Shigeru Miyamoto
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Shigeru Miyamoto as a conductor for a virtual orchestra during E3 2006, demonstrating the new functions of the Wii console |
is a
Japanese electronic game designer. He is the creator of the
Donkey Kong,
Mario,
Pikmin and
Legend of Zelda video game series for
Nintendo.
He is one of the world's most celebrated
game designers and is often called one of the fathers of modern video-gaming. His titles are characterized by refined control-mechanics and imaginative worlds in which the players are encouraged to discover things for themselves, as well as basic storylines, which had been almost unheard of before he introduced one of the first, featuring
Mario.
Employed by Nintendo (then a toy/playing card company) as an artist, in
1980 he was given the task of designing one of their first coin-op
arcade games. The resulting title
Donkey Kong was a huge success and the game's lead character, Jump Man - later renamed
Mario - has become Nintendo's
mascot. Miyamoto quickly became
Nintendo's star producer designing many franchises for the company, most of which are still active and very well-regarded.
Shigeru Miyamoto has two children with his wife, Yasuko Miyamoto, who was general manager of Nintendo of Japan in 1977; both parents have worked for Nintendo, but neither of their children have expressed any desire to go into the family business.
He is currently the Director and General Manager of
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD), the corporate sector of Nintendo of Japan. In
1998, Miyamoto became the first person to be inducted into the
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame.
Shigeru Miyamoto was born in
Sonobe (now
Nantan),
Kyoto,
Japan. As a young boy, Miyamoto loved to draw, paint pictures, and explore the landscape surrounding his home. Stories describe his fascinated discovery of hidden caves, lakes, and other natural features that were linked to his later work. In
1970, he enrolled in the Kanazawa Munici College of Industrial Arts and Crafts, and graduated five years later, though he would later remark that his studies often took a backseat to doodling. In
1977, Miyamoto, armed with a degree in industrial design, was able to arrange a meeting with
Hiroshi Yamauchi â€" a friend of his father, and the head of
Nintendo of Japan. Yamauchi hired Miyamoto to be a "staff artist", and assigned him to apprentice in the planning department.
In
1980, the fairly new
Nintendo of America was looking for a hit 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 U.S., interest had vaporized, causing Radar Scope to be a huge
flop. To stay afloat and clear the costly inventory of "Radar Scope", Nintendo of America desperately needed a smash-hit game that the unsold machines could be converted to play. Hiroshi Yamauchi assigned Miyamoto â€" the only person available â€" the task of creating the game that would make or break the company. The fate of Nintendo was in Miyamoto's hands.
After consulting with some of the company's engineers (Miyamoto had no prior programming experience), and composing the music himself on a small electronic keyboard,
Donkey Kong was fully conceptualized. When the game was complete, the chips containing the new program were rushed to the U.S. and Nintendo employees worked around the clock to convert the "Radar Scope" machines. 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.
Out of the three characters Miyamoto created for the game â€"
Donkey Kong,
Jump Man, and
Pauline â€" it is
Mario, a character who descends from Jump Man, that has found the most success, and since his debut in
Donkey Kong he has appeared in more than 100 games spanning over a dozen gaming platforms. Donkey Kong has starred in fewer games but has made regular appearances in the many Mario series (e.g.
Mario Kart,
Mario Party) and cameo appearances in such games as
WarioWare: Twisted! and
Super Smash Bros. (
and its sequel). Pauline has been all but forgotten - pushed out of the limelight by
Peach.
Arguably the only other game that defined Nintendo to the same degree is
Super Mario Bros. which established the
NES as the leading game console of the 80s and revolutionized games by creating a new template, the 'platform' game, as well as spawning a number of sequels.
Miyamoto is usually listed as "producer" in the credits of Mario games. The few exceptions include the
Super Mario Land series for the
Game Boy, which he had virtually nothing to do with.(
Gunpei Yokoi produced the Super Mario Land series). In early U.S. releases, he was sometimes credited as
Miyahon â€" a misreading of the
kanji in his name (本 â€" which can be read as either
hon or
moto).
His influence can also be seen in the hardware realm of the gaming industry. These 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 Pak (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.
Despite being an influential figure in video games and responsible for multi-million dollar franchises, Miyamoto is said to be very humble, insisting on settling for an average income, and often rides a bicycle to work.
Miyamoto was the first member ever to be inducted into the
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in
1998, an award that outlines his lifetime achievement and dramatic effect on the video game industry. In
March 2005, Miyamoto was among the first honorees in 2004 to receive a star on the
Walk of Game, a section of
San Francisco's
Metreon Center that is modeled on
Hollywood's
Walk of Fame.
On March 13, 2006, Miyamoto received a French honor by being inducted Chevalier ("Knight") into the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, alongside game designers
Michel Ancel and
Frédérick Raynal as part of the
French video game policy effort.
*Shigeru Miyamoto is
ambidextrous, though he prefers using his left hand. As a videogame designer, he made some of his characters such as
Mario and
Link, left-handed or ambidextrous.
*Although a game designer himself, he rarely plays videogames in his free time. He prefers quick, handheld games which he plays with his family.
*Miyamoto also plays the
guitar and
banjo in his spare time.
*In
2002, rumors went around saying Shigeru Miyamoto died of heart problems. People were very relieved to find out the rumors were false.
*He worked collaboratively with Nobuo Uematsu on a number of titles for the Philips CDi.
*Many of Nintendo's franchises and characters are a result of Miyamoto's past experiences. For example,
The Legend of Zelda was inspired by Miyamoto's Japanese home; he'd often go exploring in the wilderness and caves. Another example is the infamous
Chain Chomp enemy of Mario fame. When Miyamoto was a child, he was attacked by a dog, which was kept at bay by a chain attached to a post. It is not uncommon for Nintendo ideas to be spawned in this matter.
*
List of Nintendo games created by Shigeru Miyamoto*
*
Miyamoto Shrineâ€"A website dedicated to Shigeru Miyamoto
*
Miyamoto*
N-Siderâ€"Shigeru Miyamoto profile
*
Short documentary of Miyamoto's work*
Shigeru Miyamoto profile on
MobyGames
