Shigeru Miyamoto on Game Design: A 1998 Developer Interview
Originally published in Game Hiyou Magazine
Interviewee Shigeru Miyamoto in 1998
What kind of "fun" do you want to convey through your own game?
Shigeru Miyamoto: It's actually very simple for me, it depends on whether you pick up the controller and start playing the game, whether you feel right or not, whether you are happy or not. With the display and handle, you are free to explore the different experiences of life.
- Are you referring to the experiences that players already have in their own lives?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Yes, maybe some kind of movement, or some kind of experience of fear. The Legend of Zelda series may have epic stories, but to be honest with me, the most important experience with this game has always been hiking. [Laughs]
- Your game can be computer-assisted and allow players to experience this.
Shigeru Miyamoto: "Virtual reality" in the original sense is the world and games that children fantasize about. The rules of these games are very loose, and since they are games created by humans, they are full of human goodwill. However, after joining the computer, a game suddenly appeared in which the referee could enforce the precise rules. So while this precision allows us to make interesting new things, on the other hand, referees can also become too harsh and ruthless. Whether the games we play today are magnanimous or extremely demanding depends on the tolerance of the developers themselves.
When it comes to precision, today's hardware is forcing developers to create and present to players what was not possible with technology in the past.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, after entering the 3D realm, there was a lot of content in the game world that needed to be created. But no matter how far the technology goes, we don't try to make 100% realistic images.
- Deliberately not trying?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Yes, deliberately not to do this. If technology really gets to this point, developers have to go for perfection, right? This is one of the reasons why we use the figurative style, such as deformed polygons.
- Indeed. Despite the increasing scale of expression, there is still a need for humans as intermediaries.
Shigeru Miyamoto: If you think you're creating something "real," everything will turn into a technology race —the winner is the one who creates the most "real" thing, right? But I don't think so. Personality and style as a creator are even more important.
- Are you saying that the real subtlety of a game depends on the personality of each creator?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Yes. As soon as the supervision of a game is replaced, the finished product will make a huge difference. If you really want to try to create some kind of "ultimate" real thing, no matter how long it takes or how much capacity it takes, there is no end. You finally have to end every aspect, and then the personality of a supervisor will be integrated into the work.
《Takuma Utako》
As you can see, developers are reflecting on whether interesting and satisfying games are really built on increasingly precise and realistic technology. Take the popular Takuma Kaeko (Electronic Pet), for example, which does not have any powerful technology. Its charm and fun lies entirely in another area. There's something in that space that can enrich games, and I think that's going to be the subject of future developers.
In addition to "reality", I think there is another important criterion for judging games today, that is, the difficulty of the game.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Difficulty will always be a topic of discussion. (Laughs) Lowering the difficulty allows more players to experience the game, but completely ignores hardcore players — especially those who played the previous game (if it's a series). The best-case scenario is to balance the interests of both parties, but not necessarily.
You'll always hear people say that video games are just meant to pass the time, but if games were just that, they wouldn't have been popular for so long. Video games thrive to this day because of the immersion they provide. Until now, games have immersed players by providing greater replayability. Improving replayability with high difficulty is something that almost all games do.
Another way to give players the feeling of "I want to see what happens later" is to add content. But if you remove these two pillars, and look at how many games there are, neither emphasizing the difficulty of the challenge nor providing new content, just because it is fun to play, it can be replayed over and over again? Although creating this kind of game has always been my goal, it has to be said that very few games can do this.
hiking. The interview was published before the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
In fact, it is not so difficult to avoid difficulty and new content as the backbone of game design. But since that's the main means of game development so far, I also know that developers have a hard time letting go. But now we're at a fork in the road, and without challenging these ideas, the game industry won't be able to grow. For those who think deeply about these things, it is a dilemma! Inside Nintendo, this is also a big problem.
Allow me to conclude with this question: What is your ideal game?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Now I can answer this question very clearly – an experience I have never had before. That said, I can't be more specific. If I could make it clear, I would be making this game! That's what I'm holding on to as a developer, but most of my work is still pursuing the "more replayable" and "more content" mentioned above. This is also the problem I am facing.
- Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.