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Miyamoto Lecture On Design, Career
Thanks to Video-fenky for translating a Tokyo University lecture transcript with Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, as originally posted on the Japanese Nintendo Cafe website. This in-depth talk discusses a cornucopia of interesting subjects, including originality ("..project documents that start out with 'If you did this and that to this other game, I think it would be really fun' are absolutely no good. Don't tell me about that! Tell the person who made that other game about it!") and job titles ("in Nintendo there aren't any official positions called 'director' or 'producer'.. [but] people overseas don't get that system. So when I started dealing with overseas folks, I wanted to sell myself to them, so I just wrote 'producer' on my business card. Later I got yelled at from the head office about assigning myself titles, but... (laughs).")
Man, the more I read what Mr. Miyamoto has to say, the more I want to pick up a 'Cube. If some other software companies took a cue from him, we'd have a lot more truly great games for next-gen systems. Even when he commented on the American gaming public, he made comments about taste that didn't make Americans out to be uneducated gamers like some other industry-types.
No wonder this guy's got so many games in the top 25 of IGN's recent list. I mean, how many game designers today would answer the question "What's the most important element in a video game today" with "Is it fun?"
BTW: What's the Super Mario Club that he referred to? Some kind of beta testers for Nintendo?
" OMFG. And Wind Waker wasn't exactly the same as Ocarina of Time?"
Nope. Play it.
"What are they on, Super Mario Bros 104 including all the GBA versions? "
What are you on? What's the BFD? All the Mario games are very different from each other. We're not talking about new levels to Pacman here. Hint: Oversimplification never enlightens.
"For Nintendo to gain ground in America they need to drop the nationalistic Japan is #1 crap and step up to 2003."
He wasn't impressed with American games as of late. Do you blame him? We're "let's milk the formula for sequals!" happy right now. It's been proven time and time again that Americangame companies have difficulty taking risks and doing something *gasp* original. I can't even name a whole lot of American game companies because they don't leave much of an impression on me. (Go Rockstar, though!)
"But does he have to be so condesending about it?"
A.) He has a point. B.) Sugarcoating it would just take longer to read. He's being honest. He's certainly earned his right to judge. C.) condescending is not the word I'd use. He's disappointed. What's he supposed to say?
I guess this comment just bugs me because I'm sick of the "I need to be nice to everybody for fear of lawsuits" crap that figureheads like Miyamoto end up hiding behind. I much prefer to hear it like it is. One can take a comment like his and get upset over it, or they can take it as a criticism and learn from it. I think you've already picked the path you want to take. Pity, really. If I were working for a game company, I'd be thinking really hard about what he's saying instead of thinking of a rebuttal.
"I'd like to post that quote next to the Gamecube at Toys R Us. If people knew how Nintendo really felt about America they would sell zero consoles."
Doubtful. Shooting games are overrated and a lot of people are quite sick of going through it over and over again. It's refreshing to hear "we're not doing guns just because they're today's fad". I'm sure mothers would be glad to hear about it too.
The mistake you're making is that you think he's talking about America as a whole. He was talking about what the current formula over here is for a 'good game'. The comments he quoted were akin to people leaving a theater disappointed rattling off what would have made the movie better. "There should have been boobs and bigger explosions."
Sorry, but I found this dude enlightening, not offensive.
"Derp de derp."
"Yes franchise leveraging is what I'm talking about in that example. Its exactly what he rails against American companies for doing. "
No it's not. He rails against taking the previous game and making a few subtle upgrades to it. "oo we have 10 guns instead of 6." The Mario Bros series is comprised of games that are very different elements. 'Sequal', in Nintendo speak, doesn't mean "upgrade what we got", it means "do something new".
Thing is, though, I'm pretty sure you haven't spent any time with these games. I think you're going to try to argue with me on this based on impressions you've been left with by looking at a few screenshots. Go ahead and try, doesn't bother me. But I'd encourage you to look at what happened to Sonic the Hedgehog. Now there was a trilogy of games you couldn't tell apart. Big surprise that Sonic to Sega was never what Mario was to Nintendo.
"Derp de derp."
Absolutely true. Using a Nintendon game as the antithesis to SMB, look at Mega Man. For the most part (other than some different weapons) each Mega Man is the same. The controls are the same, the enemies are, for the most part, the same. I could just as easily play MM1 as MM3 or 4. Don't get me wrong, I love the games, but they're copies of each other. If you own one, you have played them all (at least, through the first 5).
SMB had completely different controls. Yes, there was jumping, running fast, etc, but for instance...in 1 you couldn't manipulate yourself in the air, in 2 you had 4 different characters with 4 different jumping abilities, in 3 you could control your fall and slow descent with a tail. I can safely say that I enjoyed SMB3 more than the others, and can give clear distinctions why.
They also had completely different plots. The first and second were linear, with warps. The third was linear but gave you different paths to follow if you wanted. The play differed so much you would have hardly been able to tell they were sequels except the characters were the same.
That's what he's talking about. There's no sense in remaking a game with different graphics and new weapons, it's the rut we're currently stuck in with FPS's and MMORPGs. While sticking to a basic theme (fun, cartoony characters), innovation is what has kept Nintendo a favorite.
--trb
U.S. games from an era or two ago weren't so well put together, but they were interesting because there was so much variety in what they made.
I think this comment is one of the most telling in the transcript and about the video game industry as a whole. Games have become so expensive to make that development houses no longer wish to take risks on different kinds of games. I want to play games like Pikmin, games that I have never seen before. How much more can you do to make an FPS unique? Why is Animal Crossing fun? Because there is nothing else like it (well maybe the SIMs.)
Nintendo is not the only company producing these games. GTA and GTA:VC are excellent. I have never experienced something so open ended, reguardless of the violent nature. Unfortunately, the violent nature is probably what sold the game, not the play mechanics. I just hope Rockstar can follow up...and not with a sequel, but with something just as innovative. How many games out now would you consider GTA clones, or clones of other games for that matter? That's the problem Miyamoto has with the US gaiming industry, where is the variety?
I guess it comes down to your criteria for a great game. Does it sell, or is it fun? Mine is deffinately fun.
The cancel button is your friend. Do not hesitate to use it.
If I'm the father of MODERN game design and one of the most successful game makers to boot, I think I would have the right to tell it like I see it on the gaming scene.
Fact is, Miyamoto's not only been around, but he's been quite successful and his opinion is well-respected in the industry (not just by Nintendo fanboys which I certainly am not). He didn't put anyone down. He just stated his opinion. Which, as much as you might not like to hear it, carries just a little bit of weight considering his history.
Heck, I hope instead of him shutting up, that some American gaming companies actually listen to him.
FYI, Games made by / Produced by /Supervised by Shigeru Miyamoto:
Arcade:
Mario Bros. 1983
Donkey Kong 1983
NES:
Donkey Kong 1983
Donkey Kong Jr. 1983
Donkey Kong 3 1984
Super Mario Bros. 1985
Metroid 1986
Super Mario Bros. 2 1989
Super Mario Bros. 2 (JP) 1986
Super Mario Bros. 3 1991
The Legend of Zelda 1986
Gameboy:
Donkey Kong '95 1994
Legend of Zelda: Oracle 2001
Zelda: Link's Awakening 2001
Mole Mania 1996
Waverace 1992
Super Nintendo:
Earthbound 1991
F-Zero 1991
Starfox/Starwing 1994
Super Mario All Stars 1995
Super Mario Kart 1992
Super Mario RPG 1996
Super Metroid 1992
Super Mario World 1991
SMW2: Yoshi's Island 1995
Yoshi's Safari 1993
Zelda: A Link to The Past 1991
Nintendo 64:
1080 Snowboarding 1998
Animal Forest 2001
F-Zero X 1998
F-Zero X Expansion (64DD) 1999
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 2000
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998
Mario Artist (64DD) 1999
Mario Kart 64 1997
Star Fox 64 1997
Super Mario 64 1996
Super Smash Bros. 1999
Waverace 64 1996
Yoshi's Story 1998
Nintendo Gamecube:
1080: White Storm 2003
Animal Crossing 2002
Doshin The Giant 2002
F-Zero GX 2003
Geist TBA
Giftpia TBA
Kirby's Air Ride 2003
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords TBA
Zelda: Tetra's Trackers TBA
Legend Of Zelda:The Wind Waker 2003
Luigi's Mansion 2001
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour 2003
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 2004
Mario Sunshine 2002
Mario Tennis TBA
Marionette TBA
Metroid Prime 2002
Pac Man TBA
Pikmin 2001
Pikmin 2 TBA
Roll 'O Rama 2002
Stage Debut 2002
Starfox GC TBA
Super Smash Bros. Melee 2001
Wario World 2003
Waverace: Blue Storm 2001
Nitendo GameBoy Advance:
Advance Wars 2001
Advance Wars 2: 2003
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity 2001
Mario Kart Super Circuit 2001
Mario & Luigi 2003
Metroid Fusion 2002
Super Mario Advance 2001
Super Mario World: SMA2 2002
SMW3: Yoshi's Island 2002
Super Mario Brothers 3: SMA4 2003
Wario Land 4 2001
Wario Ware 2003
Zelda: Four Swords 2002
With titles like those under his belt, it's easy to see why the game industry would not be the same without him.
- "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"