Miyamoto talks to Channel 4 about gaming and the current financial crisis
by David Hinkle 
{ Oct 20th 2008 at 9:15PM }
If you were to tell us that Shigeru Miyamoto could see into the future and fire rainbows from his fingertips, we'd totally believe you. We just love the guy so much that we believe he's not even human and some kind of freakish evolutionary leap for our species, as his mind churns out these amazing things on a regular basis. So, it's no wonder that Channel 4 in the UK interviewed him out of all of the prominent figures in gaming about the current financial woes and if they'll have an impact on gaming. He plugs Wii Music a bit, but, for the most part, tells us how Nintendo has and always will make gaming affordable.
Gallery: Wii Music
[Via CVG]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MattMN @ Oct 20th 2008 9:40PM
Umm... this is from Channel 4 news, a commercial network in the UK and not BBC.
Just because there are British accents doesn't mean it's from the BBC. There is more than one channel over there, you know (BBC1, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, etc.)
David Hinkle @ Oct 20th 2008 10:03PM
It's been fixed. Thanks!
StckFigure @ Oct 21st 2008 8:52AM
Really? The example they show of Miyamoto's work is Super Mario..... 2?
Jayenkai @ Oct 21st 2008 10:04AM
Yup, That's such a bad example :)
They had a crapload to pick from, and they picked the one Mario game that wasn't!
..
Maybe someone picked that one just to watch the internet go ballistic!
Nathew @ Oct 21st 2008 12:12AM
everyone buy wii music, so our stock goes up!
halongw77 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:11AM
Please please please don't kill me WiiFanboy but I think Miyamoto is a great game designer, producer, director, creator whatever he is not a genius. If Miyamoto thought Wii Music was a great idea, there's something wrong there.
Sonic_13 @ Oct 21st 2008 3:08AM
There is not anything wrong. This game is one of the best creative endeavors this generation. No, not everyone is going to like the game, but if you are looking at the game with an open mind, then you can't deny the originality and creativity that has gone into this game.
Sangor @ Oct 21st 2008 6:01AM
Without Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo the gaming landscape today would be totally different, so yes he is a genius.
Mogster @ Oct 21st 2008 6:27AM
I totally agree with everything he says. Developers really should start looking for other ways to draw in gamers other than violence. Most of the big-hitters (Gears 2 etc) are all based on violence. Kinda sad actually.
Not really their fault though. The self proclaimed 'hardcore' would have a hissy fit if developers tried to do anything different!
time @ Oct 21st 2008 7:27AM
I feel violence in games is fine, as long as you have something to back it up. Gameplay is infinitely more important.
Hamster @ Oct 21st 2008 8:28AM
I think Nintendo should be a little concerned about the current situation as it doesn't take a genius to work out that it will be casual/non-gamers who will hold back their spending on games. Gamers will carry on buying lots of games/consoles because it's our hobby/passion, it's what we spend our money on, but casual gamers won't.
A large percentage of Wii sales are from casual/non-gamers who've bought it merely as a silly novelty (as Nintendo have marketed it), those people aren't going to be buying it quite so readily now.
Hamster @ Oct 21st 2008 9:39AM
Oh and Miyamoto is most definately a genius. One of the greatest geniuses who ever lived in any field of art and entertainment.
theMediaman @ Oct 21st 2008 8:51AM
Miyamoto talks about "current financial woes".
Seeing as his hobby with gardening led to Pikmen, his interest in personal health led to WiiFit, and his interest in music led to WiiMusic, what does this mean for the next blockbuster game for Wii?
Evan @ Oct 21st 2008 10:27AM
I agree with Miyamoto's take on violence. In real life, we entertain ourselves with many legal non-violent activities - sport, music, hobbies, sex - why shouldn't those things be featured more in games?
Conflict and drama does not need violence. Even conflict that is started with violence is usually ended with non-violent investigation and arbitration. Investigation and courtroom drama has been the cornerstone for many great movies and television series, so why not games? How is it that Pheonix Wright is the only significant courtroom video game?
But most conflict and drama comes from relationships. Most television shows depict relationship conflict and drama, even sitcoms and action shows include relationships as a secondary story. So why don't more games feature relationship drama? That doesn't mean the game has to be a dating simulator, games could at least show the characters' relationships in the cut-scenes, or have your in-game actions affect your relationships with the other characters.
8-bit.artist @ Oct 21st 2008 10:30AM
looking back, $50 carts for games you can beat in under an mario really isnt affordable. hahahaha.
8-bit.artist @ Oct 21st 2008 10:35AM
a "mario" apparently means an "hour". hahahaha
Josh @ Oct 21st 2008 10:44AM
I agree, Miyamoto!
leonus11 @ Oct 21st 2008 5:52PM
i think their should be a BALANCED amount of "core" (violent) games and "casual" (non-violent) games. it pretty much like a scale. if theres to many "casual" games then the scale will be unbalanced. keep them balanced and everyones happy! also parents need to look at game ratings when buying games for children. its there for a reason you know! not just there to look pretty! pay attention to the ratings and everyones happy and not concerned.
time @ Oct 21st 2008 9:36PM
Nintendo's non-casual titles greatly outnumber their casual titles. I really don't see why there's a problem.
LunarRoar @ Oct 25th 2008 7:23AM
I, agree with Miyamoto, nowadays violence is around every corner when you look in a videogame store/section. That's not to say that I don't play such titles but I can definitely see where he's coming from. And of course he's a genius! If it weren't for him, most of us would have never played our first videogame!