Shigeru Miyamoto
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is a Japanese electronic game designer. He is the creator of the Donkey Kong, Mario, Pikmin and Legend of Zelda video game series for Nintendo.He is one of the world's most celebrated game designers and is often called one of the fathers of modern video-gaming. His titles are characterized by refined control-mechanics and imaginative worlds in which the players are encouraged to discover things for themselves, as well as basic storylines, which had been almost unheard of before he introduced one of the first, featuring Mario.
Employed by Nintendo (then a toy/playing card company) as an artist, in 1980 he was given the task of designing one of their first coin-op arcade games. The resulting title Donkey Kong was a huge success and the game's lead character, Jump Man - later renamed Mario - has become Nintendo's mascot. Miyamoto quickly became Nintendo's star producer designing many franchises for the company, most of which are still active and very well-regarded.
Shigeru Miyamoto has two children with his wife, Yasuko Miyamoto, who was general manager of Nintendo of Japan in 1977; both parents have worked for Nintendo, but neither of their children have expressed any desire to go into the family business.
He is currently the Director and General Manager of Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD), the corporate sector of Nintendo of Japan. In 1998, Miyamoto became the first person to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame.
Biography
Shigeru Miyamoto was born in Sonobe (now Nantan), Kyoto, Japan. As a young boy, Miyamoto loved to draw, paint pictures, and explore the landscape surrounding his home. Stories describe his fascinated discovery of hidden caves, lakes, and other natural features that were linked his later work. In 1970, he enrolled in the Kanazawa Munici College of Industrial Arts and Crafts, and graduated five years later, though he would later remark that his studies often took a backseat to doodling. In 1977, Miyamoto, armed with a degree in industrial design, was able to arrange a meeting with Hiroshi Yamauchi — a friend of his father, and the head of Nintendo of Japan. Yamauchi hired Miyamoto to be a "staff artist", and assigned him to apprentice in the planning department.In 1980, the fairly new Nintendo of America was looking for a hit to establish themselves as a player in the growing arcade market. After successful location tests using prototypes, NoA CEO Minoru Arakawa ordered a very large number of units of Radar Scope, an arcade game. However, by the time the arcade machines could be produced and shipped to the U.S., interest had vaporized, causing Radar Scope to be a huge flop. To stay afloat and clear the costly inventory of "Radar Scope", Nintendo of America desperately needed a smash-hit game that the unsold machines could be converted to play. Hiroshi Yamauchi assigned Miyamoto — the only person available — the task of creating the game that would make or break the company. The fate of Nintendo was in Miyamoto's hands.
After consulting with some of the company's engineers (Miyamoto had no prior programming experience), and composing the music himself on a small electronic keyboard, Donkey Kong was fully conceptualized. When the game was complete, the chips containing the new program were rushed to the U.S. and Nintendo employees worked around the clock to convert the "Radar Scope" machines. It was fortuitous that Nintendo had so many units on hand, because Donkey Kong was an overnight success, and not only saved the company, but introduced the character who more than any other would be identified with Nintendo.
Out of the three characters Miyamoto created for the game — Donkey Kong, Jump Man, and Pauline — it is Mario, a character who descends from Jump Man, that has found the most success, and since his debut in Donkey Kong he has appeared in more than 100 games spanning over a dozen gaming platforms. Donkey Kong has starred in fewer games but has made regular appearances in the many Mario series (e.g. Mario Kart, Mario Party) and cameo appearances in such games as and Super Smash Bros. (and its sequel). Pauline has been all but forgotten - pushed out of the limelight by Peach
Arguably the only other game that defined Nintendo to the same degree is Super Mario Bros. which established the NES as the leading game console of the 80s and revolutionized games by creating a new template, the 'platform' game, as well as spawning a number of sequels.
Miyamoto is usually listed as "producer" in the credits of Mario games. The few exceptions include the Super Mario Land series for the Game Boy, which he had virtually nothing to do with.(Gunpei Yokoi produced the Super Mario Land series). In early U.S. releases, he was sometimes credited as Miyahon — a misreading of the kanji in his name (本 — which can be read as either hon or moto).
His influence can also be seen in the hardware realm of the gaming industry. These innovations that were shepherded by Miyamoto include the introduction of the L/R shoulder buttons (with the SNES) and the popularization of the Analog Control Stick and the Rumble Pak (with the Nintendo 64). While he didn't invent these, he was instrumental in popularizing them to the point where they have become standard in every game console.
Despite being an influential figure in video games and responsible for multi-million dollar franchises, Miyamoto is said to be very humble, insisting on settling for an average income, and often rides a bicycle to work.
Miyamoto was the first member ever to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in 1998, an award that outlines his lifetime achievement and dramatic effect on the video game industry. In March 2005, Miyamoto was among the first honorees in 2004 to receive a star on the Walk of Game, a section of San Francisco's Metreon Center that is modeled on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
On March 13, 2006, Miyamoto received a French honor by being inducted Chevalier ("Knight") into the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, alongside game designers Michel Ancel and Frédérick Raynal as part of the French video game policy effort.
Trivia
- Shigeru Miyamoto is ambidextrous, preferring his left hand. As a videogame designer, he made some of his characters such as Mario and Link, left-handed or ambidextrous.
- Although a game designer himself, he rarely plays videogames in his free time. He prefers quick, handheld games which he plays with his family.
- Miyamoto also plays the guitar and banjo in his spare time.
See also
References
- ↑
External links
- [Miyamoto Shrine]—A website dedicated to Shigeru Miyamoto
- [Miyamoto]
- [N-Sider]—Shigeru Miyamoto profile
- [Short documentary of Miyamoto's work]
- [Shigeru Miyamoto] profile on MobyGames
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