How Mario and Zelda’s Creator Saved Video Games

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I’ve been gaming for years, and it’s wild to think video games go all the way back to 1958! Over that long history, tons of people have helped shape what gaming is today. And honestly, there’s one person who really saved the industry from potentially falling apart: Shigeru Miyamoto. If you’re reading this, you probably already know the name – he’s a legendary designer at Nintendo and has been for ages. He’s a big reason why I even have games to play, honestly!

Many people don’t realize just how important Shigeru Miyamoto has been to the world of video games – some even say he rescued the industry from complete collapse. In 1983, a flood of terrible games led to a major downturn for video games in the US. The infamous game E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 is often blamed for this crash, and it was Miyamoto’s work that ultimately helped the industry recover and become profitable again.

We Might Not Have a Video Game Industry Were It Not for Shigeru Miyamoto

Before we talk about how Shigeru Miyamoto revolutionized video games, let’s go back to 1981. That’s when his first game, Donkey Kong, arrived in the United States. Nintendo was struggling financially at the time, having lost a lot of money on a previous game called Radar Scope. Miyamoto was given the challenge of creating a new game to fill the 3,000 arcade cabinets Nintendo had in storage. He created Donkey Kong, which not only launched the platforming genre but also rescued Nintendo from bankruptcy and propelled it to the forefront of the video game industry.

Nintendo clearly had incredibly skilled people working for them, especially Shigeru Miyamoto. He’d been with the company since the 1970s, but didn’t become well-known until the huge success of Donkey Kong, which led to him being given more projects. This resulted in the creation of two landmark games: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, released in 1985 and 1986. Before that, he designed the arcade game Mario Bros., introducing Luigi and establishing Mario as a potential face for the company. Nintendo then cleverly included Super Mario Bros. with the Nintendo Entertainment System, meaning almost anyone who bought the system could enjoy the fun, side-scrolling gameplay.

This game wasn’t just a hit – it helped rescue the video game industry after a major downturn in 1983. Nintendo survived the crash thanks to games like Donkey Kong, and when they launched their home console in North America, Super Mario Bros. was a huge part of its early success. This put Nintendo at the forefront of the console market, and designer Shigeru Miyamoto continued to innovate. The following year, he created The Legend of Zelda, a groundbreaking role-playing game packed with new technology. Both Mario and Zelda became incredibly popular franchises, solidifying Nintendo’s place as a leader in the world of video games.

When you look back at the history of video games, Shigeru Miyamoto stands out as a key figure in their revival. After the video game crash of 1983, many people thought gaming was just a temporary trend and wouldn’t last. But Miyamoto, along with other talented creators, proved them wrong. He led the development of several incredibly important games, and without his contributions, Nintendo might not be around today.

I keep hearing people compare Nintendo to companies that are long gone, but that really doesn’t tell the whole story. Shigeru Miyamoto is a legend – his skills and dedication basically rebuilt Nintendo and paved the way for the entire video game industry as we know it. And get this, he’s still working on games with no plans to retire! When he finally does step down, it’s going to be a huge loss for all of us gamers.

Do you like the games created by Shigeru Miyamoto? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-12-27 18:43