Shigeru Miyamoto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shigeru Miyamoto
宮本 茂
Miyamoto in 2015
Born	(1952-11-16) November 16, 1952 (age 72) Sonobe, Kyoto, Japan
Alma mater	Kanazawa College of Art
Occupation	Game designer game producer game director
Employer	Nintendo (1977–present)
Notable work	Mario Donkey Kong The Legend of Zelda F-Zero Star Fox Pikmin Nintendogs
Title	General manager of Nintendo EAD (1984–2015) Senior managing director at Nintendo (2002–2015) Representative director at Nintendo (2002–present) Fellow at Nintendo (2015–present)
Spouse(s)	Yasuko Miyamoto
Children	2
Awards	AIAS Hall of Fame Award (1998) BAFTA Fellowship (2010) Person of Cultural Merit (2019)
Signature

Shigeru Miyamoto (Japanese: 宮本 茂, Hepburn: Miyamoto Shigeru, born November 16, 1952) is a famous Japanese video game designer. He is also a producer and game director at Nintendo. Since 2002, he has been one of Nintendo's top executives. Many people think he is one of the most important and skilled video game designers ever.

Miyamoto created some of the most loved and best-selling game series of all time. These include Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, and Pikmin. More than 1 billion copies of games from his series have been sold.

Miyamoto was born in Sonobe, Kyoto, Japan. He went to Kanazawa Municipal College of Industrial Arts. At first, he wanted to be a manga artist. But then he became interested in video games. In 1977, he joined Nintendo with help from his father. He impressed the company's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, with his toy designs. He helped create art for the arcade game Sheriff. Later, he was asked to design a new arcade game. This led to the 1981 hit game Donkey Kong.

His games Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986) helped the Nintendo Entertainment System become very popular. His games have been major titles for every Nintendo video game console. This includes arcade machines from the late 1970s up to today. He used to manage Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) software division. This group made many Nintendo games. He also helped create other important games like Pokémon Red and Blue (1996) and Metroid Prime (2002). After Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, passed away in 2015, Miyamoto became an acting president for a short time. A few months later, he was named "Creative Fellow" at Nintendo.

Early Life and Inspirations

Miyamoto studied industrial design at Kanazawa College of Art.

Shigeru Miyamoto was born on November 16, 1952. His hometown was Sonobe in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. His parents were not rich, and his father taught English.

When he was young, Miyamoto loved exploring nature near his home. He once found a cave and, after some thought, went inside. These adventures in the Kyoto countryside later inspired his games. His experiences especially influenced The Legend of Zelda.

In the early 1970s, Miyamoto finished college. He earned a degree in industrial design from Kanazawa Municipal College of Industrial Arts. He loved manga comics and first hoped to become a professional manga artist. Then he thought about a career in video games. He was inspired by the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders.

A Career in Game Design

Starting at Nintendo and Donkey Kong

In the 1970s, Nintendo was a small Japanese company. They sold playing cards and other fun items. They started making toys and games in the 1960s. Miyamoto's father helped him get an interview with Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. Miyamoto showed off some of his toy ideas. He was hired in 1977 to work in the planning department.

Miyamoto helped create art for an arcade game called Sheriff. His first big game project came after Nintendo's 1980 game Radar Scope. This game did okay in Japan. But in 1981, it failed in North America. Nintendo had many unsold machines and was almost out of money. President Hiroshi Yamauchi decided to change the unsold Radar Scope machines into a new arcade game. He asked Miyamoto to design this new game. Nintendo's main engineer, Gunpei Yokoi, helped supervise the project.

Miyamoto came up with many characters and story ideas. He finally chose a love triangle story. It was about a gorilla, a carpenter, and a woman. He wanted it to be like the rivalry between Bluto and Popeye for Olive Oyl. But Nintendo could not get the rights to Popeye. So Bluto became an ape. Miyamoto also said "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 movie King Kong were inspirations. Miyamoto had big hopes for his new game. He did not know how to program it himself. Instead, he created the ideas and asked programmers if they were possible.

He wanted characters to be different sizes and move in different ways. But Yokoi thought Miyamoto's first design was too complex. Yokoi suggested using sloped platforms and ladders. Barrels would be obstacles. Miyamoto also asked for multiple stages. The four programmers complained, but they made the game work. When the game was tested in America, the sales manager did not like it. It was very different from the common maze and shooter games. American staff named the woman "Pauline" and the hero "Jumpman." Jumpman was later named "Mario" after Mario Segale, Nintendo's warehouse landlord. The game was named Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong was a huge hit! This led Miyamoto to work on sequels. These included Donkey Kong Jr. in 1982 and Donkey Kong 3 in 1983. In his next game, he gave Mario a brother named Luigi. He called the new game Mario Bros. Yokoi convinced Miyamoto to give Mario special powers. Mario could fall from any height without getting hurt. Mario's look in Donkey Kong (overalls, hat, mustache) made Miyamoto change the game. Mario became a plumber instead of a carpenter. Miyamoto thought New York City was perfect for the game. It had a "labyrinth of sewage pipes." Mario Bros. games have been released on many platforms. Miyamoto also worked on the character designs for Baseball, Tennis, and Golf for the NES.

NES/Famicom: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda

Miyamoto's Super Mario Bros. helped make the Nintendo Entertainment System popular.

Nintendo released its first home video game console, the Family Computer. It was later released in North America as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Miyamoto created two of the most popular games for it. These were Super Mario Bros. (a sequel to Mario Bros.) and The Legend of Zelda (a brand new game).

In both games, Miyamoto focused on how fun the game was to play. He did not just focus on getting high scores. Super Mario Bros. was mostly a straight path. Players ran, jumped, and dodged enemies. It combined Miyamoto's ideas from Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, Devil World (1984), and Excitebike (1984). He wanted a platformer game in a big world. It would have aboveground and underground levels and colorful backgrounds.

The Legend of Zelda was different. Miyamoto made it a non-linear game. Players had to solve riddles and puzzles. The world felt huge and endless. It offered "choices and depth never seen before." With The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto wanted players to feel connected to the game world. He called it a "miniature garden." He got ideas from his childhood in Kyoto. He explored fields, woods, and caves. Each Zelda game has this feeling of exploration. He said, "When I was a child, I went hiking and found a lake. It was quite a surprise for me to stumble upon it." He also used memories of getting lost in his family home's sliding doors for Zeldas dungeons. In February 1986, Nintendo launched it with the NES's new Disk System.

Miyamoto worked on many other NES games. These included Ice Climber and Kid Icarus. He also worked on sequels for Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japanese version) was very hard. Nintendo of America thought it was too difficult for American players. So, they released a different game, Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, as Super Mario Bros. 2 in North America. The Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was later released in North America as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

The next Zelda game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, was quite different. It had side-scrolling areas within a larger world map. It also added RPG elements. These included an experience points (EXP) system and magic spells. This game was very successful. It introduced Link's "magic meter" and the Dark Link character. These became common in future Zelda games.

Soon after, Super Mario Bros. 3 was made. It took over two years to finish. The game added many new things. These included costumes with different abilities and new enemies. Bowser's children were designed to be unique. Miyamoto based them on seven of his programmers. The game also had two main screens: an overworld map and a level playfield.

SNES, Nintendo 64: Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time

Miyamoto helped design the Super Famicom/Nintendo controller. Its L/R buttons were a new idea that became very common.

Nintendo's research teams combined to form Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (Nintendo EAD). Miyamoto eventually led this group. Nintendo EAD had about 15 months to make F-Zero. This was a launch game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Miyamoto worked on many SNES games, including Star Fox. For Star Fox, a programmer convinced Nintendo to add a special chip. This Super FX chip helped the SNES handle three-dimensional graphics better. Miyamoto helped design Star Fox using this new technology.

Miyamoto produced two big Mario games for the SNES. The first was Super Mario World. It was a launch game and introduced Yoshi. The second was Super Mario RPG. This game was a partnership between Nintendo and Square. It took almost a year to create the graphics.

Miyamoto also created The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the SNES. This was the third game in the series. It brought back the top-down view and added new elements. These included the idea of a parallel world, the Master Sword, and new weapons. These elements are still common in Zelda games today.

Shigeru Miyamoto also guided Satoshi Tajiri. Tajiri was creating Pocket Monsters: Red and Green (known as Pokémon Red and Blue in English). Miyamoto was a producer for these games. He also worked on ideas like trading Pokémon with friends. Pokémon became one of the most popular entertainment series in the world.

Miyamoto made several games for the Nintendo 64. Most were from his existing series. His first game on the new system was Super Mario 64. He was the main director for this game. When making it, he started with character design and the camera system. Miyamoto also helped design the Nintendo 64 controller while making Super Mario 64.

After learning about the Nintendo 64 from Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64, Miyamoto produced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He led a team of several directors. The game's engine was based on Super Mario 64 but was changed a lot. Different parts of Ocarina of Time were handled by different directors. This was a new way of working for Nintendo EAD. Miyamoto also produced a sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. By reusing parts of Ocarina of Time, a smaller team finished Majora's Mask in only 18 months.

Miyamoto worked on many Mario spin-off games for the Nintendo 64. These included Mario Kart 64 and Mario Party.

GameCube, Wii, and DS Era

Miyamoto holding up a Wii Remote at E3 2006

Miyamoto produced many games for the GameCube. One was the launch game Luigi's Mansion. This game was first shown as a tech demo to show off the GameCube's graphics. Miyamoto created a short demo of the game ideas. Nintendo decided to make it a full game. Miyamoto kept making more Mario spin-offs during these years. He also produced the 3D game series Metroid Prime. He developed Pikmin and its sequel Pikmin 2. These games were inspired by his own gardening experiences. He also worked on new games for the Star Fox, Donkey Kong, F-Zero, and The Legend of Zelda series. These were for both the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance.

He helped with many games on the Nintendo DS. These included a remake of Super Mario 64 called Super Mario 64 DS. He also created Nintendogs, a new series based on his own dogs. At E3 2005, Miyamoto showed off Nintendogs.

Miyamoto played a big part in making the Wii. This console made motion control gaming very popular. Its launch game, Wii Sports, showed how the new controls worked. Miyamoto then produced other games in the Wii series, like Wii Fit. He wanted Wii Fit to help families talk and bond.

At E3 2004, Miyamoto showed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. He appeared dressed as Link, the main character. This game was also released for the GameCube. It was one of the Wii's launch games. It was the first Zelda game to use motion controls. He also helped with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which had even better motion controls. He produced two Zelda games for the Nintendo DS. These were The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. They were the first Zelda games to use touch screen controls.

Miyamoto produced three major Mario games for Wii from 2007 to 2010. These were Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Wii U, 3DS, Switch, and Other Projects

After 2011, Miyamoto was involved in fewer projects as a direct producer. He mostly produced Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Star Fox Zero. For most other projects, he was credited as General Producer, Executive Producer, or Supervisor. These roles involve less direct work on the game itself.

After Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away in July 2015, Miyamoto became an acting Representative Director. He held this role with Genyo Takeda. In September 2015, Tatsumi Kimishima became the new president. Miyamoto was then given the title of "Creative Fellow." In this role, he gives expert advice and guidance to game directors.

In 2018, it was announced that Miyamoto would be a producer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This movie is based on the Mario games and made by Illumination.

Miyamoto was also very involved in designing and building Super Nintendo World. This is a themed area at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is also being built at other Universal Studios parks. Miyamoto oversaw the design and construction. He also represented Nintendo publicly for the land. He even gave a tour in a December 2020 Nintendo Direct.

Miyamoto's Game Design Ideas

Miyamoto and Nintendo do not use focus groups. Instead, Miyamoto figures out if a game is fun for himself. He believes if he enjoys it, others will too. He explained that the goal is "not to make something sell, something very popular, but to love something, and make something that we creators can love." Miyamoto wants players to feel the same excitement as the developers.

He tests games with his friends and family. He encourages younger developers to think about new players. For example, he asks them to use their non-dominant hand to play. This helps them understand what it feels like to play an unfamiliar game.

Miyamoto does not focus on super realistic graphics. He knows they have their place, but he cares more about how the game plays. He focuses on the choices and challenges in the game. He likes to change his games right up until they are finished. He wants to make "something unique and unprecedented." He prefers games to be fun to play rather than having long movie scenes. He said in 1999, "I will never make movie-like games."

Miyamoto's Impact on Gaming

Takashi Tezuka, Miyamoto, and Koji Kondo, 2015

Time magazine called Miyamoto "the Spielberg of video games." They also called him "the father of modern video games." The Daily Telegraph said he is "possibly the most important game designer of all time." GameTrailers called him "the most influential game creator in history." Miyamoto has greatly influenced many parts of video games. He is known for creating "innovative, ground breaking and successful work." Many of his games have started new ideas or made existing ones better. His games have received amazing reviews. Some are even called the greatest games ever.

Miyamoto's games have also sold incredibly well. They are some of the best-selling games on Nintendo consoles and of all time. By 1999, his games had sold 250 million copies and made billions of dollars.

The New Yorker called Miyamoto one of the few "video-game auteurs." They said he created the game series that sold consoles. He also helped design the consoles themselves. They described him as Nintendo's "guiding spirit." The Daily Telegraph also said Nintendo's success was mostly thanks to Miyamoto. Next Generation magazine listed him as one of the "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995." They said he has "a unique and brilliant mind" and knows what gamers want.

Influence on the Industry

Miyamoto's first big arcade hit, Donkey Kong, was very important. It led to many other games with running, jumping, and climbing. This new type of game was first called "Donkey Kong-type." Later, it became known as "platform" games. Donkey Kong was also one of the first games to use short scenes to tell a story. It had different levels that moved the story forward. Computer and Video Games called Donkey Kong "the most momentous" game of 1981.

Miyamoto's most famous game, Super Mario Bros., "created an industry or brought a dying one back to life." The Daily Telegraph said it "set the standard for all future videogames." G4 said its gameplay was revolutionary. It "almost single-handedly" saved the video game industry after the 1983 game industry crash. The game also made the side-scrolling video game style very popular. The New Yorker called Mario the first folk hero of video games.

GameSpot named The Legend of Zelda one of the 15 most influential games ever. It was an early example of open world and nonlinear gameplay. It also introduced battery backup saving. This laid the groundwork for later action-adventure games like Metroid and role-playing video games like Final Fantasy. In 2009, Game Informer called The Legend of Zelda "the greatest game of all time."

When Star Fox came out, using filled three-dimensional polygons in a console game was very rare. Because of its success, Star Fox became a Nintendo series.

His game Super Mario 64 defined how 3D games were designed. This was especially true for its dynamic camera system and analog controls. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time introduced features like a target lock system. These features are now common in 3D adventure games.

The Wii console, which Miyamoto helped design, was the first wireless motion-controlled video game console.

Awards and Recognition

[[quote|quote = [Miyamoto] approaches the games playfully, which seems kind of obvious, but most people don't. And he approaches things from the players' point of view, which is part of his magic.|source = Will Wright, The New Yorker]]

The main character in the PC game Daikatana, Hiro Miyamoto, is named after Shigeru Miyamoto. The character Gary Oak from the Pokémon anime is named Shigeru in Japan. He is the rival of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japan). Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri was mentored by Miyamoto.

In 1998, Miyamoto was the first person to be added to the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame. In 2006, France made Miyamoto a Chevalier (knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

On November 28, 2006, Miyamoto was in TIME Asia's "60 Years of Asian Heroes." He was also chosen as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year in 2007 and 2008. At the Game Developers Choice Awards on March 7, 2007, Miyamoto received the Lifetime Achievement Award. This was for his career creating games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong. GameTrailers and IGN both put Miyamoto first on their lists of top game creators.

In a survey of game developers, 30% chose Miyamoto as their "Ultimate Development Hero." This was the largest portion by far. Miyamoto has been interviewed by groups like CNN's Talk Asia. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2010. In 2012, Miyamoto was the first interactive creator to receive Spain's highest honor, the Prince of Asturias Award.

Miyamoto received Japan's Person of Cultural Merit award in 2019. This was for his contributions to Japan's video game industry. He was the first person in the video game industry to get this honor.

Personal Life

Miyamoto is married to Yasuko, and they have two children. In 2010, his son was 25 and worked in advertising. His daughter was 23 and studied zoology. His children played video games when they were young, but he also made sure they played outside. Miyamoto can speak some English, but he prefers to speak Japanese in interviews.

Miyamoto usually does not sign autographs. He worries he would be overwhelmed with requests. He also does not appear on Japanese television much. This helps him avoid being recognized too often. More foreign tourists recognize him than Japanese people.

Miyamoto is ambidextrous, meaning he can use both hands well. But he usually prefers his left hand. This is why his characters Mario and Link were designed to be left-handed.

Miyamoto does not spend much time playing video games in his free time. He prefers to play the guitar, mandolin, and banjo. He loves bluegrass music. In a 2016 interview, Miyamoto said he started gardening with his wife when he had his own family. This hobby influenced some of the games he was making. He has a Shetland Sheepdog named Pikku. Pikku inspired the game Nintendogs. Miyamoto also breeds dogs as a hobby.

He is known for a quote: "Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock and roll." Another quote often linked to him is, "a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." In 2023, fans found out this quote actually came from Siobhan Beeman. She worked on the Wing Commander series. She said something similar at a conference in 1996.

Miyamoto enjoys rearranging furniture in his house, even late at night. He also likes to guess the size of objects and then check if he was right. He reportedly carries a measuring tape with him everywhere. In December 2016, Miyamoto showed this hobby on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He also played the Super Mario Bros. theme on guitar with The Roots on the same show.

Selected Games and Roles

Images for kids

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  Takashi Tezuka, Miyamoto, and Koji Kondo, 2015

See also

In Spanish: Shigeru Miyamoto para niños