Miyamottos

[Computer Gaming] [Game Design]

Allow me to share some gems of game design wisdom from the mouth of Mario-creator Shigeru Miyamoto. These sacred utterances, when collected together, are known as "Miyamottos", and I hear in some isolated communities they bear a certain holy significance which cannot be committed to the written word.

1. "When you're on top, you get spoiled and surrounded by cheerleaders." (link)

2. "When I am a child, creating, I am not creating a game. I am in the game. The game is not for children, it is for me." (link)

3. "A delayed game is eventually good. A bad game is bad forever." (link)

Actually, reading through Miyamoto's interviews and so forth, I'm struck by this comment from E3 2004:

I'm very interested in games that change the way people play. [...] Games that are not only fun to play, but also look fun to play to people watching people playing them. (emphasis added)

I think that pretty much sums up Nintendo's impressive sales of the DS, and their very successful pre-release campaign going forward to the launch of the Wii. Really, when was the last time you saw someone else playing a game, and thought, "I have to try that"?

Now go play Dance Dance Miyamoto. You know you want to.