PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 36. Creator of Zelda & Mario. Producer of Nintendo’s R&D4 Team. - Shigesato Itoi, age 40. Creator of Earthbound. Founder of Ape, Inc. (later Creatures, Inc.). QUOTE: Miyamoto: There are plenty of cases where being a bit crude [graphically] is actually a plus. Take English, for example. We Japanese have a real complex about it, right? We can't actually understand what they're saying in the movies. So we read the subtitles and just imagine the rest. In a way, we're lucky: the hero becomes even more "heroic" in our minds. Itoi: Because you don't understand the words, that sense of "mystique" stays intact.

Miyamoto & Itoi on the sense of mystique granted by crude representations, 1989.

Source: Shmuplations

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

shmuplations.com/itoimiyamoto/

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 40. Creator of MOTHER (Earthbound Zero). Later: Editor of the Ishinomori A Link to the Past manga. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 36. Creator of Zelda & Mario. Producer of Nintendo’s R&D4 Team. QUOTE: Itoi: I'm sitting like this because my body has an actual necessity to be in this posture. It's the result of a struggle between two things: the fact that I'm being watched by others, and my own internal necessity. I believe the future of "creative work" lies in how much we can tap into and breathe life into that kind of raw instinct. So, if you tell someone, "No, do it this way," about something they love, it's like forcing them to roll over against their will. They'll get sick. And it's not enjoyable for the viewer either. Miyamoto: … Whether it's music or art, a game with a distinct worldview is just more fun. When you go that route, the individual creator's touch becomes everything.

Itoi on tapping into raw artistic instinct, 1989.

Source: Shmuplations

#ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/31d41fe961fd...

PEOPLE: Satoru Iwata. Program Director for EarthBound. President of Nintendo from 2002-2015 Shigesato Itoi. Producer, Director, and Writer for EarthBound, editor of the A Link to the Past (1992) manga QUOTE: Iwata: When development for EarthBound was in shambles, I was called in to save the sinking ship. At the time, I was both the president of HAL Laboratory and one of it’s programmers. … I said to them “I’ll play around with what we have,” and I went back with the project in its current state. About a month later, I showed Shigesato Itoi and his team a revised version, with the scrolling map and everything. Were they surprised! In fact, they were all freaking out so much I was honestly confused. I was like “Guys, I barely did anything.” That’s how bogged down the project was.

Iwata on being called in to save EarthBound.

Source: Ask Iwata

#EarthBoundQuote
#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/0f7756f19ab8...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. Editor of the A Link to the Past manga by Ishinomori. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. QUOTE: Itoi: Take the perfume industry. You have professional perfumers, and what they smell determines how perfumes all over the world are made. If you or I can smell 10 different scents, they can divide those into another 10 classes of scents, and then classify those even further. They're able to distinguish tens of thousands of scents. Miyamoto: Right. Itoi: And for you, Miyamoto-san, I think that you can do the same with the way that it feels when a character's movement is satisfying. Whether it's turning around really slowly, or turning really quickly, or jumping, you're able to differentiate the way that each of those feels.

Itoi on Miyamoto's character movement vocabulary, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. QUOTE: Iwata: Basically Miyamoto-san has always looked at things from an executive's perspective. Itoi: That's true. But why? What's up with that? Miyamoto: Uh... Itoi: Maybe you've always had this really intense sense of ownership; that idea that you were the one doing the work, so it was only natural to feel responsible for it. Miyamoto: Uh... well, I think it comes from the fact that I wanted to be a cartoonist, way back when. Itoi: A cartoonist? Miyamoto: Yes. For an aspiring cartoonist, it's all about how much response you get for the cartoons you've drawn, right? Itoi: Oh, so you mean that your work is directly related to how many people support it. Making video games is the same way.

Iwata, Itoi, & Miyamoto on why Miyamoto has always looked at the big picture, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Mario & Zelda. General manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. Editor of Ishinomori’s A Link to the Past manga. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: So sometimes when we're presenting what we've made, we end up saying, "I guess it's okay, right?" And I think that's really unacceptable. … You'll ask the director, "How it's look?" And he'll answer, "It's passable." How could you call something passable? … When someone asks, "How is it?" I think that it takes more courage to answer, "It's pretty good." Itoi: Hmm, that's true. Because "pretty good" means "good.” Miyamoto: Compared to that, "passable" doesn't really tell you anything. Is it 10 percent out of 100? 80 percent? 60 percent? It doesn't even tell you that. "Passable" takes away everyone's responsibility. Iwata: It's unsettling, because at that point the discussion is taking places without any set values.

Miyamoto, Itoi, & Iwata on how “passable” is unacceptable feedback, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Mario & Zelda. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Itoi: You tend to make lots of discoveries on the weekend because you're alone, but you also run across unpleasant things, like your flaws. Like, "I wonder if what I've been doing is totally wrong." You think such negative thoughts on the weekend. Miyamoto: Yeah. Iwata: That's right. Itoi: … On weekend nights, I think all sorts of stuff, like how alone I am. [laughs] Like, "I don't have any friends…” Everyone: [laughs] Itoi: I do have family and friends, but in the end, it's about what you yourself are going to do. It's like in the Mother game when you run out of health and collapse, then light hits you from above.

#Linktober 20: Broken

Itoi on negative weekend thoughts, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound, editor of the Ishinomori A Link to the Past manga. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario, General Manager of Nintendo EAD. QUOTE: Itoi: Rather than preparing Plans B and C, you should use your time to polish up Plan A, the one you really think is good. You're the same way, aren't you, Miyamoto-san? Miyamoto: Yes. I've never thought of alternate ideas. Itoi: Or, you haven't ever attended a meeting where you had to pitch your presentation so that it is accepted, have you? Miyamoto: No. I was in an environment where I made decisions myself and continually asked myself whether it was truly good or not. Itoi: … If you're constantly worried about what so-and-so will say, the project or team will never grow. … You may think, "What will the customers say?" You may worry too much about these customers you can't see, which shrinks your idea.

Itoi & Miyamoto on not compromising over what others might think, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Editor of the Ishinomori A Link to the Past manga. Director of the Mother (Earthbound) games. QUOTE: Miyamoto: [The Virtual Boy] was the kind of toy to get you excited and make you think, "This is what we can do now!" I imagined it as something that people who were on the lookout for new entertainment or who could afford to spend a bit of money could buy and enjoy even if the price was a little expensive. But the world treated it like a successor to the Game Boy system. Itoi: It's even got the word "boy" in its name. Miyamoto: That was also true within Nintendo. Our sales department treated the Virtual Boy as … something like the Famicom system. And when you do that, selling 100,000 is just a start. But if you think of it as just a fun toy, it's a big success if you break just 50,000.

Miyamoto on how the Virtual Boy's failure depends on the framing , 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#NintendoVirtualBoyQuote
#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/169f875b3a9b...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. QUOTE: Miyamoto: When I come up with an idea at work on Friday and bring it up Saturday at home, no one pays it much mind. Iwata: Aw! [laughs] Miyamoto: They're like, "Well, of course!" … Itoi: You don't have an audience at home. Everyone: [laughs] Miyamoto: I think, "Is it really such a small matter?" Iwata: No one at home cares much. Miyamoto: Then I reorganize my thoughts. … But I think that is good for maintaining objectivity. Itoi: Yes, it is. It's important that no one takes you too seriously.

Miyamoto on his family helping him stay objective, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario, General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. QUOTE: Miyamoto: I don't know if it comes from not having a boss, but I can't tell if I'm a good boss or not. Itoi: Oh… Miyamoto: For example, staff members who have worked with me for a long time will often come up to me and say, "I thought of something," but about 70% of the time, I say, "That won't work." I know it isn't nice, but I know if that idea was mine I'd decline it too, I have to say it anyway. Sometimes, I think if I don't stop that, I won't be able to help anyone grow. Itoi: Well, part of that can't be helped. Miyamoto: I know, but when I think about it later, I didn't need to be so harsh for about 20% of that 70%.

Miyamoto's uncertainty about whether he's a good boss, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. Editor of Ishinomori’s A Link to the Past manga. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Itoi: I know a company where everyone pulled together and overcame a crisis. Everyone was positive and energetic. Later when they underwent counseling during their check-up, it turns out they were all on the edge—one step away from emotional breakdown. Iwata: Oh. Itoi: Not a one of them was truly healthy. According to the mental specialist, they were able to stay so energetic because they were working so hard to persevere. Another reason was because they were all together. … Iwata: High spirits are contagious. Itoi: That's right. That's why it helps to have peers. But around the same time, you can lose sight of yourself.

Itoi & Iwata on contagious high spirits and what they can mask, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound (Mother). QUOTE: Iwata: I don't think that anyone would be able to come up with any ideas if there were no restrictions for developing games. Miyamoto: Oh, that's very true. Itoi: That's true with any type of expression. Miyamoto: It's all about restrictions. History is really just a battle against restrictions. I think that we get our energy from being able to take a restriction and make it work for us. Iwata: There's no better feeling than the moment when you finally solve a problem. Miyamoto: There's something so enjoyable about being able to think, "I bet no one's thought of this!" On the other hand, if someone says, "I know everyone's doing this, but we need you to do it, too," that feels horrible.

Miyamoto, Iwata, & Itoi on what drives the creation of ideas, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound (Mother). - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. QUOTE: Itoi: Like yakisoba that's got burnt bits in it. If a big company were to bring out yakisoba, they would talk about how it mustn't be burnt. A rigid conversation ends with the conclusion that yakisoba must never be burnt. But when you keep the conversation rolling, someone says, "It's inexplicable, but that burntness is fragrant and tasty." … But when you follow strict product guidelines in a meeting, you just lop off every imperfection. Miyamoto: Yes, that's how it goes. Itoi: If you don't get past "Yes, that's right," that's what happens. Iwata: Because something without flaws is without character. It doesn't bear its creator's imprint or have any personality.

Itoi, Iwata, & Miyamoto on burnt yakisoba, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Mother (Earthbound). - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario, General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Itoi: Have you ever had an experience where one of the younger members of your team ended up working on a project that you thought you stopped, and it turned into something really interesting? Miyamoto: Oh, that's happened to me a few times. Because when I stop a project it's because it's risky, not because it definitely won't work. Itoi: Oh, I get it. Miyamoto: Right. It might work, but it's risky. … Iwata: When you're making something with computers and you invest in something with low odds, you end up spending a lot of energy on it when the odds are that you'll probably have to throw it all away. So it's up to Miyamoto-san to use his eye and his experience to stop projects like that.

Miyamoto on why he stops projects, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Mario & Zelda. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: [Meetings are] no good if someone doesn't at least once introduce some creative destruction, like, "I'm not so sure…" Something that is broken down and reassembled has greater reality. Itoi: Like, "Isn't that a little boring?" or "Aren't you avoiding what you should really be doing?" Or, "Don't you think the fans may not like that?" Miyamoto: Right. It's important that the values of someone who says that—the values of a single person—rework the problem once. Then it gets more real. … On the other hand, when it comes to everyone deciding together, it lacks sharpness or something like that. Iwata: Yeah. When a meeting yields results, you didn't decide anything by consensus, but rather, somebody laid their opinion on the line.

Miyamoto, Itoi, Iwata, and the value of ‘creative destruction’, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...

PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Editor of the Ishinomori A Link to the Past manga. Director of the Mother (Earthbound) games. QUOTE: Miyamoto: [The Virtual Boy] was the kind of toy to get you excited and make you think, "This is what we can do now!" I imagined it as something that people who were on the lookout for new entertainment or who could afford to spend a bit of money could buy and enjoy even if the price was a little expensive. But the world treated it like a successor to the Game Boy system. Itoi: It's even got the word "boy" in its name. Miyamoto: That was also true within Nintendo. Our sales department treated the Virtual Boy as … something like the Famicom system. And when you do that, selling 100,000 is just a start. But if you think of it as just a fun toy, it's a big success if you break just 50,000.

Miyamoto on how the Virtual Boy's failure depends on the framing , 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#NintendoVirtualBoyQuote
#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/169f875b3a9b...

PEOPLE: - Eiji Aonuma, age 37. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. - Yoshiaki Koizumi, age 32. Majora’s Mask Co-Director. QUOTE: Aonuma: I was responsible for the fairy-tale sections [of Majora’s Mask], and Koizumi was responsible for creating realistic depictions of the lives of the townspeople. I tried to emulate the fantasy atmosphere we had in Ocarina of Time… Koizumi: And I created realistic lives for the characters. Aonuma: You could say that Koizumi slapped his worldview on the whole thing. [Laughs] Koizumi: I put in everything I’ve seen in my 30-something years on this earth.

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata. EarthBound Program Director, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. - Shigesato Itoi. Producer, Director, & Writer for Mother 1, 2 & 3. Founder of Ape, Inc., which later became Creatures, Inc. Founder of Hobonichi. My Neighbor Totoro voice actor. Iron Chef judge.. QUOTE: Iwata: What makes the Mother [EarthBound] series so special? I think it has to do with the role that Shigesato Itoi played. Nobody making games today is quite like him, and Mother remains without parallel. … There was a time when Shigesato Itoi was totally obsessed with games, and in that sense he’s truly a gamer at heart. At the same time, he had a variety of experiences that the average game designer hadn’t, and I think these two aspects combined to form a unique individual. … The overall effect is a game unlike almost any other. I think this is the cumulative effect of all the aspects of the gaming experience—the fun parts, sad parts, outlandish parts, and goofy parts.

On parallels between Majora's Mask and Earthbound

Via GlitterBerri's Game Translations (2000) and Ask Iwata (Hobonichi, 2019)

#Zelda #Earthbound
#MajorasMaskQuote #EarthBoundQuote
#AonumaQuote #KoizumiQuote #IwataQuote #ItoiQuote

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda and Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound, My Neighbor Totoro voice actor, Iron Chef judge, founder of Creatures, Inc.. QUOTE: Iwata: Nintendo has focused even more on entering into daily life in the last few years with the Nintendo DS and Wii system, so Virtual Boy looks even more out of place. Miyamoto: A long time ago we did make out-of-place stuff, though. Itoi: Yeah. Like the Love Tester. Iwata: The Love Tester doesn't really fit into the family living room. [laughs] Miyamoto: And the Automatic Ultra Scope. Itoi: And that thing like a batting machine… Iwata: The Ultra Machine. Itoi: If you think of Virtual Boy as an extension of such toys, you could say it is quite in keeping with Nintendo's products.

Miyamoto and Iwata on how the Virtual Boy fit into Nintendo's lineup, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#NintendoVirtualBoyQuote, #NintendoLoveTesterQuote
#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/169f875b3a9b...

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. - Shigesato Itoi, age 70. Creator of Earthbound, My Neighbor Totoro voice actor, Iron Chef judge, founder of Ape, Inc (later: Creatures, Inc).. - Hiroshi Yamauchi, age 91. President of Nintendo from 1949 to 2002. QUOTE: "Iwata: I had the opportunity two or three times a year to sit down with Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo at the time. Shigesato Itoi was also there, and sometimes Shigeru Miyamoto would join us. I’m still not sure what Hiroshi Yamauchi had in mind when he set up these meetings, but I know they were valuable lessons for me. He must have known we were an eager audience. Despite being extremely busy, he set aside his valuable time to enthusiastically share his thoughts. President Yamauchi was infamous for never smiling, but when he spoke with us, he always grinned like crazy. "

Iwata on how Yamauchi would grin ‘like crazy’ in private, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#Nintendo
#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote, #YamauchiQuote

www.notion.so/0f7756f19ab8...

PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. - Shigesato Itoi. Creator of Earthbound, My Neighbor Totoro voice actor, Iron Chef judge, founder of Creatures, Inc.. QUOTE: "Iwata: Each and every one of [the Nintendo employees] is doing specialized tasks that I could never do myself. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. I’ve lived my life believing that people deserve respect. What really firmed up this perspective was something that Shigesato Itoi taught me in my early thirties. Itoi is over ten years older than me, but when I saw how much respect he showed toward people who could do things he didn’t understand, I thought ‘This guy is cool. I want to be like that.’ More importantly, I realized ‘He’s not doing anything exceptional, just showing honest admiration for people who can do things he can’t do.’"

Iwata on thinking it’s cool to respect people who can do what he can’t (Hobonichi, 2019).

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/980a313d7fa8...