During a Q&A following his acceptance of Japan’s Order of Culture award yesterday, legendary game creator Shigeru Miyamoto stated that not only is he involved in multiple projects at the moment, but, “I might try making something like a game again.” While the cheeky phrasing is likely lacking body language context, it does show that even at 73 years old, Miyamoto still has tank left in the gas just yet.
When asked about his future prospects, Miyamoto said, “I don’t know what the future holds (laughs). Right now I’m engrossed in filmmaking, working with professionals, but I also want to see how far I can go on my own. And in the process, I might try making something like a game again.” For him, the idea is to create something that Nintendo usually doesn’t do. Miyamoto wants to surprise the employees with a truly original creation.
Talking about the joy of creation, Miyamoto explained, “Since I was a child, I’ve enjoyed showing people things I’ve made and seeing their surprised ‘Wow!’ reactions. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a manga artist, so I would draw manga and show them to people. My parents would come into my room without permission, so I would create surprise devices or haunted house-like mechanisms to catch them when they entered, and I enjoyed getting scolded by them.”
Mentioning how “Dr. Rubik’s Cube” was his rival when he started creating games, Miyamoto said his idea for game development isn’t to extract money from people, but figure out “what people want to play again.” It has shifted toward creating sandboxes for players to imagine their own stories in as they play, but Miyamoto has remained dedicated to the art of play throughout his career.
Asked if he felt receiving the Order of Culture award was the culmination of his career or not, Miyamoto responded, “I’m still working on several projects, so I’ll just continue doing those. At my age, I don’t know when I might not be able to work anymore. I’m prepared for that, but I’m also going to enjoy myself and pursue what I want to do now.” I’m not sure how much Miyamoto has left, but it will be a tremendous loss when he does finally hang up his apron. He will have truly earned his retirement, though.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
