Anyone who thinks video games don't make a difference in the world should check out Time magazine's voting for the 100 Most Influential People list.Right there in black and white, online and everything, is Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto – the creator of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda and most recently the Wii. Granted, he hasn't made it yet, but the mere inclusion on the voting is a fairly big deal.
Time has his pros listed as those creations and his cons being: "His perfectionist tendencies often result in games being significantly delayed and, despite the Wii's gameplay innovation, its graphics are far behind the competition."
While I have to agree with the graphics part of the Wii being somewhat of a con, the perfectionism is exactly what makes Miyamoto so "influential." His games are trendsetters that cut across generational lines. Heck, I grew up playing Donkey Kong and Mario, and now my daughter's generation is enjoying the same brand of game play.
The Wii itself, poor graphics and all, is defining more casual game play in a way I can't remember a console ever having done before. With players ranging from small children to retirees in nursing homes, the Wii is absolutely influential.
What Miyamoto has managed to do is create something that appeals to entire families from the youngest member to the oldest, with a style of play that everyone can understand. In essence, he's given people of all ages a common ground to come together and enjoy a little bit of fun.
I personally think that's pretty darn influential.
Check out Time's listing here.
Nods to Gizmo Cafe.
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Labels: donkey kong, Nintendo, nintendo wii, shigeru miyamoto, Wii
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