Shigeru Miyamoto's Controversial Quotes

Shigeru Miyamoto, known as savior of videogaming in the 1980s, creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, etc. The man who made Nintendo a Household name outside of Japan (Nintendo's been around since the 1800s, to this day some people don't know that), also a misogynist (if we believe cult-like "media critics" who misinform, lie, and profit from death threats that may be false.) Now, back to Miyamoto. Well, he said the following:

These younger game creators, they want to be recognised. They want to tell stories that will touch people’s hearts. And while I understand that desire, the trend worries me. It should be the experience, that is touching. What I strive for is to make the person playing the game the director. All I do is help them feel that, by playing, they’re creating something that only they could create. — Shigeru Miyamoto - 

Here's the thing: I agree with him up to a point. Yes, Gameplay is the top priority in a videoGAME. Which is why I look down on non-games like Gone Home. Now, with that said, Story MUST NOT take a backseat to gameplay. Let's put it this way. Gameplay is the Pilot and Story is the Co-Pilot.
A Perfect Balance of both is what keeps gamers interested in the game.


Yes, I've been abusing this clip for a while. Why? Well, I started playing Resident Evil 6 in May (technically, I got my single Trophy back then.) but I haven't bothered finishing Leon's Chapter (the only one I started) BECAUSE Gameplay is so frustrating, that it stops me from seeing the story to the end and tempted to go to the Resident Evil wiki and read the story there. A Similar thing happens to me with Final Fantasy XIII, though I lasted a bit longer, but in the long run, both games are gathering dust in a corner unplayed.

Other games have no Story, but are replayed often. I'm not talking about Puzzle Games here. I'm talking about games whose gameplay overshadows the lack of Story. Miyamoto's own Super Mario Franchise would be a prime example. Bowser kidnaps Princess, Mario has to rescue Princess.
Or Megaman. Now you might mention that most of these games are pretty much Old School games, which I'll agree with. What bugs me about Miyamoto's idea, is that Story based games are a kind of trend. No! They are not a trend. Many companies tried to push the boundaries of storytelling and gameplay ever since the 8-bit era.

One of the most dramatic cutscenes from the NES Era.

Modern era games NEED a Balance of the two. Sometimes we want to play but we're forced to an hour of cinematics... Like MGS4... Other times we're stuck doing hours of pointless stuff just to get a 30 second cutscene to move the Story forward (GTA V)

Now the next quote is the one I find more Controversial. 

What the other companies are doing makes business sense, but it’s boring. The same games appear on every system. At Nintendo we want an environment where game creators can collaborate and think of ideas for games that could have never happened before — Shigeru Miyamoto - 

So says the guy who makes the same Mario and Zelda games, where the only thing different between them is a gimmicky change in some gameplay elements and some backdrop elements.

Small jab at Miyamoto aside, he does have a point. Sports games, Call of Duty games, etc. seem to be the same game rehashed with a slight Story and backdrops changed. What I find funny is that Miyamoto, who does the same thing, but not AS frequently as the CoD team is criticizing that.

As much as I hate to say it, putting Business Sense first is a necessary evil. SEGA's downfall began with pushing out the Saturn too soon and having the SEGA Genesis on life support for too long with the "enhancements" (SEGA CD, 32X) the Saturn didn't do too well and then SEGA's Dreamcast was killed by a very expensive game, that shouldn't have been made from a business PoV. SEGA's counterpart to Miyamoto sank SEGA with his amazing incomplete game series that was underappreciated.

A risky decision for a more "artsy" and "creative" game that "could have never happened before" sank the Company that did what Nintendon't! No wonder most companies "play it safe". Especially now that there is an Indie Market to make "artsy fartsy" "Games" like Gone Home. (Yeah, I'm not going to stop talking down on that walking simulator that gets praised by non-gamers because of it's Implied Lesbian Story.) In the indie sector is where people can do their risky stuff that if it proves profitable enough, then the big companies embrace that stuff. It's no wonder that some people can easily say that Nintendo is out of touch with the Market. They just want to march to the beat of their own drum. But to be fair, Nintendo is more of a risk taker. Virtua Boy, Sticking to unpopular formats like Cartridges or mini discs, embracing gimmicks like the Wiimote (a glorified Power Glove 2.0) Now that I mention it, the Original Power Glove... Roll the Lucas clip!