Gamertell

I was browsing online when I came across a story by the New York Times written by Seth Schiesel that compares Shigeru Miyamoto to Walt Disney.

At first I thought it was an article about the new Nintendo Wii Fit system because of the photo (pictured) portraying Miyamoto demonstrating how to use it. But as I continued to read it was quite an interesting read about Miyamoto and how he became Nintendo’s guru and one of the most revered video-game designers in the world, creating Donkey Kong, Mario and Zelda as well as many other games that today’s children will remember twenty years from now.

I remember begging my mother for quarters to play Donkey Kong at the local mall arcade with my brothers so she could go shop in peace. It was a race to see who get the highest score, the winner (most likely my brother) would taunt and the rest of us for weeks until our next trip to the mall. And the contest would start all over again.

It wasn’t the little pixel jumping over barrels to reach the big brown monkey at the top of the platform I remember, it was the challenges of getting up there I remember most. When I first played that game I even tried to beat the score in my dreams, coming up with different strategies of beating my brother’s highest score in my sleep, anticipating the trip to the mall.

It was no wonder that when Time Magazine asked its readership who they chose as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People Of The Year and Miyamoto ranked in ninth place on list. I believe he should have at least been in second place with a score of 129,573 votes (at least higher than Keifer Sutherland) but, then again, I missed out on the polls, so I shouldn’t complain.

Miyamoto’s games have always captured gamers’ and non-gamers’ attention for years. The past sales and activities surrounding the Nintendo Wii is simply amazing. Just as the world caught a glimpse of the system, more than billions of the console have been sold and even today, the consoles are in high demand. Christmas 2008 alone was a mad house with thousands of people in my town alone raiding every store that held a console on their shelves.

The Wii practically reinvented how we played our games and even made it easy enough the average Joe could pick up a console and play a game. Where will Miyamoto take us by next year? I cannot wait to find out.

Read [New York Times] Site [Time magazine online]

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