As far as video game developers go, it's probably pretty safe to say that Shigeru Miyamoto is in a league of his own.
Even if you're not a Nintendo fanboy it shouldn't be difficult to acknowledge Miyamoto's past accomplishments and contributions - as well as his unparalleled drive to move the gaming industry forward. If you happen to be reading this article, odds are that you're pretty familiar with Miyamoto's pedigree, so I won't waste time rehashing it.Instead, I'd like to direct your attention to a recent interview conducted by Edge magazine. While it's sparse on rumors (unfortunately), it's a surprisingly personal, almost intimate, interview with one of gaming's major icons.
The interview starts off with Miyamoto relating some of the experiences he's had working at Nintendo:
"...Mr Yamauchi is the same age as my parents, so I guess that he was maybe looking at me as a son or grandson doing something for him. I think he had a little of that kind of approach. But, having said that, of course the end result is sometimes very upsetting because there are business realities, too. My game could sell lower than Nintendo or Mr Yamauchi expected — then he became really, really upset. Furious, in fact."
When speaking to criticisms about the lack of online multiplayer functionality in Nintendo titles, Miyamoto stayed positive:
"To be honest, I think it’s rather unfair whenever I hear such comments — that Nintendo isn’t proactive when it comes to its online strategy. The fact of the matter is that we always want all Wii consoles to be connected online, all the time, so Nintendo has never been less than proactive in that kind of endeavor."
And when questioned about his greatest accomplishments, Miyamoto waxed humble:
"Probably Mario is something very important, because that character gave me a very unusual experience — of how the world is influenced when suddenly a great number of one piece of software sells around the world. And where we have been able to expand the gaming population, I see a great number of people who used to not play with videogames suddenly start playing with videogames. That was a very unusual and exciting experience, and that is still ongoing."
In addition, Miyamoto discusses his own game-making process, how he feels about Natal and the PlayStation Move, how the Wii helped him become more interested in the people in his life, and why we should all play a 4-player game of New Super Mario Bros Wii.
It's not often that we're given the opportunity to gaze into the mind of a master, so go ahead and sneak a peek. Just make sure that you're looking more at the Super Mario Galaxy 2 section than whatever part made Wii Music.
Source: Edge