Eiji Aonuma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eiji Aonuma
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| 青沼 英二 | |
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Aonuma in 2013
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| Born |
Eiji Onozuka (小野塚 英二)
March 16, 1963 |
| Alma mater | Tokyo University of the Arts |
| Occupation | Video game designer, director, producer |
| Employer | Nintendo (1988–present) |
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Works
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The Legend of Zelda |
| Title | Senior Officer, Nintendo EPD |
| Awards |
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Eiji Aonuma (Japanese: 青沼 英二, Hepburn: Aonuma Eiji, born March 16, 1963) is a famous Japanese video game designer. He works as a director and producer at Nintendo, a well-known company that makes video games. He is a senior officer in Nintendo's EPD division. Eiji Aonuma is best known as the main producer for the The Legend of Zelda game series.
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Eiji Aonuma's Journey in Gaming
Eiji Aonuma was born on March 16, 1963, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. He went to the Tokyo University of the Arts. In 1988, he earned a master's degree in design. He used to work on animated puppets called karakuri.
Starting at Nintendo
After finishing college, Aonuma had an interview at Nintendo. He met Shigeru Miyamoto, a very famous game designer. Aonuma showed Miyamoto some of his college projects. He got a job at Nintendo even though he had never played a video game before!
He asked his girlfriend about video games. She introduced him to two games by Yuji Horii. These were Dragon Quest (1986) and The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983). These were the first video games Aonuma ever played.
Early Projects and Zelda
Aonuma's first jobs at Nintendo involved graphic design. He created sprites for games like NES Open Tournament Golf in 1991. He also directed Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima for the Super NES in 1996.
Later, Shigeru Miyamoto asked Aonuma to join the team making The Legend of Zelda games. Aonuma became a lead designer for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He also worked on its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
After working on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Aonuma thought about trying other projects. But Miyamoto convinced him to keep working on the Zelda series. Since then, Aonuma has led the creation of many Zelda games. These include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom.
Beyond Game Design
Outside of making games, Aonuma is a musician. He plays percussion in a brass band called the Wind Wakers. This band started in 1995 and has over 70 Nintendo employees. They perform a few concerts each year.
In June 2019, Aonuma was promoted at Nintendo. He became a deputy general manager in the Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) division. By 2023, he was promoted again to senior officer at EPD.
Awards and Recognition
Eiji Aonuma has received special awards for his work. In 2016, he got a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Joystick Awards. This award celebrates his long and successful career in video games.
In 2023, the Ministry of Culture in France honored Aonuma. They gave him the Order of Arts and Letters. This is a special award for people who have made important contributions to arts and literature.
Games Eiji Aonuma Worked On
Eiji Aonuma has been involved in many video games. Here is a list of some of the games he worked on:
See also
In Spanish: Eiji Aonuma para niños
