Shigeru Miyamoto's 1999 GDC Keynote

In this 1999 GDC Keynote, Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto shares some of his core thoughts about the art of game design, and provides a vision of a world where games are part of a bigger, broader world.
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[@SFIT2000]

I am a Japanese, and I must say the guy who is doing the translation is absolutely brilliant. He improvised here and there, subtract/add words here and there to convey the message Miyamoto-san was trying send, instantly. He can do this not because he understands Japanese language, which in itself is full of pronouns, but he understands the content of speech about game design and whatnot. It is obscure role, but simple translation of words into different language never works. If anybody were inspired by what Miyamoto-san has said here, one should equally thank the translator.

[@x0j]

a wild japanese appeared

[@exetone]

Oh yea Bill Trinen is awesome

[@じゅんぺいはまちゃんでぃ]

まぁある程度打ち合わせはしてるだろうな

[@henrymoonrabbit]

it's funny you say that cause i'm here from the description of a video by jacob geller about translation and intent and he talks about the same stuff

[@SuperColdLemonade]

they both show their respect by being well prepared i suppose it is obvious that there was not too much impro happening ^^ i loved it =)

[@KanalDerGutenSache]

"Please turn off all your pagers"

[@CreativoErratico]

Yup. Pretty sure conferences in 1970 didnt even say that. That's how time works.

[@XstonedmonkeyzX]

Wee woo wee woo wee woo weee wooo...

[@XstonedmonkeyzX]

🥴🤒🥴

[@RichoRosai]

I was in the room that day, on a student pass at that time, but I know I triple checked my pager for fucking Miyamoto. People needed to buy some drugs from me, they would just have to wait.

[@DrJams]

​@@RichoRosaiis that a true story?

[@nuclearbeeberman]

actually his english is better than I expected it :)

[@GabrielDalposso]

I started to get his philosophy when he said that he thought that Mario64 lost to tamagotchi. It's not about the graphics, it's about creating new experiences for the players (and he was thinking that M64 was more of the same); That's why he has not that many problems with hardware limitations; he's willing to discard visual quality to make the experience as he wants (such as limiting the number of elements in Hyrule Field). Enlightening indeed.

[@GabrielDalposso]

Also, the fact that he's always looking at the user experience, makes him the greatest game designer of all time (IMO. you can have a diferent one)

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

In game design, user is the centerpiece, period. Pütting the user experience in the middle IS game design. But he sure got it ages ago.

[@elgoog-the-third]

I think most people who know a little bit about game design have a different opinion there... Not to forget how Miyamoto neither designed Zelda (Takashi Tezuka did, and it was an improved Hydlide ripoff) nor came he up with Mario 64 (ask the Argonaut employees...).

[@ADLast-co5fh]

Miyamoto and Tezuka both directed the original LoZ and there were some passes back and forth on different ideas. Laughable as it is, Hydlide was a competitor however, there's no doubt that Miyamoto applied his personal principals and creativity to the project, even with Tezuka handling the directing. As for Argonaut, what they developed was the Super FX chip (internal name Super Mario FX), which wasn't an actual game in development although it spurred Miyamoto to design a 3D Mario game. He opted to use the N64's hardware for that game but briefly considered using the Super FX. In other words, we could've gotten a 3D Mario game on SNES!

[@elgoog-the-third]

Argonaut also developed a 3D game featuring Yoshi that resembles Mario 64 very much, and pitched it to Nintendo, only to get turned down. Only to see basically a copy of it at Nintendo's booth at one of the next game conferences.

[@rcookie5128]

Its so cool, that he seems so nervous at the start (when he speaks english), today he is so relaxed in front of the camera (and thats good too)

[@drahsid9305]

He also seems nervous whilst speaking in Japanese, taking many pauses saying "Ano" and "Eto" which both mean the same thing as "Um" or "Ah..." and he furthermore spends much time gazing at his notes rather than the crowd. From here he had much to learn when it comes to speaking to so many strangers.

[@THESCUMMBAR]

Miyamoto starts talking at 10:55

[@EdwardElric555]

cheers 👍

[@leonardozimbres]

Yeah, jump to 10:55, so you eyes will not bleed on 9:40

[@SilentxxBunnyTTV]

thank you

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

THE SCUMM BAR that’s cool.

[@clipCommander101]

@@leonardozimbres wtf was that

[@kurekureci]

Yay, i have been waiting decades for this talk! _LITERALLY_

[@ibaiabaunza7053]

We are lucky we lived the era of miyamoto, I think that not enough people appreciate the fact that we live in a time where we can see so much creativity and innovation in an artistic medium. So sad that it will end one day :(

[@m4r_art]

Don't push it too soon. He has another 10 years of creativity. And probably another 20 years of health and life at least!

[@Name-tn3md]

It's already ending with AI coming and sadly Nintendo appreciates it fully

[@blackattack1840]

So much foreshadowing of what happens on Nintendo Wii & Miitomo here... This guy knew all along...

[@SeriusSim]

Why do they always forget to ask about turning off pagers nowadays.

[@gamefoun]

probably pagerfobic people

[@tollertyp7230]

Even back then he was a legend in his industry. But nowadays we should consider him as a real historical person, that leaved an impact in humanity.

[@williamkoscielniak820]

I love how little Miyamoto gives a shit about high end technology or graphics. His entire philosophy from the beginning has always been "is this fun?". His genius comes in his simplicity and single minded focus on enjoyment. Throughout the years so many great looking games have come out that forget that they were/are video games. Miyamoto has never forgot that ultimately he is making a video game and that the player should be enjoying themselves and having fun. And this presentation was done in 1999. Things got a lot worse since then, and I'm glad that some of these big budget triple A games have failed and that some of these simple indie games have found success. The industry needs a kick in the ass every once in a while.

[@charliecharliewhiskey9403]

I can't help but wonder if part of his emphasis on fun comes from Nintendo's origins overall. Before video games, they spent many years making toys, in which fun is clearly and obviously the primary purpose of the product. Nintendo's executives would have had this fun-focused development model when they first began to look into making games, and this either was instilled into Miyamoto or attracted him to the company. Meanwhile, where companies don't have a history of making literal toys, they instead see fun as only one of the focuses of game design, and are willing to compromise fun for the sake of graphics or new tech.

[@jonathanwilson7949]

Same. Gameplay should always the focus. It’s the most important part.

[@dhLord64]

@@jonathanwilson7949 Sure but better technology helps gameplay.

[@fluffmiceter1846]

I wouldn't necessarily say he "gives little shits about technology", Miyamoto himself states that he is always looking at or placing himself at the forefront of technology. He emphasizes how crucial it is for a game designer to be well versed in the technology their games are built on, rather than avoiding it, so that they can effectively materialize their game design visions into the actual game that is playable on the target hardware. With that said, he also points out that many game projects that are built on cutting edge technology result in a situation where the fun-ness of a game concept can only be evaluated much later in development, because one has to wait until said technologies are close to completion. But ultimately, yeah Miyamoto's main pursuit is of "fun", being able to define, conceptualize, and execute on "fun".

[@Name-tn3md]

Sadly he forgot about "fun" with botw/totk being another grinding open world sandbox

[@phoenixdblack]

Well we only waited like 18 Years for this. ABOUT FREAKIN TIME

[@pibetry]

He's so dedicated to making fun. He even was worried Nintendo 64 had lost to Tomagachi due to it's simplicity and fun. That seems like a silly anecdote, but that was pretty insightful to the main thesis of this talk: make your games fun. Start there, then the rest should be balanced from there.

[@Jonnicom]

in 1999 this man had JUST BEGUN. I long for an in depth discussion/interview with him now. Candid and personal. I want to hear not just about his development career, but his opinions on gaming today, about his relationships with other developers and industry names... he has so much to share.

[@NawidN]

Very cool of Miyamoto to speak to the world of gaming, in such an open and useful way. I wonder why it hasn't happened anymore in the last 18 years. Game developers could learn more of his experience!

[@SaltymanGaming]

He just doesn't like public speaking.. I can definitely relate.

[@SuperColdLemonade]

should happen way more often imo this is just a tiny fraction and as such makes me feel sad and joyful at the same time

[@AZTECMAN]

'please turn off your cellphone'... shout out to anyone who had a cellphone in 1999. You are on a level.

[@geekWAVE_lifeisstrangedeepdive]

1:00:05 Wowser! Bill Trinen was so young!!

[@Krufs]

This was crazy cool, thank you so much for uploading!

[@bathestyles6525]

16:29 I remember that old DYKG video explaining that Miyamoto didn’t want to work with Shigesato Itoi on Mother because other Japanese celebrities were coming in with their own dumb game ideas (Takeshi’s Challenge is probably the most famous example). Glad Itoi was able to make his game series work out, but it’s interesting to see him allude to it here.

[@kurikuraconkuritas]

Wow, I didn't knew he was that good at english. nowadays he just uses bill trinen for traductions.

[@TheGamingNobility]

kurikuraconkuritas From what I read in the Wikipedia, Mr. Miyamoto knows some English but is not comfortable speaking in it. And for interviews, he prefers to speak in Japanese!

[@TheSonicZeldaFan]

He doesn't need a translator to listen to English, but he prefers to speak Japanese to get his point across in the best way possible. If you watch closely, you'll see that Bill rarely translates English for Miyamoto.

[@celluloidpictures4493]

Nice profile pic kuri

[@Peter_1986]

@@TheGamingNobility Speaking a language is a completely different skill than listening to it, and also harder. When you speak a language you are forced to actively use it and put structure to your thoughts, whereas if you listen to it you can figure out the general meaning of each sentence.

[@TorutheRedFox]

he's not the best at formulating sentences by himself

[@devanshouse5027]

Miyamoto's English is actually pretty solid, even though he does seem to be struggling a tad bit to make sure he's pronouncing some of the words correctly. Using English with a native Japanese tongue can't be very easy.

[@erickvalencia2016]

I learned from The Rare and Retro guys thst they (Miyamoto and other Nintendo famous Devs) speak and understand english quite well

[@AthenisOculi]

@@erickvalencia2016 i know Hideo Kojima is very good in english but he hates his own pronounce so he never actually speaks

[@RichoRosai]

@@AthenisOculi I legit teared up a little when he came out and started in English after that ovation. So humble and gracious. I'm also really drunk though...

[@Vextrove]

​@@RichoRosai hahahaha

[@shortcat]

Laser pointers? I was hoping GDC is more civilized than my school.

[@TwinAero]

They were really ahead of time with the stuff they were doing, I really wish one day someone is able to get a inside documentary on how they managed to dream up all of this before anyone else imagined possible.

[@OldMoArtis]

Working on their own hardware, taking the time to polish existing ideas and finally having talented and loyal teams. And like most Japanese game companies, they were(are?) working like crazy (from stories told the man himself during his interview with Yuji Naka).

[@ARDIZsq]

20:36 Boy, this aged REALLY well. Can't wait to see how Miyamoto helps with the Super Mario Movie coming out next year.

[@NiNGalaxU2]

I grew up with Nintendo during the Iwata era and I started with the Nintendo DS Lite. These days Nintendo is the only video game company I trust to make fun and good games. During the years I spent a lot of time looking at interviews with Miyamoto & co. but never have I seen him speak in English for so long. It's quite fascinating.

[@time2chill849]

This was awesome to listen too

[@liquidsnake6879]

Amazing how his whole demeanor changes when he switches back to Japanese, for a few minutes he seemed almost nervous and unsure of himself, as soon as he switches to Japanese you can tell he's the goddamn boss of this stuff lol

[@Reepicheep-1]

I'd love to see a '99 Miyamoto's reaction to Breath of the Wild & MarioKart 8, & UE5 engine, or Minecraft, or modern console capabilities.

[@thanksbetotap]

Must have felt good to present not long after releasing the greatest game of all time!

[@jonathanwilson7949]

and then followed up with another one a year later!

[@PurpleFreezerPage]

I’m conflicted Looking up Miyamoto interviews, you realize just how much he really cares about originality. But almost all of my game ideas are iterative. They don’t come from nothing. They come from “ahhh I hate this game, but I’m so close to loving it. If only these 3 things were different..”

[@photophone5574]

To be fair, Miyamoto got a lot of his ideas from other things. Mario and Donkey Kong were based off of Popeye and King Kong.

[@hackerdackers8832]

his game ideas have never come from thin air either though. theres always a clear inspiration behind them. like the origin zelda being based around childhood exploration and coming of age. then his later masterpieces were about how to turn those games into 3d experiences. some of the best advice for originality i think is to draw inspiration from many sources, and not just from games. if you can be inspired by books, movies, life experiences and other video games, you’ll have a more original ideas to draw on than just other games.

[@gaurangshukla8235]

@@photophone5574 Also not just the art, the game mechanics themselves were already in arcade, he even mentions themselves that legend of zelda was inspired from other games at that times. He literally just did what you are saying, he just polished 3 things he wished were different and added some of his personal touch.

[@NuiYabuko]

​@@photophone5574 Based off of? Nintendo was about to make a Popeye game, but lost or didn't get the license, so they made Mario instead. Saying it's based off of is like saying Dark Souls is based off of Zelda or something. People will take inspiration, aware and unaware, of things they like or things around them, but that's a far cry from "based off of."

[@oby1]

how far back does GDC goes???

[@sandman9670]

It started in 1988

[@NuiYabuko]

​@@sandman9670 Wow, that's a really long time.

[@HendiPutra]

wow I didn't know Bill has been in Nintendo since '99 :O

[@NightFlyStudio]

Yeah, I think Bill started at Nintendo on Zelda Link's Awaking in 93.

[@jaz093]

Famitsu Mahjongg Bill is the person giving the English translation.

[@hsjoberg]

Nice that they're showing beta footage of Super Mario 64 (Usually referred to as Spaceworld 95 beta)

[@bomb00000]

"Pagers"

[@milddiffuse]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@spaghe7]

Are "Laser Pointers" also still relevant anymore

[@PhilStrahl]

Pagers, laser pointers... omg so 90s! ;)

[@Yamartim]

Dude did miyamoto just literally invent the modern role of a game designer in one hour? This man is the fucking best

[@andrewsparkes6115]

Yamazake Whitesky Yes. Until this moment, games designers did not exist in modern games. Until this talk, modern games were designed by luck and chance, by robots, without any logic or actual ideas behind them in any way.

[@OldMoArtis]

Let's say it is a very good talk about the role of the modern game designer. But inventing it? no. Other companies from other countries also figured that out. There are tons of other game designers that fits this description pre-1999. Miyamoto just explained it very well in this talk. ;)

[@leftyfourguns]

I'd say it was Yamauchi who invented the modern role of a game designer. He specifically wanted game designers front and center and given the accolades and recognition they deserved, instead of engineers taking all the credit

[@NaikoArt]

overrated? yeah sure, the guy who knew what an invisible tutorial was in 1985 sure is overrated.

[@williamkoscielniak820]

​@@youtubesuresuckscock He's the creator of Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Starfox, and Pikmin. That's an absurd number of quality IP's to be the creator of. And both Super Mario Bros. and Mario 64 essentially established the formula for modern 2d and 3d gaming. It's not possible to overrate his contributions to the industry.

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

10:43 "Sit down please, thank you..." He's not used to that kind of applause yet!

[@BlueHarvey]

45:46 "Or willst thou suck?" That this hasn't become a meme yet is beyond me lmao.

[@RomasKalash]

Does anybody else find the announcer lady in the beginning to be highly charismatic?

[@aitehs]

And the fact that she doesn't pretend to be gamer who was "inspired be incredible courage of link and impressice mario jumps" etc. Not like other speaker and narrator in the beginning

[@shortshaker9236]

10:23 I thought it was cool to see Miyamoto speak English sentences at first before in Japanese.

[@Michael-fc4hc]

28:03 ここ「設計」がdesignと翻訳されてて面白い。これは特に日本語においてデザインとは単に意匠であり設計のニュアンスが無い一方で英語だとその意味も包括するからだろうけど、「デザイナーがデザインするのは当然では？」みたいな反応になったのではないかな。

[@NorthWalesKid]

The Mozart of game design

[@couriersix2445]

Damn I was playing Nintendo that year

[@idklol4197]

M i y a g o a t o

[@MrInternetMan]

Bill is just a lil babby

[@Angie2343]

His English is impeccable.

[@Starmanstriker]

Is there a transcript of this speech?

[@dbroche]

the Paul Rudd easter egg at 4:18 -- chef's kiss!

[@thankyou329]

My pager is off, my laser pointer is away and I'm ready.

[@espensele662]

"No lazer pointers". Ah, the days of m youth.

[@omghai2u]

did i just see paul rudd in a nintendo ad

[@SIMPalaxy]

Looked like it.

[@SnowBallCASTS]

That is Paul Rudd

[@m4r_art]

The beauty of limitations and how it forces excellent game design to happen. The more you clutter with virtual glue, trinkets korok seeds and light orbs, the more games lose their meaning and become something they weren't meant to be. Where there is clutter, even valuable things lose their value. Where there is too much, nothing stands out. The essence of Japanese aesthetic is a concept called 'MA' (pronounced "maah") - the pure, and indeed essential, void between all "things."

[@esotericgamedev]

Who’s the woman at the start?

[@Tomtycoon]

Miyamoto speaks more English in this video, than in the 25 years after!

[@antonshidlovsky5579]

Legend.

[@ilovemybeard3394]

Omg... the good days where you could buy a laser pointer from a store

[@LoganSmithtaichi]

Look at how much character this man has. Look at how much anxiety people are suffering from in the world. You get the idea. I have no patience for how much of a safe-dystopian situation the world is in, starting with America. Some background: this is probably the most influential person in the history of the world, and he came form a place where people were not afraid to explore. His video games are a reflection of this willingness. He did adventurous things throughout his childhood and lived life to the fullest. So... Wake up and explore. The ironic thing is that we learn so much from his games. Children are not safe when we chain them down. No, then we become the enemies. It is ironic that we can become their enemies when we try to protect them. Is it the parents fault? No, it is the result of government teaching us that the world is dangerous. We cannot afford to blame people. However, The world is not dangerous if you believe that everything in it is truly for your good. Have a positive outlook. And explore out into the world...in a sense,...outside of your own mind. And teach everyone that this is the safest way of living possible. Thank you.

[@DrPOP-jp7eb]

Even in 1999, they asked to turn off phones (and pagers). It's become a ritual by now.

[@ogreman-lll-957]

He needs to speak English more often he’s good at it

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

50:13 What the hell is this, an earthquake?

[@m4r_art]

Prime Miyamoto. If he had this vitality today, he would probably be destroying developers at Nintendo for their creative decisions. I imagine Aonuma not seeing eye to with him now. Imagine if he dared to do that then. We are very likely Miyamoto Gatekeeped the format of Mario and Zelda. His force is what shaped those franchises. Nintendo owes him a lot. And Gunpei Yokoi is another giant in design who created the DMG-01 but not many will remember his name for it was at a time where game developers weren't the super stars they are today. Geniuses deserve all the recognition they get!

[@NuiYabuko]

You are aware Miyamoto kinda worked on BotW as well, right? What is that about "gatekeeping"?

[@m4r_art]

@@NuiYabuko you're the same person commenting on my other writings. go away the world doesn't need your one sided opinion. Miyamoto has never been involved as he used to be in the old IPs. last time he was truly involved was skyward sword. now go away.

[@ffhdjrbfbdndbdnd7902]

"Gatekeeped the format" No he wouldn't. How can you come to this conclusion after watching this? Especially that part near the end (I think) where he is somewhat displeased with OOC not feeling as fresh and novel as some of the older games he worked on?

[@chelocheliniXD]

Miyamoto normal, Miyamoto take a star ✨✨✨ 12:42

[@anmolagrawal5358]

14:40 I was expecting a laugh but it looks like the joke went over the audience's heads update : he had to clarify lol

[@Arock_tws]

I always thought he was part of Metroid too, but apparently not. Guess that might be why the series wasn't a focus for so long.

[@RPGmario64]

He helped with Metroid Prime. The visor system was his idea.

[@geno755]

🎉

[@DeepFriedOreoOffline]

22:25 "I have seen that not all great ideas come from ha. hardware tech... technologists" Smooth x'D

[@MurrayFlashy]

7:27 beytgah

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

12:12 He's a funny guy

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

37:49 He's a funny guy again

[@defurutime]

Paul Rudd @4.20

[@EatAnOctorok]

I literally only came to find this so I could see his hilarious comment on Tamagotchi.

[@АвтомобильныйПрограммист]

Cool)))

[@Prop_7]

Lmao i'm using this for my homework

[@Jay-lf2bm]

BibbleThumb

[@el_presidente]

jacob Greiner so beautiful 👏

[@NightFlyStudio]

Lol, pagers.

[@ColtonBCasey]

50:12, earthquake?

[@ryangood9158]

Whats a pager?

[@Scottzgar]

I bet he hated GTA

[@bonsaibloom]

9:45 ummm what? 😳

[@One_Shining_Star]

Yeah... I wasn't sure either, I don't even think it would be appropriate for Nintendo

[@arsnakehert]

Turn off your _pagers_

[@azoozdoss7092]

love that loud moan

[@notsoren665]

A little late on that one

[@taskanawa9604]

wow times fly, turn off your pagers

[@vicrattlehead3462]

He could clearly speak English, why bother with a translator

[@Peter_1986]

Because it is very uncomfortable to speak a language that you don't speak that often, even if you technically understand that language. I am from Sweden, and I consider myself proficient in English, and I can definitely understand written and spoken English without any particular problems, but I still end up stuttering and hesitating a lot whenever I have to speak English in real life.

[@ordovicianscourge9520]

wolf in sheep's clothing syndrome

[@NuiYabuko]

What?

[@williamwallace234]

0:29 in... Cellphones, lasers, and "Payjurs"?.. must be 1999 -- only they said that in the, tittle of the video -- SO I GUESS THEY JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT GUESSING GAMES OR FUN!.. And they probably hate kittens too!

[@williamwallace234]

My bad, lasers came a bit later

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

Strange, doesn't look as insightful as I thought it'd be... maybe because of the double language, that's distracting...