Today, November 16, 2020, we honor a legendary and inspirational figure in video gaming's history, Shigeru Miyamoto.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who played a huge part in the success of a lot of the phenomenal titles within Nintendo's library, is now turning 68. Miyamoto has dedicated the majority of his life to his work by bringing his fans games that he finds memorable and innovative. His stellar track record includes game series such as Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong.
Miyamoto has been integral in helping Nintendo create its long list of video games since 1981. Miyamoto even helped Nintendo rise from bankruptcy in the late 1970s through the creation of Mario and Donkey Kong.
Shigeru Miyamoto is known as one of the most respected game designers in the video game industry. Despite not having any prior history with video games, former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi hired him on the spot due to his natural talent for artistic vision. Through the years, Miyamoto has remained loyal to Nintendo by rejecting competitors' generous offers to jump ship. Miyamoto has even turned down higher salary offers from Nintendo so that he can remain equal with the other developers within the company.
Much of Miyamoto's inspiration for his games can be credited to his adventurous curiosity as a child. Miyamoto didn't grow up in wealth, so he would frequently explore his neighborhood's surrounding nature. There were some particular caves near his house that he would like to explore, which would later become the inspiration behind Legend of Zelda. Another day when Miyamoto was walking through his neighborhood, a scary dog tried attacking him but was luckily caught on the chain. This would inevitably be the idea behind the "Chain Chomps" in the Super Mario games.
One of Miyamoto's personal mottos when it comes to his craft is that even if he must delay a game, it will eventually be good, but a bad game will be bad forever. And because of his ideals, many Nintendo fans credit Miyamoto for bringing them the video games which shaped their own creativity through childhood. Nintendo has since always honored Miyamoto by giving him the flexibility to make the video games that he wants for all of its passionate fans. Hopefully, Miyamoto can enjoy his birthday surrounded by the people he loves and the work he enjoys doing.