While the gaming industry is different from other forms of media because of how we treat certain people in charge and who we praise for great games, there are a few individuals that pretty much everyone respects due to the legacy they’ve created. Without a doubt, Shigeru Miyamoto is one of those men, as he was the guy who created Mario and helped save the game industry as a whole in North America after the crash of 1983. Since then, he went on to create numerous Nintendo franchises and established himself as the “godfather” of Nintendo in many respects.
However, during the Investor Q&A that Shigeru Miyamoto and other Nintendo leaders did, he actually waved off the notion of him being credited as a “genius.” He noted:
“You referred to me as a ‘genius,’ but I consider myself quite ordinary. Each year, I give a talk to about 100 to 200 new graduates and mid-career hires, and afterward people often say that they were wondering what kind of person I was and were relieved to see that I was surprisingly ordinary. I often think it would be fun if I didn’t have to work, so I’m always thinking about things like, well, if I have to work, how can I do it more efficiently. And if I am going to do the same work, how can I make it more of a hit, because when a project is a hit it makes future work easier. In the talk I give every year, I touch on those challenges that come with creative work.”
That sounds very relatable. After all, why work when you can do fun things instead, right? Plus, it shows that Miyamoto is honestly a humble figure, and one we should appreciate, especially since his “ordinary” insights” are typically spot-on when it comes to how certain things should be done. Just like with fellow legend Masahiro Sakurai.
