Wednesday, December 11, 2002
Can Innocence Last in a 64 bit World?
Wired has an article questioning whether Nintendo's founder and chief designer Shigeru Miyamoto has what it takes to be a leader in today's industry. The gist of their argument is that Miyamoto is obsessed with the Nintendo design of the past - colorful, cartoon characters in fantasy worlds that are extremely childlike. The article supposes that this is antithetical to today's games standards, a "darker, more complex and ambiguous flavor of contemporary existence".
I say thee nay! I, for one, am tired of one after another Street Fighter/Mortal Combat clones and incessant first person shooter games. The video games of the present are far too real, and are far too bloody and graphic. Where is the more magical appeal of these games? I'd take a Kirby, Mario, or Starfox any day over a Resident Evil agent, a Ryu, or Sub-Zero. I think the market has enough room for both. Just because the current teenage market wants the explosions and the violence doesn't mean that Nintendo can't appeal to older gamers whose bloodlust has been satiated, or younger players who are looking for magic and fantasy. Miyamoto's days are far from over; he might lose some market share in America, but Japanese culture has always had more room for the cute and fantastical, as evidenced by anime and such.
By the way, take a look at Miyamoto photo in this article - does he kind of remind you of the Cooking School judge from Iron Chef?
------------------------------------------------