Shigeru Miyamoto: Wii Is For Mothers!
Design genius speaks his mind on violence and the opposition.
Mario creator and accepted game design genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, has gone on record with his thoughts on the Wii’s name, violence in games, Sony, Microsoft and the importance of mothers in the home, who, in his opinion, “take the initiative in family entertainment.”
Speaking about the controversial 'Wii' moniker, Miyamoto says, "We debated how the Wii might be thought of in the English speaking countries. And we came to a conclusion that there is no other choice but to use this short, appealing name."
Discussing Microsoft and Sony, he added, "I do think we are too conscious of competition… Nintendo should be unique and become a company that can not be compared with the other corporations. I don't think there is a company equivalent that has the know-how or skills with the technology behind the games, or has the history and experience in the entertainment industry, and or has such abundant and motivated staff."
Next up, he was clear that part of the strategy with Wii is to target mothers, noting that, "In a common family with a mother, father and children, I think mothers take the initiative in family entertainment and I think they would respond well to the Wii. And we might go as far as saying that we designed the Wii to that effect - as something that mothers would want to buy."
He was then drawn on the subject of violence in video gaming – a hot topic but not one that you would normally associate with a man best known for NintenDogs or Donkey Kong. Here’s his opinion:
The full CNN/TalkAsia interview can be seen in video format right here.
Speaking about the controversial 'Wii' moniker, Miyamoto says, "We debated how the Wii might be thought of in the English speaking countries. And we came to a conclusion that there is no other choice but to use this short, appealing name."
Discussing Microsoft and Sony, he added, "I do think we are too conscious of competition… Nintendo should be unique and become a company that can not be compared with the other corporations. I don't think there is a company equivalent that has the know-how or skills with the technology behind the games, or has the history and experience in the entertainment industry, and or has such abundant and motivated staff."
Next up, he was clear that part of the strategy with Wii is to target mothers, noting that, "In a common family with a mother, father and children, I think mothers take the initiative in family entertainment and I think they would respond well to the Wii. And we might go as far as saying that we designed the Wii to that effect - as something that mothers would want to buy."
He was then drawn on the subject of violence in video gaming – a hot topic but not one that you would normally associate with a man best known for NintenDogs or Donkey Kong. Here’s his opinion:
“I myself am careful about any excessive violent expressions in video games. But when I was a child, my parents worried about me reading too many comic books. I'm not sure that they knew the full extent of the comics I was reading. That is when I was young. But obviously, I know about the content of video games that are out today. So I do worry about my children. I think it is natural for parents to do so.
“My personal thought is, and I think it is the same with Nintendo, that before thinking about how to handle violence in video games, I think it is important to think about pain people feel. For example, you would not laugh at people with disabilities. There are bullying problems in Japan. Looking at the overall picture, it is important to understand and feel the pain that people might have. We make our games based on that philosophy, using means other than violence. But we also have to take a careful approach, even in the circumstances when we are not portraying direct violence. I think it is always important to give children a product with a careful approach.”
“My personal thought is, and I think it is the same with Nintendo, that before thinking about how to handle violence in video games, I think it is important to think about pain people feel. For example, you would not laugh at people with disabilities. There are bullying problems in Japan. Looking at the overall picture, it is important to understand and feel the pain that people might have. We make our games based on that philosophy, using means other than violence. But we also have to take a careful approach, even in the circumstances when we are not portraying direct violence. I think it is always important to give children a product with a careful approach.”
The full CNN/TalkAsia interview can be seen in video format right here.
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Comments
OptimusP 16 Feb 2007 11:37
1/1
And clearly also the company that motivates dooby consumption the most as a inspiration means...very clearly...