Miyamoto's future: unique, simple, nonviolent games

Shigeru Miyamoto has spent a lifetime developing hit games for Nintendo -- Mario, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, etc. Speaking to CNN's Talk Asia, the industry legend disclosed that he hopes to continue working on games for everyone to enjoy that tackle themes atypical for gaming.

"There is an abundance of themes that people are interested in," he said, "and video games have only touched on few of them." No examples are cited, but would he consider working with serious, mature themes such as heartache, loss, redemption, suffering, et cetera? Miyamoto, alluding to Nintendo's new mantra, also explained that his future projects will be simple enough for all ages to enjoy, which is something he has always seemed to be adept at, though our previously-mentioned themes will probably not feature into universally-appealing projects.

The interview touched briefly on violence in video games, a theme Miyamoto does not wish to tackle. "Looking at the overall picture, it is important to understand and feel the pain that people might have ... we also have to take a careful approach, even in the circumstances when we are not portraying direct violence." Though the game legend might have aversion to violence, his words imply that there are cases when non-excessive presentation of aggression is understandable. Then again, if his goal is to appeal to people aged five to 95, then violence is probably something he's better off avoiding.

The Talk Asia interview also serves as a primer for those interested in Miyamoto's background; much of the history discussion reads like a Wikipedia entry.

[Pictured: Link nonviolently driving a sword into Ganon's head. Don't worry, he doesn't die.]

Tags: cnn, legend of zelda, LegendOfZelda, mario, miyamoto, nintendo, shigeru miyamoto, ShigeruMiyamoto

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Joystiq Features





Featured Galleries

Splinter Cell: Conviction Collector's Edition

Splinter Cell: Conviction Collector's Edition

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Halo Reach (VGA 2009)

Halo Reach (VGA 2009)

Borderlands: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot

Borderlands: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot

Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Pac-Man Championship Edition (iPhone)

Pac-Man Championship Edition (iPhone)

Blizzard Warcraft 5 & 15 Year Anniversary Images

Blizzard Warcraft 5 & 15 Year Anniversary Images

Sam and Max 2010 teaser

Sam and Max 2010 teaser

Naughty Bear (360, PS3)

Naughty Bear (360, PS3)

 


Team Joystiq

 
Chris Grant
Editor-in-Chief, Email
James Ransom-Wiley
Managing Editor, Email
Ludwig Kietzmann
Senior Editor, Email
Andrew Yoon
East Coast Editor, Email
Randy Nelson
West Coast Editor, Email
Justin McElroy
Reviews Editor, Email
Justin Glow
Developer, Email

Joystiq Podcast

New episodes every Friday! Now playing: Joystiq Podcast 120, for Friday, Dec., 11.



Archive | RSS | iTunes