Japan’s computer game industry began in the 1970s with small handheld game units and simple games. It blossomed in the 1980s with the advent of game equipment that could project the game onto a TV screen. The games became more elaborate, and two people could play the game together. In the year 2001, Japan shipped 20 million Game Boy units with three quarters sold overseas, and 25 million Play Stations, with 80 percent sold overseas. Japan’s domestic market for game software for these devices ranged from 62 million to 98 million units per year during the 1990s. There is also a large overseas market for Japanese game software. Within Japan, the elaborate plots and distinctive characters of these popular games are often tied in with comic books and animated films. Recently there has been a resurgence of the older handheld games, which are now played on cell phones by people of all ages and both sexes.