Given all the chaos and confusion that’s going on in our world right now, we thought it’d be a great idea to have a story that was 100% undeniably happy. So, when we heard that today was Shigeru Miyamoto’s 72nd birthday, we knew we had to write about it. After all, without this man, we wouldn’t have gaming as we know it right now. That’s not hyperbole, either. Back in the early days of Nintendo as a gaming company, when they were attempting arcade games, Miyamoto was the “No.2” of another Nintendo legend: Gunpei Yokoi. When The Big N failed with one of its arcade cabinets, they asked Miyamoto to do something better.
The irony was that he wasn’t a true game designer yet. Instead, he was a storyteller. So, he used that mindset to create the first game with Mario and Donkey Kong. Thanks to that, Nintendo not only had a hit arcade game that took over pop culture in many respects, but it showed that they could rely on Miyamoto to make things that would sell.
Then, as Nintendo went into the console business, they again relied on Miyamoto to make more games for them, and he used his personal experiences in life to inspire the many, MANY video game franchises he would create. Fast forward to now, and he’s been with Nintendo for almost 50 years! That’s right when he came to Nintendo, he was in his early 20s, and now, he’s 72! That’s true dedication to not just a craft but a company.
As the tweet above notes, Shigeru Miyamoto isn’t making a whole lot of games nowadays, though he does oversee some of them from time to time. Instead, he’s focusing on growing Nintendo in different ways, like working with Illumination to create Mario’s first blockbuster animated film. He was very hands-on with that process, and the film made a billion dollars. So, that was the right call.
Also, he’s been hands-on with the creation of Super Nintendo World, which he personally showed off in special videos, including the recent one about the Donkey Kong expansion!
Arguably, the biggest contribution that Miyamoto has made recently to gaming is his wisdom. He’s the man who did the quote about “a rushed game will always be bad,” which has been rather prophetic in recent times. He’s always one to push quality and trying new things over just staying stagnant. Sure, not all of his ideas have worked, but he’s had numerous hits and helped shape the industry so much that he’s referred to as the “Godfather of Gaming.”
Happy birthday, Mr. Miyamoto!
