“I try to make sure that nothing I make wastes the players’ time getting them to do things that aren’t productive or creative.”
– For Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, designing engaging games starts with respecting the player experience.
As noted in the opening paragraphs of The New Yorker’s recently published interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, it’s rare for the elusive designer to sit down for a candid conversation as captured in the story.
In it, Miyamoto shares a rare take on how moments with his family reflect what’s important to him as a designer, and gives fellow game makers a glimpse into how kindness, respect and warmth shape the design of some of Nintendo’s most iconic games.
After his own experiences as a parent, Miyamoto muses on the designer’s responsibility to create an engaging game without demanding too much from someone’s life. For him, creating that experience comes down to designing to stimulate a player’s innate curiosity without taking advantage of it.
“It’s kind of hard to build a game where the player can stop at any time. People are driven by curiosity and interest. When we come across something that arouses those emotions, it’s normal to get fascinated,” Miyamoto said The New Yorker.
That said, I try to make sure that nothing I create wastes the players’ time getting them to do things that aren’t productive or creative. I could eliminate the types of scenes they’ve seen in every other game. or throw clichés., or work to shorten loading times. I don’t want to deprive the player of time by introducing unnecessary rules and all.
“The interesting thing about interactive media is that it allows the players to tackle a problem, conjure up a solution, try that solution and then experience the results. Then they can go back to the thinking phase and start planning. of their next move. This trial and error process builds the interactive world in their heads. This is the real canvas on which we design – not the screen. That’s something I always keep in mind when designing games. “
Find the full interview on The New Yorker to learn more from Miyamoto about his leadership style, design considerations, and desire to promote kindness in the world.