Revival Edition of "The Dream of a Game Boy" by Katsumi Tomita, a Notable Work by the World's Top-ranked Carnegie Mellon University in the Field of AI and a Study Abroad Memoir

★ Selected as a required reading for the 2025 National Student Essay Contest
https://contest2025.peatix.com

The acclaimed work "The Dream of a Game Boy," written by the renowned scientist Katsumi Tomita (67) at the age of 33, has been reissued as a revival edition. This book depicts the life of Katsumi Tomita, who spent his youth from the 1970s to the 1980s, and includes unique and exhilarating episodes such as how his obsession with the then-popular "Invader Game" became the foundation of his scientific career.

Born as the eldest son of the musician Isao Tomita, Katsumi chose a completely different path from his father and studied abroad in the United States at Carnegie Mellon University to pursue AI research. The journey to earning his Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor Herbert Simon, a Nobel laureate, was fraught with many hardships and was far from smooth. However, his positive outlook on life is entirely free of despair and is very refreshing.

This book offers many insights not only for young people aiming to study abroad but also for parents and educators. It is a must-read filled with hints for surviving in future society.

*Carnegie Mellon University is ranked No. 1 in the United States in the fields of AI and Computer Science (2024 CSRankings).*

【Table of Contents】
Prologue: The Dream of a Game Boy
Chapter 1: Recollections of Childhood
Chapter 2: Master of Invader Games
Chapter 3: Creating and Selling Game Software for Profit
Chapter 4: Computer Shogi and Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 5: Dream of Studying Abroad in America
Chapter 6: The Path to a Ph.D.
Chapter 7: Studying Together with My Wife
Chapter 8: Sudden Hospitalization Due to Retinal Detachment
Chapter 9: Birth Diary in America
Chapter 10: Artificial Intelligence and Automatic Translation
Chapter 11: The Day I Was Awarded My Ph.D.
Revival Edition Afterword: "Life After That"

【Excerpt from the Original Preface】
The reason I decided to major in computers and pursue research in artificial intelligence in America, and ultimately obtain a Ph.D., was none other than the "Invader Game." Since childhood, I loved games, and during the 1970s, I became captivated by the Invader Game, which was a huge craze at the time, pouring an unimaginable amount of time and money into it.

Eventually, I became curious about what was inside such an interesting Invader Game. I studied programming on my own and developed many original game software using the then-new microcomputer "Apple II." I sold these at microcomputer shops in Akihabara, earning a considerable amount of money for me at that time.

Furthermore, I wanted to create a more "intellectual" computer game. Having loved shogi since elementary school, I challenged myself to develop a "computer shogi" program that could play against humans. This was my first encounter with the academic field of "artificial intelligence."

At that time, artificial intelligence was not yet established as a formal academic discipline in Japan, and to study it seriously, I had no choice but to go to the birthplace, America. I harbored a huge dream of studying abroad at an American graduate school and earning a doctorate in AI.

However, reality was tough; my TOEFL and GRE scores did not improve as I had hoped, and I repeatedly considered giving up on my dream. But I couldn’t abandon it entirely. I made the bold decision to spend a year as a preparatory student, aiming to take the exam again the following year. While my peers were all getting jobs, attending a prep school for studying abroad was quite humiliating.

The following year, I received an acceptance letter from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the authority on artificial intelligence and Nobel laureate Dr. Herbert Simon was based. I was overjoyed. I dreamed of becoming Dr. Simon’s disciple and headed to Pittsburgh, USA.

Looking out the airplane window, I saw the vast American continent slowly approaching with the sunrise beyond the Pacific Ocean. I was trembling with excitement. My heart was a mixture of joy at realizing the first step of my dream and anxiety about how long my study abroad life would last.

Next to me, my wife Yuko, who had recently married, was sleeping. Although there were voices opposing bringing her to America, I ultimately decided to bring her along.

Everything was a challenge. I vividly remember that my heart was filled with hope and passion at that moment.

This book records the journey of a game-loving boy who disliked studying, aiming to study abroad in America and eventually earning a Ph.D. in the process.

(January 7, 1991, at age 33)