Don James, a former executive vice president of operations at Nintendo of America, has joined The Strong National Museum of Play's Board of Trustees, it was announced this week.
While arguably not as well-known as other Nintendo of America figures from the past, like Minoru Arakawa, Howard Lincoln, and Howard Phillips, on account of the behind-the-scenes nature of his work, James had a remarkable 43-year career at the company that lasted from 1981 all the way up until his retirement in 2024.
Joining Nintendo of America initially as a warehouse manager and shipping manager for the company's arcade games, he would later go on to have a large impact on the company behind the scenes, handling the production for games like Ken Griffey Jr Presents Major League Baseball, Cruis'n USA, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, as well as overseeing numerous departments including "consumer services, design, experiential marketing, real estate & facilities" and much, much more.
In addition to this, he also had an impact on the company in other ways, with Pauline (the character who debuted in Donkey Kong back in 1981, and who was most recently seen in Donkey Kong Bananza) being named after his girlfriend and ex-wife — a fact he later confirmed during a Nintendo Treehouse segment in 2018.
For these contributions, as well as his involvement with the creation of the ESRB rating system, the popular Entertainment Expo E3, and the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the ESA), he was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 28th D.I.C.E. Awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
“Electronic games continue to change the way that people play and communicate across geographies more than any other medium,” Steve Dubnik, president and CEO of The Strong, said in a press release. “It’s an honour to bring the experience and first-hand insights of Don James to our board as we continue to collect, preserve, and share the story of video games.
"Few know the industry better. For more than four decades, Don played a pivotal role in bringing beloved systems and games—from Donkey Kong to The Legend of Zelda —to American audiences.”
James said about the new role, meanwhile, “The Strong is a leader in preserving the history of the electronic games industry, sharing the cultural importance of video games through physical and online exhibits with millions of people across the world.
"I’m pleased to be able to continue to support the video game industry, which I cherish so much, through the museum’s work.”
According to Andrew Borman, the director of digital preservation at the Strong Museum, on social media, James had previously been involved with the museum's giant Donkey Kong project while at Nintendo of America, which saw the Rochester-based institution creating a nearly 20-foot-tall replica of the original Donkey Kong.