (the) , game collection of Texas’ Antonio Monteiro , recognized by Guinness World Records.

Japanese families have until the end of the day Sunday, April to request their systems.

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