Interview:LevelX January 7th 2004

https://web.archive.org/web/20090129160647/http://miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/010704.shtml

- Why Pacman vs. was created

Miyamoto (M): Nintendo has released many game consoles until now. An ongoing question was "Will games change as hardware does?". Early TV games were often based on transforming existing entertainment into games, however recent games seem to only evolve by taking in cutting edge technology. So like an early TV game, we tried to revive a game that has been around for a while for the current gamers by using the connectivity between the Game Cube and the Game Boy Advance. This is when we started discussions with Mr. Iwatani.

Iwatani (I): Yes. When I first met Mr. Miyamoto and he said that he was making a game based on Pacman my first thoughts were, "Why Pacman after all this time?" (laughter)

M : Yes, plus a person from Nintendo of all places. (laughter)

I : I listened to the details and found out that it would be a wonderful game which uses the GBA and GC. We then continued discussions while the development went on. (More about Pacman vs.)

- About Pacman

M : While creating "Pacman vs." we were careful to not make it "bloated". We aren't denouncing the way games are made now but we did not plan to create a game where 30 to 50 people get involved spending several hundred million yen. That is alright as well but with a bigger scale, each task gets divided and we felt that the game designers originality gets lost in this process. I was against creating something where I did not know if I was the creator or not. Pacman itself is already a complete game. We did not wish to add power ups or items to the open buttons and lose the beauty of Pacman being playable with only the control pad. Keep things "as simple as possible" was the most important message we were giving to the development team.

I : Mr. Miyamoto knew Pacman well. We appreciate his ability in keeping it's simplicity while still creating Pacman vs. as a party game.

M : Controllers have become more complicated and due to that, some people are beginning to feel games have become too difficult and unplayable. Games becoming 3D is interesting, but also has increased difficulty. Pacman is a simple game in which only the control pad is needed. With 10 minutes of playing the game everyone improves to the same level. (laughter)

- Nintendo and Namco's collaboration

I : There is collaboration in the game and collaboration as two companies in general. Going forward, I believe that it is necessary to think of the gaming industry in general rather than just about your own company making a profit.

M : I agree. Now Mr. Iwatani and myself are seated next to each other. Since we went into the arcade industry even before the Famicom era, Namco-san and Nintendo have been rivals. We have competed with Namco-san for a long time, but now the people involved in the games have moved onto management. Recently it's a more open atmosphere with a strengthening mood to make the industry more popular. The past 3 to 4 years has been especially amazing. Namco-san, Sega-san.

I : Before we never used to call them Nintendo-san with a "san". *("xxxx-san" is a respectful way of referring to someone) It was more like "Nintendo, damn it!" (laughter)

M : Oh, we've always said "Namco-san". (laughter)

I : Ah, really... I shouldn't have said that then. (laughter)

- If you had to choose one item that was the most memorable in the LevelX exhibition

I : Each has its own uniqueness so it isn't easy to choose the best one. All I can say is that the ones where the creator has put a lot of effort into it shine above the others.

M : The Family Computer Robot was the most memorable for me... Sorry it's one of our products (laughter). Before the robot I was also involved in the development of the laser gun. I'm far away from all that right now. I was looking at it nostalgically - as a designer with a technology university background I would like to create a wide range of products.

- Looking at each others' creations, how did you feel at that time?

M : I wanted to make a game based on Pacman because I always admired and respected Pacman and Namco. Pacman is very well-balanced and I was very intrigued by it's completeness.

I : Thank you very much (laughter). Mr. Miyamoto's games are extremely user friendly. They can be a little difficult but not overly hard. The game balance was perfect and I've learnt from them too.

- What do you concentrate on when making games?

M : I believe interactiveness is everything. Historically, videogames have evolved by stimulating the gamer but I believe that we are now concentrating too much on only "giving" this stimulation. Of course I am involved in "giving" the player new stimulation, but I would like the player to voluntarily feel it. For instance when Link from the Legend of Zelda pulls on a lever and a grand demo movie shows a door opening, I think this is a "giving". I would not make it so pressing a button pulls a lever, Link would merely hold the lever. Then the player can use the controller to "pull" and open the door. I concentrate on this interactiveness the most.

I : I think games are an "ingredient". The young users now receive information from games, movies and TV. They aren't accustomed to imagining from a limited amount of information. So I give simple ingredients to our users and have them use their imagination.

- How do you think games will evolve going forward?

I : I don't believe hardware specs need to improve anymore. We have the equipment to paint colorfully on a white canvas. We would like to go in the direction of creating something for the user's imagination to expand.

M : Yes. High spec hardware is good to have, of course, but if the game creators can relax and create, I don't see the necessity to concentrate on selling high specs. There will always be a computer in between the player and monitor. Programmers ask me "What is going to happen to my job in the future?", and I've answered that there would always be a job if you can program. For the past 25 years I've managed to not be a liar (laughter).

- Your emotions towards the ending of the Famicom's production on it's 20th anniversary

M : Hmmm, I'm usually not really moved by things like anniversaries (laughter). I do feel that games are probably going to keep on changing as time passes. We unfortunately had to stop the Famicom production due to not being able to get the parts. However the 20th Anniversary has made it a big deal (laughter).

I : Famicom has a long history of 20 years but videogames' history goes back to the US, some 45 years ago in 1958. Looking back, I feel that major changes happen every 20 years. 20 years from now there will probably be another "20th Anniversary" for something. I feel that the Famicom is one milestone in gaming history.

- Please let us know your resolutions for the future.

M : I would like to create something for anyone and everyone to play. Something that will make people say "Games are for everyone"!

I : Something people can love for years to come. For instance, like the movies, "The Seven Samurai" or "Roman Holiday".