Miyamoto's future: unique, simple, nonviolent games
by Ross Miller 
{ Feb 15th 2007 at 5:15PM }
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.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Striderhayasa @ Feb 15th 2007 5:26PM
Sometimes Miyamoto just annoys me. Games like GTA you can make an arguement against but what he's talking about is crazy talk. Metroid wouldn't be Metroid if I couldn't find the weapons I need to blow that bastard Omega Pirate to hell since he's all juiced up on Phazon.
How am I supposed to finish Zelda if I can't cut down my enemies, see them scattered before me and leave them lying in the wake of Link's awesome power?
The day Nintendo's entire game portfolio becomes a series of "Hey you, Pikachu" games will be the day I never play another title from them ever again. Come to think of it...pokemon is based on the hunting, enslaving and forced servitude of innocent creatures. Cmon, Shiggy...one of you're biggest sellers let's you enslave an entire race and force them to do your bidding...
Non-Violence FTW...oh wait...
Daniel @ Feb 15th 2007 5:27PM
Most things Miyamoto touches turn to gold. I'm grown up, and I still enjoy the 'kiddie' Nintendo games.
Though I'd like to see Captain Olimar with a chainsaw gun ;)
chaser2723 @ Feb 15th 2007 5:31PM
I agree, you dont need blood and gore to make a great gameplaying experience. And Zelda is Nonviolent when compared to the violence in todays videogames.
Mr Khan @ Feb 15th 2007 5:37PM
Odd, considering he is already deep in development of another Zelda
Unless this is an indicator of a hideously non-violent Zelda to come...
Szu @ Feb 15th 2007 7:21PM
I always like reading Miyamoto. The guy's a very humble speaker. When he talks, I listen.
Whenever Kutugari, Hirai, or Tretton talk, I laugh.
jay @ Feb 15th 2007 5:43PM
Ho hum. Shigsy is great and all, but the game of last gen to truly grab me by the balls was Metroid Prime. Outsourced. Nice.
Variety I'm after. Shigsy provides me with the gold short games, other companies provide me with different games etc. Variety is all I want in a game library.
Sensai @ Feb 15th 2007 5:46PM
He's _rumored_ to be 'deep in development of another Zelda game.'
And I think when he says non-violent, he means non-GTA like. I think Zelda isn't all that violent, due to the fact that you're beating up badguys and not your hooker.
Intentless @ Feb 15th 2007 5:48PM
Really do you consider the "violence" in Zelda truly violent.
ssuk @ Feb 15th 2007 5:48PM
#1: This is his FUTURE, he says he's interested in making diverse NEW products to reach out, which will be non-violent. There will always be Zelda, however Miyamoto may or may not be involved with them in the future... Which then, the whole series will collapse.
Also, you have to consider, when games like Metroid and Zelda were made, there was not a whole lot of options for the video game market to divulge into as it was infant and couldn't diversify itself enough without people loosing interest as the people who played games are what our xbox gamers are today, sorry to the minority of xbox gamers who like a variaty of game genres and styles, now the market is filled with a lot of 'normal' people who want something pretty and interesting not just "omg hardcore". As the generations have gone along those older titles prove forever popular, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we watched it when we were young, we look back and still love it today. Now, Miyamoto wants to broaden his wings and hit the 'uncharted' lands with the behemoth power of Nintendo behind him.
All I can say is good luck, he has proven he can transistion whole genres into different dimentions flawlessly and keep people entranced, which unfortunatly... Some games (Sonic, GTA) have struggled to do.
Matt @ Feb 15th 2007 6:04PM
You can have action without violence - the screeshot used for this story is a great example. There's a sword buried half a foot into Ganondorf's head, and there's not a drop of blood to be seen.
Read the linked article. It's a good one.
Finalboss @ Feb 15th 2007 8:47PM
Does Miyamoto have anything to do with Metroid? Pokemon even?
Steve Galgas @ Feb 15th 2007 7:52PM
That was a pretty shocking moment in Windwaker- Link driving that sword through Gannon's head. It was really effective, due to Miyamoto's usual restraint. It reads in a mythical-fairy tale sort of way, like when you're told an old, old children's fable, only to sit down, only to realise that deep down inside, there's a current of violence.
Martez @ Feb 15th 2007 6:14PM
Pictured: The only really good part of Wind Waker.
takun @ Feb 15th 2007 6:20PM
@Stryder
I didn't know Pokemon was a race...
I always thought it was a species =/
Jake @ Feb 15th 2007 6:23PM
Most all games are "violent". Where to koopas go when you jump on them? They die. Zelda, you cut beings with a personality until they are dead. Metroid, you blast them until they are in hell. The big difference is realistic violence over unrealistic violence. A lot of parents let their kids play Halo, but won't let them play GTA. In Rainbow Six Vegas, your enemies groan and moan and cuss at you while they are dying. It is quite realistic and graphic.
I think realistic violence is what bothers people. That and over the top gore like in Gears. Another aspect is when you are hurting innocent people, like in GTA. You can kill whoever you want. That bothers people, too.
Personally, I don't feel real affected by game violence and I play them all the time. It just doesn't seem real when I am playing a game. Seeing real gore on the internet or realistic gory deaths on TV can sometimes bother me a bit. But games are just games to me. Nothing in a game has ever made me squeamish.
Mephistopheles @ Feb 15th 2007 6:52PM
I don't think Miyamoto is categorizing games like Zelda as violent. Wind Waker was a cartoony game in which enemies disappeared in a puff of smoke upon death. It's akin to the POW and BAM of the old Batman TV show. Yes, they are beating people up but since it is portrayed so unrealistically nobody cares or relates the action to the real world counterparts.
Anyway, I for one welcome new genres. I feel the industry is too narrowly focused. Katamari was a refreshing change of pace.
By the way, how come their hasn't been a decent RTS/Shooter game since Herzog Zwei?
Rubang B @ Feb 15th 2007 6:55PM
Miyamoto didn't make Pokemans. He just mentored Satoshi Taijiri during the production of the first 2 games, helping him start his career at Nintendo. Also, he didn't make Wind Waker or Majora's Mask. Eiji Aonuma was assistant director on Ocarina, and then Shiggy promoted him to director for the next 2. Aonuma was directing Twilight Princess until Miyamoto busted in on him and added Midna to the game, changing everything and delaying the game for a year.
Mario Galaxy will be the first game Miyamoto has actively directed since Ocarina of Time. (He did not direct Pikmin or Pikmin 2, he just kinda produced/designed/created the series for Shigefumi Hino and Masamichi Abe.)
P.S. Holy crap I looked up Masamichi Abe and he created Tekken? Crazy.
REUYL @ Feb 15th 2007 7:14PM
I was all for the "non-gamer" movement before the Wii launched, but now I hate it with a fiery passion.
Nintendo seems to think that they need to cater specifically to women and children by turning our Zeldas into Wind Wakers and giving us craploads of party games.
Don't get me wrong, good games don't need tons of violence (Super Mario 64 and such games are an example of this), but I don't want Metroid to get all "Happy Tree Friends" on me.
Am I being too critical of Miyamoto? Probably, but I haven't been interested in these "non-gamer" games one single bit.
Bottom line: If you want to make games for my mom, go ahead- just don't make crappy titles for the true gamers.
Rubang B @ Feb 15th 2007 7:22PM
REUYL, Wind Waker was for GameCube before Nintendo kicked off their nongamer trend with Nintendogs and Brain Age. Twilight Princess was the first Zelda to be rated T. What are you smoking?
And it was Miyamoto's idea to make Metroid Prime first person instead of third person. The guy is gold.
REUYL @ Feb 15th 2007 7:24PM
@ #17:
I'm smoking mushrooms, actually.
Rubang B @ Feb 15th 2007 7:30PM
1) Red, green, or purple?
2) Can I buy some?
REUYL @ Feb 15th 2007 7:32PM
1) Must be purple, because that's all I see
2) No, I used it all before I wrote post #15 :[
Ibrahim @ Feb 15th 2007 8:07PM
Uh, what do you find wrong with Wind Waker exactly? If you think cell shading made WW kiddy somehow, you need help. WW was a bit easier than previous Zelda games, but the graphic style if anything was a step up from Ocarina. Yeah, I'm kind of annoyed with this non-gamer thing too, but I figure Metroid Prime 3 is going to be hardcore enough to last until the next great Nintendo franchise. (not sure what order the big 3 are coming in, I just know that SSBB, MP3, and Mario Galaxy are coming out in a staggered order to keep people from having to choose between two AAA titles. Or at least that's how I see it.)
Rubang B @ Feb 15th 2007 7:40PM
Dude, you better get to a hospital.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Mario_Bros_classic_mushrooms.png
Jon Hall @ Feb 15th 2007 7:42PM
Watching the interview was great, especially watching him school her in WiiSports Tennis. My favorite part?: AR: Gamers are very fond of saying what's on their mind about the latest games and they certainly do like to blog. Do you listen to their views?
SM: This is a difficult subject. If a fan makes a suggestion, I will often put it in my mind, and I will take in whatever comment I feel is useful. But I make my own predictions of how a user might react to the games I create, and I would say I am sensitive to whether those reactions are in line with what I predicted. People generally have different views and opinions about anything. So I would only listen to whatever information is useful for me. It is interesting to hear what other people say. But instead of reading the blogs, I would rather stand behind a person playing the games and sense how the player is reacting to the game -- whether he is unhappy with the games, or if he is having fun. I can feel all of that directly. It is more useful for me to do that than to read what he thinks of it.
REUYL @ Feb 15th 2007 7:43PM
21:
OH $%@%#*!!!111
mushiking @ Feb 15th 2007 7:45PM
"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."
says Manhunt 2
Beans @ Feb 15th 2007 8:17PM
what a great feeling that was... driving that sword...
Rubang B @ Feb 15th 2007 8:22PM
How the hell do you drive a sword? Do you need a license for that?
airpolgas @ Feb 15th 2007 8:58PM
For people who haven't beaten Twilight Princess... move along to the next comment.
.
.
.
.
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Going back to the sword thing. It was satisfying when Link plunged that sword in WW. The ironic thing was, I was expecting the same thing for TP, but it felt empty because just as Link jumped for the kill, there was a cut and the deed was done. You don't see the actual plunge of the sword like they showed in WW. Is this only in the US version? If so, that is really lame.
samfish @ Feb 15th 2007 11:26PM
I like WW better than TP, over all. I think that was the first time I ever played a game where someone actually managed to make an effective, fun sword fight.
I hope Nintendo goes back to the cell shaded style for the next Zelda game. Just make it a little more mature so at least some people will shut up.
anyway, I don't think he was saying there won't be violence in Nintendo games anymore. I gotthe impression that he was basically saying, "Don't expect Gears of War 2 from Nintendo...ever".
Mephistopheles @ Feb 16th 2007 4:12AM
28. How the hell do you drive a sword? Do you need a license for that?
Posted at 8:22PM on Feb 15th 2007 by Rubang B
Drive from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=drive&x=0&y=0
In this document you will find the definition for drive that you need to make the sentence coherent.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 16th 2007 2:34AM
"Does Miyamoto have anything to do with Metroid? Pokemon even?"
Miyamoto was the Producer of Pokemon Red/Blue. Gary is also named after him (in Japan, Gary is Shigeru just as Satoshi/Ash is after Mr. Tajiri).
Miyamoto also contributes ideas with Metroid, especially with the Prime series. Retro people have even stated that he was a tough guy to work with. :P Anyways, his more important contributions include insisting that MP be 1st-person to totally avoid camera-issues altogether.
Miyamoto was also a supervisor/gameplay advisor for Eternal Darkness and Geist, Nintendo's first two published M-rated games.
Personally, I REALLY liked Geist. Even though it had a troubled development the final product was warrant for a sequel, something that Wii could really capitalize on.
t_m @ Feb 16th 2007 7:40AM
wow.. was that the sound of video games growing up?
(or "becoming kiddy" as fanboy kids like to call growing up.)
It is truely rather sad that all the talented artists, designers and writers out there are forced to conform to teen-boy sci-fi stereotypes just to create a game.
You don't see it in other genres.. whole books and movies can go by WITHOUT anyone getting killed. Shocking I know, but true!
Striderhayasa @ Feb 16th 2007 7:53AM
quickly...WindWaker is hard to get into...probably harder than any other Zelda I can remember. It took me a few months just to get into it beyond the first dungeon. But once I did, I loved it. The ending, the presentation, hyrule's fate, the presentation and overall story rival TP. Actually...Windwaker's story makes more sense in the overall scheme than TP and Ganondorf is awesome in WW especially at the end.
Wind waker is truly one of the best Zelda's Nintendo has ever made and the cell shade style is still one of the best if not the best example of the technique for gaming.
With that said, I agree with jay. Variety is key and that's something that Nintendo specifically is still lacking overall. Metroid is good and so is Zelda. But if they were to release an updated Kid Icarus, get Treasure to make a sequel to Sin and Punishment for Wii, give Fire Emblem a consistant story and market it stateside and make Advanced Wars a full blown online enabled, Wii RTS...I'd sit in a corner and shut up about it.
James @ Feb 16th 2007 11:08AM
There is a lot of ignorance in this thread.
Miyamoto hasn't worked as the main-man behind Zelda since Ocarina of Time. The guy is getting old - he's been spending the past generation training his proteges - the people who will keep Mario, Zelda, DK etc alive long after he's retired.
In his down time, he's working on original concepts. Miyamoto's last major "pet project" was Pikmin (which is actually very raw and violent despite the cartoony look), and more recently Nintendogs. Nintendogs is the direction Miyamoto games will take from now on - he's looking at how to make games that literally everyone can enjoy and that's always been his goal.
Anyone saying "Great, Nintendo games are all going to be Wii Sports from now on" are making the bizarre assumption that Miyamoto is the only producer in the entire company. Miyamoto has passed the torch on the big franchises and he's going back to basics with the games he creates and is focusing on the simple pleasures of life; Things like taking care of a puppy, or gardening (the inspiration for Pikmin).
Miyamoto creates games by finding a simple, fun mechanic and building a game around it. He's one of the few true visionaries left in the industry.
Iguana @ Feb 19th 2007 8:10AM
16. (REUYL): Wind Waker's gameplay and violence was the exact same thing as Ocarina. Hell, it was a DARKER game. It's just that the orinal art style scared you. ;-(