SHIGERU Miyamoto is celebrating his 70th birthday, and few people have changed the gaming industry quite like him.
Working for Nintendo since 1977, he has shaped the gaming industry in unimaginable ways.
Did you know Miyamoto-san worked on the Pokemon series?
Starting with Donkey Kong in 1981, so many games have been developed because of Miyamoto-san’s influence.
Here are five games which show the world just how influential Shigeru Miyamoto has been to the industry.
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
While Mario was first seen in Donkey Kong, and then started his own series with Mario Bros. it wasn’t until Super Mario Bros. that Miyamoto-san got the formula just right.
The screen scrolled smoothly, something which seemed impossible in the 1980s, and the amount of game he fitted onto the NES’ tiny memory is a marvel.
Technology aside, Super Mario Bros. does tutorials right, teaching the player the mechanics of the game without ever saying a word.
Every side-scrolling platformer has been influenced by this opening level, even games released this year.
Pokémon Red and Green (1995)
The mind behind the billion-dollar franchise is actually Satoshi Taijiri, but his idea would have never come to life without Miyamoto-san’s guidance.
Miyamoto-san was the one who convinced Nintendo to work with Taijiri on his idea. That’s why in Japan, the protagonist Ash is named Satoshi, while the rival Gary is called Shigeru.
Shigeru Miyamoto is also the one who suggested making multiple versions, to encourage cooperative play, and trading with friends, a staple of the series.
Without Miyamoto-san, it’s possible that the Pokémon series as we know it wouldn’t exist at all.
Super Mario 64 (1996)
While we have mentioned Mario already, and how it defined 2D platformers, Super Mario 64 did the same for 3D games a decade later.
The camera was designed from the ground up, as well as how Mario should now move in a 3D space.
Super Mario 64 used analogue controls, thanks to the N64’s controller, which would become a staple of 3D games going forward.
Soon analogue became the standard on all controllers, and designers are still trying to emulate Mario’s smooth 3D movement mechanics to this day.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Shigeru Miyamoto of course created the original Legend of Zelda game and introduced gaming to one of the first titles with a truly open world.
However, Ocarina of Time broke the mould again, bringing something entirely new to the industry.
Originally designed in first-person, Miyamoto-san was the one who switched to the over-the-shoulder perspective, making the discovery and puzzle solving even more magical.
It’s often considered one of the best games of all time, and leaves a lasting impression on all who play.
Nintendogs (2005)
If we were to list everything that Shigeru Miyamoto has had a hand in, we wouldn’t be finished before his birthday, but few of his games have made an impact like Nintendogs.
It spawned a industry of simulator-style games, with almost 24million players all over the world adopting a digital pet.
It’s seen as the game that propelled gaming into mainstream success, and almost everyone had a Nintendo DS in their homes.
And all of that is thanks to Miyamoto-san’s Shetland sheepdog, Pikku, who inspired the concept behind the game.
Written by Dave Aubrey and Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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