It was based on a custom Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak, which would historically become one of the most rare and valuable NES cartridges.

The Nintendo World Championships began March 8–11, 1990,[4][5] in the Fair Park's Automobile Building in Dallas, Texas, and toured 29 cities across the United States.

The finalists won a trophy, US$250, and a trip for two to the World Finals at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.

The World Finals were held December 7–9, 1990,[7][8][9] conducted similarly to the City Championships and were located at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California within the Star Trek Theater, now DreamWorks Theatre.

The top winner in each age category was awarded a $10,000 U.S. savings bond, a 1990 Geo Metro Convertible, a 40" rear-projection television, and a golden Mario trophy.

[citation needed] Immediately after winning the NWC, Thor Aackerlund became the official video game spokesperson for Camerica Corporation, a direct competitor to Nintendo.

[13][14] Both versions have an exposed bank of DIP switches to set the amount of time the player has to complete the three games, shorter and longer than the 6 minutes 21 seconds used in the actual competition.

[30] The competition used an elimination tournament format with a repechage bracket named the Underground, with a wide history of Nintendo's game library.

[31] An edited exclusive one hour television special aired on Disney XD later on in the year, featuring retrospective interviews with many contestants and a shortened overview of the competition.

Gamesradar said Numbers demonstrated "impulsive mastery" of the Super Mario Maker levels which were "hellish", "sadistic", "evil", and "truly weird".

[34] Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance to present a trophy to the winner, and an autographed New Nintendo 3DS XL system to each of the two finalists.

The main event was held at the Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom on October 7, 2017, and was streamed via YouTube and Twitch, and simulcast on Disney XD's "D|XP" block.

As in 2015, it used an elimination tournament format including the returning Underground repechage bracket, showcasing select gameplay modes and levels from recent and retro games.