Shigeru Miyamoto Believes Games Should Follow the Passion of Creators and Not Try to Please Everyone
The legendary Nintendo creator, Shigeru Miyamoto believes games should follow the passion of creators instead of being developed only with the largest possible audience in mind. According to him, trying to please everyone can end up resulting in generic experiences without identity.
In a recent interview with the Japanese magazine Famitsu, Miyamoto was asked why Nintendo franchises have achieved so much worldwide success. For him, the secret is not creating games specifically thinking about different markets or trying to predict what all players will enjoy.
According to the developer, the most effective approach is to create something that has meaning for the person making the project.
Shigeru Miyamoto Believes Games Should Follow the Passion of Creators and Not Try to Please Everyone
During an interview, Miyamoto explained that when developers try to create something that the entire world will like, the result can end up being a work without its own characteristics.
“If developers try to make something the world will like, it becomes generic,” Miyamoto stated.
For him, the most personal ideas are often exactly the ones that manage to win over people around the world. He believes that local elements and individual experiences can have a universal connection.
“The most ‘local’ things, like someone’s personal hobbies, are often the ones that can resonate globally,” he commented.
The example of Pokémon and the importance of personal ideas
To explain his thoughts, Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned Pokémon as an example of a creation that was born from a personal passion. The franchise was inspired by the childhood of Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the series, who enjoyed collecting insects.
Instead of being planned as a product made to please the largest possible number of people, Pokémon came from a personal experience that eventually found fans in different parts of the world.
The idea of capturing creatures and collecting them was born from a specific memory of Tajiri, but it managed to become one of the biggest franchises in video game history.
It is worth noting that this applies to any type of work, whether it is a game, manga, or novel. It is always better to create something you enjoy rather than trying to please others, and do you know who follows this philosophy? The author of Mushoku Tensei, who recently said that he will continue writing for himself.