Programmers gave a standing ovation to legendary games developer Shigeru Miyamoto when the maker of Donkey Kong, Mario and Zelda delivered his keynote address to the Game Developers Conference in San Jose. What won the audience over was Miyamoto’s evident delight in his work. I like making games so much that I would do it for free, he admitted, but don’t tell Mr Yamauchi that!

Like Sony VP Phil Harrison (CI No 3,623), Miyamoto looks forward to new kinds of computer games reaching a wider audience. He described the way Donkey Kong and other games introduced story and character to computer and video games. Then, due partly to the success of Dragon Warrior and The Legend of Zelda in Japan, there emerged a new trend in which scenario writers took leading roles in game design, Miyamoto said.

Later, as Miyamoto himself had predicted, the pendulum swung back the other way. Advancements in technology have once again brought programmers and engineers to the forefront of games design, he said, and we are now in an age in which we cannot accomplish anything without these individuals.

What the computer gaming industry requires are individuals who combine technical ability with narrative gifts, he said. It is to his ability to straddle these worlds that he attributes his own success. People have paid me a lot of lip service, calling me a genius story teller or a talented animator, he said, but I feel that I am not a movie maker, but rather that my strength lies in my pioneering spirit to make use of technology to create the best interactive commodities possible.

By definition, such commodities should appeal to a mass audience, not only to the gaming community. I want to make efforts that convey the charm of video games to the general public, Miyamoto explained, this is because I really want to feel the unique zest of the entertainment industry, where one simple idea can create an unexpected social phenomenon.

He concluded with a call to arms: My friends, let us design unique, fun software with new appeal. Let us take on new challenges so that the world of gaming is not left behind as a separate, closed off world. And in the process, let’s see if we can’t make a little money.