Miyamoto discusses how he makes games people don't even know that they want yet, and how he "tests" his games.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed Nintendo game designer who was recently picked as one of Time's 100 most-influential people, says he could have made Halo, had he wanted to. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Miyamoto reveals that he is not interested in making the games people want -- he's trying to make the games people don't even know they want, yet.
"I could make Halo," Miyamoto says. "It's not that I couldn't design that game. It's just that I choose not to. One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play."
The designer also shares his unique approach to market research. Instead of focus groups and demographic analysis, he watches the expression on a gamer's face while his game is being played. "When I show a game to people I don't ask their opinion or give them a survey. I just watch their eyes and their face while they play. Do they smile? Do they look frustrated? So I guess I do test my games -- but it isn't very scientific."
Sometimes his sense of what gamers want to play isn't 100% accurate, as the disappointing sales of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in Japan show. Miyamoto believes the audience for an epic, hardcore adventure game is shrinking, which could mean we can expect more casual games from Nintendo. The designer says Twilight Princess is selling "okay" in the U.S.
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Anyway, his version of what ppl want is very dumb. This whole world is filled with wants and its up to the gaming industry to make games that they know we would like. Not make games that ppl doesnt know we want now. Its a bad method and those sales for nintendo wii legend of Zelda is very accurate. There doing horrible here and bad in japan. Just shows you how nintendo is losing the wars currently, you may not notice it but i do.
It does sound like a bit of an ego trip from Shiggy, but if anyone deserves to have one he sure does.
Seems to me like Shiggy just wanted to take shots at Microsoft.
I'm used to the series, myself, and catch-on to the puzzle-solving sooner or later. It's the beginning of the game that takes the longest, just to get the feel of playing a Zelda game again.
Fair enough, Halo 2 is fantastic (I still play it every other day with 5 mates), but one thing it isn't is original. Besides the long running franchises Miyamota has done (Mario, Zelda, etc. Which, be honest, you would cry for if they stopped) Miyamota is as orignal as you can get. Pikmin, anyone? Halo is a brilliantly designed game, but Miyamota is a brilliant designer. I have no doubt that he could produce a stunning FPS to match halo's quality if he set his mind to it.
But he loves his Banjo way too much for that.