Remember before video games had polygons? Or online play? Or more than just an “A” and “B” button? When ducks were hunted and princesses were in another castle? Well now you can stare into that cyclone of NES history with this tornado of video-game-days-gone-by from Pop Chart Labs.
The spiral timeline includes some 700 games released for the NES in the US between 1984 to 1993. Or in other words, all the ones you have fond memories of playing. And the twisty timeline isn’t just for kicks. It also solved a tough data visualisation problem.
As Pop Chart founder and editorial director Patrick Mulligan explained to Co.Design:
We originally designed this as a standard timeline with the years on the y-axis. However, it took up a ton of space and there was a lot of dead air throughout the chart.
The spiral, on the other hand, makes for a way more efficient use of space. Also it’s just cool as hell.
The poster is 61cm by 91.4cm and is available from Pop Chart Labs as just a print ($US32) all the way up to a deluxe framed version ($US142). It’s not quite as awesome as a shelf full of carts, but it’s a hell of a lot smaller. [Pop Chart Labs via Co.Design]
