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"Video Games are bad for you? That's what they said about Rock 'n Roll." |
ARTIST HERO:
SHIGERU MIYAMOTO
by Nicholas Glavor
Shigeru Miyamoto is man behind Mario. Shigeru was born in 1953 in a small town outside of Kyoto, Japan. He spent his time exploring the surroundings around his house and playing baseball with his friends. His family didn't have a TV or a car so he couldn't see movies that often; instead he read a lot and painted. After graduating from college, he contacted his old friend, Hiroshi Yamuchi (who ran, and still runs, Nintendo). Hiroshi hired him as a game designer.
For his first project he decided to do something about Beauty and the Beast. Then he came up with Donkey Kong starring the new character, Mario. Donkey Kong soon became Nintendo's first smash hit. After that he was entrusted with designing all the Mario games and all of the Legend of Zelda games. After that, he was truly reconized. He now had the same title as his big idol, George Lucas. He really revolutionized the gaming industry.
The influence for his games comes from a lot of different places. He takes a lot of his ideas from folklore, books, popular TV series, and also a lot from his experiences as a kid. For example, the warp zones in Super Mario Bros. comes from Star Trek, the Super Mushrooms come from Alice in Wonderland, the dungeons in the Zelda games are from his old house with it's many sliding doors and its maze-ike design. His memory of his attic, which he often uses as a haven, has led him to creating all the safe spots in the Mario games. His games encourage players to explore and to try to find new secret areas by rewarding them when they do find one.
Shigeru has a wife named Yasuko and 2 kids. He has hobbies other than just video games, such as softball, swimming and playing his guitar. Many artists/celeberties, like Paul McCartney, have gone to see Mr. Miyamoto. His favorite video game character isn't Mario, as you might think, but Pac-Man because of "its excellence in graphics expression of digital operation and accurate time judgment," which basically means that it's a heck of a good game that requires good reflexes.
He makes "old school" and classic gamers very happy!
KEEP MAKING FUN GAMES!
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If there's one person I admire, it's Shigeru Miyamoto!
Written by
Nicholas Glavor
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Last changed on:6/17/2005
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