One cannot dismiss Miyamoto's impact on gaming. He's responsible for so much of gaming's basic grammar. So even when one of his games does not garner the expected interest and acclaim, it is worth giving those titles another look. They very well could be misunderstood. From an interview with game magazine Edge:

What’s your response to some of the poor reviews Wii Music has received in the gaming press? Did you expect it to be misunderstood?

...My hope is of course that a gradually increasing number of people will get access to Wii Music and understand its fun nature. I really don’t think that it will have the immediate and universal appeal around the world at all [laughs].

I really appreciate that the gaming media has a different view of anything as new as Wii Music today — it’s simply symbolises how different and unique Wii Music is. To tell the truth, I have this big ambition for Wii Music, that it can eventually be something very influential so that it might be able to influence what music means in the world.

Wii Music might age well. It might be one of those titles that we come back to and are able to appreciate at all that Miyamoto is hinting at. Then again, it might not.

Miyamoto Unplugged [Edge Online]

When we created the Wii, we identified areas that would appeal to everyone in the household... One was sports, another was fitness, and one was music.

Wii Music has been an answer to my long life as a struggling musician... The one problem I've never been able to resolve is that while I wish I was good enough to perform for people, no matter how much I practiced I never felt my performance was good enough.

Kids are learning more about the fundamentals of music then they realize... When it comes time to learn to read music and play a real instrument, Wii Music might make them more interested in taking on the challenge and sticking with it long-term.

That's interesting, but we think we read that interview at E3 and 1,034 times after that. (Hey, he's a walking press release!) It's not that these answers are simply stock answers, but rather, softball answers from softball questions. Granted, the average Wii Music consumer probably does not read every Miyamoto interview. The average Wii Music consumer may not even know who Shigeru Miyamoto is — so these innocuous blank replies from Miyamoto might be Wii Music marketing strategy. (Note: The game failed to crack the US top ten in its first 11 days on sale.)

Too few have challenged him on his claim that Wii Music is teaching the fundamentals of music or addressing confidence issues. If kids want to learn music, they should start with a kazoo or rhythm sticks or, hell, a piano. People want to perform, but can't play an instrument. So the answer is swinging a Wii Remote? Being in one's living room swinging a consumer electronics product does not overcome the inability to play music. Being in one's living room, practicing a musical instrument does. Learning musical instruments is hard. Consumers, and Miyamoto, it seems prefer shortcuts and instant gratification. Good thing Wii Music offers just that.

This could all just be us missing something entirely. (Yes, blame us.) Then again, it very well could be the symptom of something larger. Remember when Miyamoto said that Wii Music's development was relatively easy and didn't challenge him?

Videogame guru tunes into interactive music [Reuters] [Pic]

...I’m afraid we cannot confirm what we are doing today. But the fact of the matter is that technology is evolving all the time and in Japan, for example… All the analog broadcast will be stopped and shifted into the digital broadcasting. So many things are taking place and we are working in terms of the changes of the technologies all the time.

Read into that what you like.

Miyamoto Interview [3sat via Nintendo Everything via GoNintendo]

Nintendo Founder Mutates Music Games [Rolling Sonte via Go Nintendo] [Pic]

Shigeru Miyamoto Interviews Me About Hardcore Games, Also Talks ‘Punch-Out’ And ‘Mario,’ ‘Zelda’ Shortcomings [MTV]

I have a much greater degree of freedom. In the past, I would develop a game and then finish it and the next question is always: What is the next game we would create? In recent years, I've really found that with this idea of applying the structure of video games in a variety of ways, I've found anything can be a video game, and I've found a greater degree creative freedom in what I want to do next and explore.

That's good Miyamoto has grown as a game creator. And sure, anything can be a game, but not anything can be a good game.

Nintendo game guru expands creative limits [SF Gate]

We wanted the music to appeal to a very broad audience and if you look at the mass market, probably not nearly as many people would be as familiar with [NES/SNES] songs. We wanted to focus on songs that people will know by ear, because that in and of itself is going to make it easier to play and then improvise the songs.

That makes sense. Doesn't make it right, but makes it make sense.

Miyamoto Still Excited About Wii Music [1Up]

[via CVG]

Legend of Miyamoto [Newsgrounds, via Go Nintendo]

A) Stylus Antenna

B) DS Backrest TOUCH

C) Virtual Boy VR Goggles

D) Fluffy Green Turtle Shell 2p Plush Seat

E) Nunchuck Throttle Grip

F) Link’s Lantern Headlights

G) Mario Overalls Upholstered Denim 1p Crotch Cushion

H) Rear View Mirror Shield

I) NES Controller Nitrous Booster

J) Blooper Inky Oil Opponent Nullifier

K) NES Cartalytic Converter

L) Gamecube 2p “Oh Shit!” Handle Grip

M) WiiMote Revver Waggle Wand

N) Tokyo, Japan “It’s A Mii!” License Plate

O) Arwing Laser/Pikmin Death Motivator

P) Pikmin-Fueled Front Wheel Drive

Q) DK Barrel-Ass Back Wheel Base

R) Wii Fit Pedal To The Metal

S) Warp Pipe All Terrain Tire

T) Chain Chomp Power Train

U) Select/Start (Select OD Setting) & (Start Engine)

V) Miyamotorcycle Custom Decal

W) Princess Peach’s No Frills Frilly Dress Mud Flaps

The Miyamotorcycle (the-minusworld)

The two men go on to talk about how people want to create music and how Wii Music can help people overcome playing instruments that and enjoy making music — by pressing random buttons, we guess? While Brain Age was so popular in Japan that some school began using it in class, Iwata and Miyamoto would totally love it if Wii Music could do more of the same:

Iwata: Well, there, with Wii Music, there's a strong possibility of raising people's basic level of music education.

Miyamoto: Yes. Thus, from now, I've even thought it would it would be great if kindergartens or elementary schools got Wii Music and began kid's music education with that...

Yeah, that makes sense. What's the point of starting young children with real musical instruments when you can sell them Wii Music? Nintendo isn't in the kazoo business, dagnabit!

Creator's Voice Wii Music [Wii.com Thanks Go Nintendo for the heads up!]

“Miyamoto-san truly has defined video games as we know them today,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “With his remarkable creativity and passion for fun, family entertainment, Miyamoto-san and his team at Nintendo have produced many iconic games that appeal to audiences of all ages.”

A gala dinner and silent auction will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, with tickets running $500 per person. A little pricey, but for a good cause honoring a pretty great guy. Hit the jump for details.

Shigeru Miyamoto Named 2008 “Nite to Unite for Kids” Honoree

Annual Black-Tie Event Continues to Raise Millions for Children’s Charities

September 18, 2008 – Washington, DC – Shigeru Miyamoto, senior managing director of Nintendo Co., Ltd., will be receiving the 2009 ESA Champion Award at the annual “Nite to Unite for Kids” dinner, sponsored by the ESA Foundation, the Entertainment Software Association’s charitable arm. “Nite to Unite for Kids” is the computer and video game industry’s premiere fundraising event, benefiting children’s charities across America.

“Miyamoto-san truly has defined video games as we know them today,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “With his remarkable creativity and passion for fun, family entertainment, Miyamoto-san and his team at Nintendo have produced many iconic games that appeal to audiences of all ages.”

Labeled the “father of modern video gaming” and the “Walt Disney of electronic gaming,” by TIME magazine, Miyamoto, a Kyoto, Japan native, began his career at Nintendo as a staff artist in 1977. Over his 30 year career, he has developed over 100 games, including the beloved Mario™, Donkey Kong™, and Zelda™ series. Most recently, he oversaw the design of the Wii™ console and accompanying games such as Wii Fit™.

“Nite to Unite for Kids,” presented by the ESA and hosted by the ESA Foundation, has raised over $11 million for children’s charities since its inception in 1999. This year’s event, which includes a black-tie optional dinner and a live and silent auction, will take place on Wednesday, October 22, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The co-chairs for the 2008 event are Brian Farrell, president & CEO, THQ Inc.; Graham Hopper, executive vice president/GM, Disney Interactive Studios; and John Riccitiello, CEO, Electronic Arts.

Past Champion Honorees include: George Lucas, famed director and founder of LucasArts; GameStop’s Dan DeMatteo; Electronic Arts’ Bing Gordon; Toys ‘R Us’ Michael Goldstein; Nintendo's Howard Lincoln; Sega's Isao Ogawa; Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi and Electronic Boutique’s Jeffery Griffiths.

The gala event is open to both individuals and companies. Tickets are $500 for individuals, and table sponsorships are available. For ticket information, please contact Leslie Price at 800-949-3660

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from sales of its limited edition charity game pack and "Nite to Unite for Kids," which has raised more than $11 million in the last 10 years. For more information about the ESA Foundation, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

I would absolutely love it, if they did that. I don’t anticipate that, though, because… Mr. Miyamoto is a genius, he really knows… not only the ins and outs of the entertainment value of Mario, and these characters that he creates… but he knows sort of what he wants to do with them. I don’t think he really wants to create a cartoon series for TV or other… DVDs, or that sort of thing, because the value for him is in the games… I think. You know, I can’t really speak for him. But you know, if he changes his mind and he says “You know something? I want to make a cartoon,” I’ll be jumping up and down.

Hopefully saying "It'sa me" over and over and over again.

Charles Martinet Celebrates 15 Years of Wario with Kombo [Kombo via Go Nintendo] [Pic]

Well... Tomorrow I'm going to talk for about an hour, so today I didn't think I'd have a speech. (laughs) Thank you very much. I think, even as I get older, I want to keep striving. I think anyone who still has the opportunity to work still feels that way. Honestly, as society recognizes gaming bit by bit, I think we should all do our best so that the game business flourishes and the number of the children who want to enter the industry multiples. Thank you very much.

Classy.

開発者視点から見たベストゲームは？ [Famitsu]

While Miyamoto says to expect an announcement about hard drive solutions in the future (but doesn't confirm an hard drive), Reggie says Nintendo is not making a hard drive and will come up with a better solution. Reggie also says a DS redesign is when sales go down, which seems to mean that we shouldn't get our hopes up at the present moment. Reggie also says that Animal Crossing is not casual and that the GTA DS game is for the core crowd. About Microsoft avatar, he adds that “copying is a way of flattering, so we’re very flattered.”

Hrm... Better solution than an actual hard drive? Why not, you know, just release a hard drive?

Reggie says no hard drive…but a better solution, while Miyamoto says enough with the peripherals [Go Nintendo via CVG] [Pic]

That's better than the evil Jimmy Buffet of Margaritaville infamy — he's 97 — but one slot lower than Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. We further presume that's due to Kotick's executive control over both Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft and his ice-cold business tact.

Former Russian president (and current PM) Vladimir Putin tops the list. Once Vanity Fair catches wind of Activision dropping Ghostbusters in lieu of the latest Crash Bandicoot, we think Bobby's wielding of the iron fist will help him place higher next year.

PUTIN TOPS VANITY FAIR NEW ESTABLISHMENT LIST; MURDOCH NO. 2 [Drudge Report via Level Up]

I have not left the gaming industry for good. I love it.

Kaplan says she has stayed in contact with folks like Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. In the PAX panel she participated in (along with What They Play's John Davison, Grand Theft Childhood co-author Cheryl Olson, and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal), Kaplan was quoted as saying, "Parents who use video games as a babysitter shouldn't have sex to begin with."

Perrin Kaplan: I'm Coming Back to Gaming [Game|Life] [Pic]

I would say the message is we were disappointed with our performance at E3. There were titles like Wario which we think will be really fun titles that we should have showcased. We were excited that Mr. Miyamoto made the commitment that Pikmin is coming. It would have been nice if we could have said that on stage. But, we think it was a good recognition for us that we care for our core fans, and not just the new people who are now discovering Nintendo.

Oh. Okay. Well, want to learn more about Cammie Dunaway? That, after the jump.

My position as head of sales and marketing is that I’m listening to the fans. I’m championing the things they care about. I’m helping to make sure we bring great games to the market place. I’m genuine, I’m new to gaming I’m not pretending to be more than I am. I’m having a blast. I feel similar to people who are just discovering games for the first time. I think for us as an industry, its good that we’re growing. That brings more money to the industry. That makes it attractive for more people to develop more games. We have to embrace the fact that new gamers can be good for everybody. Core gamers should help new gamers to discover their passion for gaming.

...When I came to work for Nintendo, we [her family] had a Wii, we had 3 or 4 DSs, a PSP, an Xbox, a PS2. We were an active gaming household, but it was only six months prior to joining Nintendo that I had ever played games at all. I started by playing Wii Sports and then by playing Big Brain Academy and Brain Age on my DS, and then I started playing a little bit of Zelda with my son, and then Pokemon. Sometimes it’s hard to jump into games like Zelda if you don’t have the experience.

...You can't be successful if you don’t enjoy every day at work. I’ve worked on Doritios, Cheetos, Yahoo, and Nintendo, these are all brands I feel really excited about. The second thing is always to try to give more than what is expected of you. Always speak up and share your ideas. Be courageous. That’s how you get the job done and make a difference.

Gabriel Franco Interviews Cammie Dunaway on Latin America, VGC, Piracy, etc [VG Chartz Thanks, Stephen!]

At least, that's the reasoning behind an item in The Times of London. The piece connects some dots — Miyamoto loves puzzles, Brain Age follows; Miyamoto interested in exercise, Wii Fit is born; Miyamoto takes music lessons, Wii Music unveiled. And the writer, attributing to sources within Nintendo, says the third time was enough and Nintendo has asked Miyamoto to hush up about his interests.

Me, I think Shiggy should lay a bunch of red herrings out there. He should start saying that he likes, I dunno, visiting water pipe bars, researching graves and farming wheat. Then someone would run out and set a survival horror/genealogical research game in Kansas with a motion control bong. And that would be really fun to play. And Nintendo can get the idea out there as a trial balloon without taking any of the risk. Why am I not a consultant?

The Nintendo Gaming World Awaits Another Mario [The Times, thanks readers Mesren_Makai and TJ]

[Thanks Runandgun]

One question asked of Miyamoto was Wii Music's qualifications as a game. You know, a game game. Since Wii Music has no discernible scoring system, no goals and little in the way of those squishy innards that makes a game a "game," isn't it just a "musical toy"? That was the question posed by one European journo.

"Yes, that's right," Miyamoto curtly replied "And that's why it's more interesting than a video game."

That will, of course, be debatable to the Wii owning masses, especially those who bemoaned the lack of games that appeal to them. The Marios, the Zeldas, the Metroids, the... Kid Icari.

Whatever Wii Music is, it's better than what the gaming public saw at Nintendo's E3 2008 media briefing. The cacophonous display of a DJ Ravi Drums waggling and stomping like a madman, followed by a ear splitting executive performance didn't win over many of the folks we talked to at E3.

But the more mellow demo, minus the on stage fanfare made Wii Music seem much more interesting.

Like many gamers, I've yet to go personally hands on with Wii Music. The available melodic and percussive options — from guitar to steel drums to vibraphone to harpsichord to toy piano to singer to tuba to dog suit — may make rearranging the Super Mario Bros. them fun. Plus, your Mii can beat box. That's like hours of fun right there. All those options might not make it a game, but there's at least one person who doesn't see anything wrong with that.

Miyamoto said that he sees Wii Music as a viable educational tool, saying that "I really think that half of an elementary music school could be dedicated to this." His intention, it seems, isn't to court those already on board with Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but, literally, everyone else.

The famed Nintendo developer said "I'm hoping that through Wii Music, we'll get more drummers, more musicians and more people interested in music."

Update: The original quote, that Miyamoto said Wii music was "better than a video game" was incorrect. His correct quote was the Wii Music is "more interesting than a video game."

Nintendo confirms E3 speakers [CVG] [Pic]

Miyamoto: I think that the understanding of the Wii remote technology has certainly proliferated to developers, and their understanding of how it works is now very strong. But, I think that in terms of developing games for the Wii remote, it's really more about the focus of the team and how thoroughly they consider the user interface and the end experience for the consumer in terms of how intuitive that is and how easy it is to use. And, at this point, I think it's just difficult for me to say how many teams that are really focused on that experience ae out there and are working on games.

In other words, shovelware, by its nature, doesn't fully employ the capabilities of Nintendo's unique controller. Or any, controller, really.

Was that too harsh? I need to go back and watch "I Love the World" again. In all fairness, Miyamoto covers a ton of ground in this talk, including how his approach to designing Donkey Kong carries forward to game design today. Check it out.

90 Minutes with Miyamoto, Nintendo's Master of Amusement [Wired]

When asked about maintaining quality control at Nintendo, Miyamoto says the key is in avoiding Sega-style design. He tells Wired, "I'm always instructing my game designers on the history of the characters and worlds we've created. Often we're in development and I'll say, 'Oh, this looks like a Sega game. We need to make it look more like Mario.'" Ouch.

In Miyamoto's defense, he may have been talking about Sega's last decade or so of existence. And that's totally fair.

15th Anniversary: Revenge of the Wii [Wired via NeoGAF]

I spent the first half of this week hanging out with the likes of Michael Pachter, Peter Moore, Mike Gallagher and Nintendo of America's recently appointed vice president of marketing, Cammie Dunaway at Ziff Davis' Electronic Gaming Summit.

It was the first time I met Dunaway and we ended up chatting quite a bit during a dinner on the last night, hosted at a nearby vineyard, held in a castle of all places.

Dunaway, it turns out, had just flown in from New York where she helped kick off the launch of the Wii Fit in Central Park.

"I'm sure Wii Fit is going to sell very well," I told her, "but I suspect it's going to be like every other piece of exercise equipment people buy for themselves: In a few weeks or a month it's going to have laundry piled on it or be back in its box."

Not so, Dunaway insisted.

"Wii Fit incorporated the magic of video games," she said. "You get ranked, you unlock new levels, you can compete against each other, there's a lot of video game hooks that will help people stay motivated."

The next day, while reiterating our conversation to the summit during her speech, she added that there are also a lot of other exciting things that can be done with the balance board, specifically new games using it as a controller. Games like Namco-Bandai's skiing title or EA's Skate It or Ubi's upcoming Rayman title.

I buy the second argument, I'm not so sure about the first. But it's still a good model: You get people to buy the Balance Board by making people think working out will be fun, even though deep down everyone knows it really isn't, then you start releasing other games using the peripheral, removing the fit from the balance board and emphasizing the fun. It's almost a bait-and-switch, but without the negative connotations.

What I found more fascinating than Dunaway's insistence that Wii Fit, and not just the balance board, would be a game with lasting value, was her explanation of how Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the idea.

The story goes that Miyamoto placed a piece of graph paper on a wall in his house to track his weight and that every day he would plot it. Over time his family started questioning his weight gains and losses. Why did he lose weight on this day? Why did he gain weight on that day? That's when inspiration struck and Miyamoto went into the office and told his developers "Let's create a video game based on weighing yourself."

Can you imagine if anyone other than Miyamoto suggested that?

Iwata Asks: Link's Crossbow Training [Nintendo]

We have all laughed and joked about being told that we're fat and need to lose weight but I was gobsmacked when it [Wii Fit] told her that she is overweight. She is a healthy 10 year old girl with an active lifestyle, she swims and dances every week. She is 92lbs and 4ft9" tall and there is not an inch of fat on her. She is solidly built but not fat. She was devasted to be called fat and we had to work hard to convince her that she isn't. I know it is just a game but seriously we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like the magazine models and now we have a game that tells them their fat. This to me is very worrying and I hope that is doesn't cause emotional problems for any youngsters out there :(

To Nintendo, licensing Mii is identical to licensing Mario. If you read Iwata Asks interview series in website, you can understand how Mii was created in detail, so I hope you can read them if you have time. Mii is actually the result of more than 10 years of efforts.

Mr. Miyamoto, the inventor of Mii, himself has been saying that, 'In a sense, licensing Mii is same as licensing Mario — Nintendo should grant the license when we can conclude that the proposed project is worthwhile. Should we allow any and all the licensees to use Mii license for whichever projects, Mii's brand image will be hurt. Because we are not granting Mario license to any and all, we should not do so with Mii either.'

This is the current policy of Nintendo. So, at the software development stage, we are consulting with the developers as to how they would like to make use of Mii, and our Licensing Department handles on a case-by-case basis.

55 year-old Miyamoto, who's never been on a Time cover, comes out on top in his very first outing on the list with 1,949,634 votes, an achievement that foretells a future populated with towering statues in his likeness. Here's Time's stats on him:

PRO: As if creating Mario, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda weren't enough, the "father of modern video gaming" is still designing franchises for Nintendo and its best-selling Wii console. His latest, Super Mario Galaxy, redefines VG physics once again with its springy re-imagining of that old chestnut, gravity.

CON: Can he reverse gravity for all the obese, video game-playing kids out there? Miyamoto himself has said that the purpose of his Wii Fit game, with its balance board and full-body focus, isn't to make you fit, but "aware of your body." Aware enough to go outside before atherosclerosis sets in?

Your TIME 100 [TIME]

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Getting something like this really makes the last thirty years worth it. It's somewhat unreal, somewhat of a dream. Five years ago, I never thought I'd be making something like Wii Fit. I thought I'd be making more Mario and Zelda.

...Nintendo design boss Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted to include a mode that would allow players to weigh their pets. He wasn't able to include it in the Japanese version, but in the North American version, available May 19th, players will receive a message informing them that if they weigh themselves while holding their pets, then weigh themselves again separately and subtract the two, the difference will tell them how much their pet weighs.

Really, what Wii Fit represents and what Nintendo is trying to do with Wii Fit is expand the gaming population. And the reason that is important for them is because as more and more people of different ages start playing — even if it's just games like Wii Fit —- their understanding of what video games are and the fact that they're even playing games is going to better their understanding of what gamers are... So in a sense what we're doing by increasing the gaming population is strengthening their right to continue to game. I hope they'll keep that in mind.

I am happy to say that with so many out there, we have had relatively few incidents.

Top Nintendo Designer Shigeru Miyamoto Talks 'Wii Fit' And Appealing To Unhealthy Americans [MTV]

While Wii Fit has become somewhat of a family sensation in Japan, Miyamoto says he's not sure how an American audience will receive the game. When we asked Miyamoto what he expected from American consumers, he noted that on average, American families are apart more often than those in Japan. A lot of families have parents who have separated or divorced, so it's tougher to predict the role family will play in the American response to Wii Fit—and we couldn't agree more.

Pre-ordered Wii Fit Shirt [Gay Gamer]

I think we'd gotten to a point where videogames were something that everyone could no longer enjoy. As a designer, I'm always focusing on what is fun — ideas that people can enjoy. For me, I'm trying to entertain as many people as I can, creating games that the widest number of people can enjoy. Of course, that being said, we do have the existing teams at Nintendo working on the kinds of products we've always made over the years. The Zelda team is forming again to work on new games! But to me, it's about finding these new interactive experiences and bringing them to people.

Well, yes, in my mind, I would say it is a video game.