I’m Afraid Mario Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Might Be Right About the Future of Gaming

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The video game world is constantly evolving, and recent comments from legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto have raised concerns about the future of the industry. Miyamoto, the creative force behind iconic franchises like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong, has been a key figure at Nintendo since the late 1980s and continues to shape gaming today.

His opinion is really valuable when we talk about where the gaming industry is headed. That’s why it’s disappointing to hear his concerns about Nintendo focusing more on things outside of traditional games. It shows how creative Nintendo still is, but also highlights a worrying trend: it’s becoming harder and harder to preserve games for the future.

What Shigeru Miyamoto Said About Gaming History And Nintendo’s Future

In a recent interview with Nintendo Dream, Shigeru Miyamoto discussed the Nintendo Museum and Nintendo’s growing interest in adapting its games into movies, like The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He explained that people tend to remember the characters and stories (the IPs) more than the specific games themselves. Games eventually become outdated with new releases, which he found disheartening. This feeling partly motivated Nintendo to start creating video content – to preserve their creations beyond just re-releasing them on Virtual Console.

Miyamoto has a point. Though certain Mario and The Legend of Zelda games are still beloved, it’s the recognizable images and characters that truly stick with fans. People tend to talk about a series as a whole, arguing about what’s best or worst, rather than focusing on a single game. That’s likely why Nintendo, with Miyamoto leading the way, is now making full-length movies based on their games—they believe videos will have a lasting impact beyond what’s possible with playable games in a museum.

Because video games are so widespread, it’s now simpler to keep beloved characters relevant by adapting them for movies and other platforms – something older games struggle with as they become outdated. In a recent interview, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto explained that these expansions into film and theme parks are vital for maintaining Nintendo’s strong brand recognition and staying connected with players. He believes people tend to remember the overall franchise more than individual games. However, his comments also reveal a thoughtful concern about the future of the gaming industry, suggesting that video games as a medium face a broader challenge to remain enduring.

Why IP Outlasts The Games That Established Them

When it comes to video game franchises, players usually connect more with the characters and ideas than with the company that makes the games or any single title. A Zelda fan, for example, might love the music, a specific game, or the entire series as a whole – and that’s perfectly normal. This is similar to how popular superheroes or anime characters stay relevant for years, appearing in many different stories. It’s natural for a long-lasting idea to outlive any single creator or game and appeal to new generations of fans.

It’s clear that a lot of important entertainment history is disappearing, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to preserve older works. This isn’t new – film and television have both seen periods where shows and movies were lost forever. Now, older video games are facing the same problem. As they age and aren’t updated or properly archived, they’re fading away. Games that weren’t hugely popular are easily forgotten, and even successful franchises can change so much they barely resemble their original selves. The fact that many modern games require an internet connection adds to the risk, as a server shutdown can make years of progress vanish, potentially losing these games forever.

Services like the Nintendo Switch’s Virtual Console are great for bringing back classic games, but many older titles won’t ever become popular enough to be re-released or remade. As a result, we’re losing access to a lot of important game design and creative innovation. While well-known franchises survive, the talented people who originally made those games, and many other unique creations, often don’t get the recognition they deserve. Instead, it’s the game brand that continues to succeed, even if different teams work on each new installment.

It’s deeply upsetting on several levels. As someone who appreciates game developers and their creativity, it’s sad to see their work become less known over time. As a fan of well-designed games, it feels like valuable knowledge and skill in creating fun gameplay is being lost. And as someone who enjoys older games, it’s disheartening to think those games might become unplayable. The Nintendo Museum is important for preserving gaming history, but it also creates a disconnect from the current gaming world, turning history into something distant instead of a living part of the medium. Games themselves can be lost, even if their characters and brands continue to exist.

What Older Games Becoming “Obsolete” Costs Modern Players

This viewpoint implies the gaming industry is likely to discard its history rather than learn from it. Instead of taking risks with new ideas, companies will probably focus on simply re-releasing older games. This means valuable lessons from past failures will be lost, as original games are replaced by updated remakes and eventually become difficult or impossible to find. Many beloved classic games are already incredibly rare and hard to play.

As a gamer, I think it’s cool to see how different teams can put their own spin on a shared universe – like with Silent Hill. Silent Hill f feels fresh and tells its own story, while still nodding to the older games. But the Silent Hill 2 remake also got me thinking about what we lose when we remake classics. It looked great and played well, but honestly, some of the original’s creepy atmosphere just didn’t translate. And it’s kinda sad, because now a lot of people might only play the remake and miss out on the original experience altogether.

Much of what made the original Silent Hill 2 so impactful came from the developers working within the game’s technical limitations, resulting in a haunting and unforgettable experience. As critic Yahtzee Croshaw points out, remakes often try to eliminate those same imperfections, aiming for the widest possible appeal to modern players. This approach has two downsides: it prevents developers from learning from past challenges, and it robs fans of the unique and innovative ideas that came from that early experimentation.

As a longtime gamer, I get why older games might not look as slick as today’s titles, but they still hold so much charm and nostalgia for those of us who grew up with them. It’s a shame how easily these classics can disappear as companies focus on new releases – it’s like they’re becoming ‘obsolete’ for the sake of keeping the brand alive. When I think about what Shigeru Miyamoto has said about Nintendo, it really hits home. It’s great that these big franchises endure, but it also makes me worry about preserving gaming history. If we only look forward, we risk forgetting the incredible people and games that paved the way for everything we enjoy today, and that would be a real loss for the gaming world.

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2025-10-23 01:11