Shigeru Miyamoto, legendary game designer, managing director and general manager of the Entertainment Analysis and Development division of Nintendo Co. Ltd.
(2 of 2)
TIME's interview with the gaming guru continues on Time.com. Read these extra questions with Shigeru Miyamoto.
You stated in an interview with Business Week that you wanted the Wii to cost $100--instead of $250. Any chance we will see the price drop? —Toss Condon, Calgary, Canada
Unfortunately, I am not in the position to announce any changes in price, but the truth of the matter is that technology is something that gets more inexpensive over time.
In most games, the female is the one being rescued. But in Metroid, the main character was female. Is Nintendo trying to make games more appealing to female players? —Rosendo Leon, Vista, California
I wasn't the one who created Metroid, but I have long been interested in games with females playing the lead role and I think we will continue to see more. Nintendo doesn't try to focus on games that specifically appeal to females—we just try to create games with a universal appeal.
Who is your favorite video game character? Are any based on yourself, even a little? —Deanna Trevethan, York, Pennsylvania
That is a difficult question because I don't really have a favorite—though I have been making Mario for a very long time. I guess it is possible that I put some of my own personality into him.
When you have free time, do you play video games yourself? Do you have a favorite? —Brett Arlotti, Tokyo
I spend so much time working on video games that I don't have a lot of free time to devote to actually playing them. I have been having so much fun working on Wii Fit and Super Mario Galaxy that right now those are my favorite.
Sony and Microsoft have always been stiff competitors. What's Nintendo's game plan for dealing with this? —Daniel Wang, Beijing
I always get asked that question, but the fact of the matter is that we don't really view them as competition. The biggest challenges are keeping games relevant to society and trying to expand the way people can enjoy them. That is why this time we have chosen a very different path from those two companies. It is not about competition, it is about making fun and entertaining experiences that everyone can enjoy.
What did you aspire to as a child, or as a young adult? —Casey Jamieson, Huntington, Vermont
When I first entered Nintendo they weren't even making video games, I joined [the company] thinking that I was going to do product planning. Shortly after, Space Invaders came out and I thought that might be something I might want to do. Actually, when I was younger I wanted to be a puppeteer.
As High-Definition adoption becomes mainstream over the next few years, how does Nintendo plan to compete in this new market? —Wes Schiel, Atlanta, Georgia
Clearly people are adopting HD and I think over time that will be something we will start to look at. We felt that with this generation, what was far more important was making a hardware system that was approachable—something people could look at and say, 'I want this in my home. It is small, quiet and intuitive and I know how to use it.' As HD adoption rates increase, it is likely that we may start looking at that in the future.
The Legend of Zelda has enough potential to be the greatest video game based movie of all time. Could we see Link on the big screen in the future? —Jason Zarrilli, Huntsville, Alabama
[Laughs] That is a question that always comes up. We have been approached by people before and we have thought about potential ways that it could happen. But I struggle with the Hollywood process. So it is just a question of whether or not we can find something down the road that will meet our desires.