In one of many promotions for the now-released Super Mario Bros. Movie, Variety sat down with legendary series creator Shigeru Miyamoto to discuss multiple Mario-related topics. The interview went on for nearly two hours and addressed a variety (heh) of topics, with most of what made it to print concerning the Mario series and mobile titles. But Miyamoto also discussed his reputation of being opposed to violent games:
“I want to make it clear that I am not against shooter games and violent games. There are many mediums that entertain people, but I think it is my mission to find other ways to make an interesting and fun game. I told myself that Mario is a character that never hurts other people, so I wanted to find a different way of expressing Mario.”
His philosophy makes sense – there’s nothing inherently wrong with shooters or graphic violence, it’s just not the kind of game or expression he wants to make. Though “Mario is a character that never hurts other people” is quite a statement – he’s been stomping baddies for almost 40 years, after all. Do Goombas, Koopas, and all the other mob enemies of the Mushroom Kingdom not count as people? That seems rather cruel.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out today.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
