cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49816572
In an interview in the new issue of Famitsu, Miyamoto was asked why Nintendo‘s IPs are enjoyed around the world.
Miyamoto replied that the key to a successful game isn’t looking at what’s trending and trying to capitalise on that, but starting with ideas that the developers personally find fun and working around them.
“People have long asked me, ‘why does a mustachioed middle-aged guy like Mario sell so well?’ and I always think, ‘that’s a bit rude, isn’t it?'” Miyamoto joked (via machine translation). “Well, I wonder the same thing myself – why did an older guy like this become a hit? But if you look at it simply, it’s because he was introduced alongside incredibly fun games.
Most of these are such universal experiences that most of us lived them growing up. I know I did. I also saw them in old cartoons that predate Miyamoto‘s work. These things are universal concepts often depicted in media long before he was born.
That’s not the point of what he’s saying. You’d be hard pressed to find any human experience that was had by exactly 1 person in history. He’s saying that this is more appealing than starting with “Let’s make looter shooter with co-op #58369158”.
Also if you’ve got 30 minutes to spare, I’ll suggest you watch Jacob Geller’s video essay “A Thousand Ways of Seeing a Forest”. Here you go. It explains this sort of thing way better than I have the ability to.