by Charles A. Barr
A name that any serious gamer should know is Shigeru Miyamoto.
Shigeru Miyamoto is considered by many
the father of modern gaming. He created the most famous and notable video game characters, which include
Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda, Peach, Luigi and of course Mario.
Miyamoto was born Nov.16, 1952 in Sonobe, Kyoto, Japan. In 1970, he enrolled
in the Kanazawa Munici
College of Industrial Arts and Crafts. In 1977, Miyamoto, armed with a degree in industrial design, got a
meeting with Hiroshi Yamauchi, a friend of his father, and the head of Nintendo of Japan. Upon meeting Shigeru,
Yamauchi asked the young man to return with ideas for toys and when he returned the president was so impressed
with his designs that he hired him on the spot.
Then in 1980, the fairly new Nintendo of America was looking to establish
themselves as a player in the growing
arcade market. After successful location tests using prototypes, NoA CEO Minoru Arakawa ordered a very large
number of units of "Radar Scope", an arcade game. However, by the time the arcade machines could be produced and
shipped to the US, interest had evaporated and the game instead turned out to be a flop. To stay afloat and clear
the costly inventory of "Radar Scope", Nintendo of America needed a smash-hit game that the machines could be
converted to play. Yamauchi, the head of Nintendo of Japan, assigned Miyamoto, the only person available, the
task of creating the game that would make or break the company. After consulting with some of the company's
engineers, since Miyamoto had no prior programming experience, and composing the music himself on a small
electronic keyboard, "Donkey Kong" was born. It was fortuitous that Nintendo had so many units on hand, because
"Donkey Kong" was an overnight success, and not only saved the company, but introduced the character who more than
any other would be identified with Nintendo, Mario.
Mario has appeared in more than 100 games spanning over a dozen gaming platforms.
The game that defined
Nintendo is "Super Mario Bros", which established the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) as the leading game console of the 80s
and revolutionized games by creating the 'platform' game. In 1984 Shigeru took charge of his own development team,
R&D4, who developed all of his Zelda and Mario titles. Miyamoto is usually listed as "producer" in the credits of
these games and ironically in early US releases, he was sometimes credited as Miyahon, a misreading of the kanji
in his name, which can be read either hon or moto.
Then again in the mid nineties his creations for the Nintendo 64 blew the gaming world away.
Though "Mario 64" took a giant step and was the
first fully immersive 3D game, it was another of Miyamoto's titles that was to have a greater impact, "The
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". Like other Zelda titles a heavy emphasis was put on exploration,but suddenly
gamers were faced with a whole world to explore. The game environment's size and depth were groundbreaking. There
is so much to explore in Ocarina of Time, players would often find themselves wandering through areas as though
they were hiking in the mountains. The exploration is far better structured in this title then previous ones;
for example the dungeons in Ocarina of time are designed so that rather than just wandering aimlessly,
stumbling through every room there is thought to the layout and you are guided through in a progressive manner.
The whole environment is beautifully put together, all the pieces slot naturally into each other as puzzles and
secrets form part of the scenery rather than sticking out like sore thumbs. Ocarina of Time opened a whole new
world to players, in the game you're able to go fishing, horseback riding or practice archery at your own leisure,
breaking away from the typical linearity associated with most games.
Even now in his fifties, Shigeru is still leading the way in terms of innovation in the industry. The latest
technique he has popularized, cell shading, can be seen in plenty of games appearing in the market due to the
success of "The legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker". Rather than making a game look as realistic as possible, Miyamoto went for the
opposite approach and created a perfectly animated title.
His influence can also be seen in the hardware realm of the gaming industry. Innovations that were shepherded
by Miyamoto include the introduction of the "L/R shoulder buttons" with the SNES and the popularization of the
"Analog Control Stick" and the "Rumble Pack" with the Nintendo 64. While he didn't invent these, he was
instrumental in popularizing them to the point where they have become standard in every game console.
The game designer's reputation is second to none, so much so that he has major influence over Nintendo's
affairs. For example, it is said that the release of the Nintendo 64 was delayed until Miyamoto was fully satisfied
with Mario 64, and that some of the features of the Nintendo 64 were added because he wanted them in Mario 64
. As another example, when journalists probed Nintendo officials over the long running delays for "The Legend
of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", they were told simply that Miyamoto wasn't satisfied with the game yet and that they
would have to wait until he was happy with it. Typically Miyamoto takes it all in his stride and plays down
his achievements. Despite being an influential figure in video games and responsible for multi-million dollar
franchises, Miyamoto is very humble, insisting on being given an average income, and often rides a
bicycle to work.
His game's successes are due to two key factors: their accessibility to gamers and their replay value. His
game's accessibility to gamers of all ages and skill forms the nucleus of his titles' appeal; the game play
is challenging but doesn't alienate weaker gamers. The replay values of his titles are so immense because of the
amount of puzzles and secrets involved, upon completion of a game you would invariably play through the title again
to try and complete one hundred percent.
Miyamoto has transformed video games from the extremely simple and tedious to expansive and complex worlds that
require thought to progress though. He was the first to add tones of plot in video games. And to the controversy
that seems to swarm around video games lately Miyamoto has said,"Video Games are bad for you? That's what they
said about Rock 'N' Roll."
References
Wikipedia
Gamers Europe
Miyamoto Shrine