Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away this weekend, leading to an outpouring of emotion and admiration from friends, business competitors, admirers, and nearly everyone else from all corners of the video game industry.
Iwata was a rare corporate president that came from a programming and game design background. As a result, he had a unique perspective on how video games shape our culture, and the role games have in influencing and entertaining young and old around the world.
Iwata leaves behind an impressive body of wisdom. Below are 11 quotes taken from Nintendo presentations, press interviews, and more that help illustrate the way he thought about Nintendo’s role within the games industry, and gaming’s broader place in society.
"For young players, classic games are brand new. For older players, they bring back memories and make you feel good."
Iwata understood that retro games don't just appeal to adults hoping to recapture a moment from their childhood. Super Mario Bros. isn’t just for grown-ups that want to remember what it was like to be 7-years-old. It can be for kids that are 7-years-old now, and want to experience the thrill of defeating Bowser and rescuing the princess.
"Throughout the history of game development, the game control mechanism has become more and more sophisticated, ... Perhaps those who have quit gaming or who have never played games look at the game controller and think it's too difficult to play, even before they dare to touch it."
Nintendo has spent more than a decade under Iwata’s leadership persistently trying to reach new audiences with its home and handheld game consoles.
"If we continue down the same path as we have in the past, people may become tired of gaming."
Iwata also insisted that Nintendo never stop at bringing in new gamers. He also made it a mandate that Nintendo do everything in its power to bring lapsed gamers back into the fold.
"We consider ourselves, above all else, as a gaming company. We believe other companies (in the console marketplace) see themselves primarily as technology companies."
Iwata never shied away from characterizing Nintendo as a “games first” company.
"We do not run from risk. We run to it. We are taking the risk to move beyond the boundaries of the game industry to reach new players and current players."
Iwata wasn’t afraid to take Nintendo in radical new directions, which is no small feat for a man in charge of a global organization that employs many thousands of people.
“Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone.”
There are plenty that may disagree with this statement - after all, video games can also exist to challenge our sensibilities and beliefs, and can be designed to appeal only to a specific portion of the public. But it perfectly encapsulates Nintendo’s design philosophy: develop games that anyone, young or old, core or casual, can enjoy.
“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.”
Iwata started his career as a programmer and designer, and it was clear, even after a decade serving as Nintendo’s President and CEO, that he kept those early years near to his heart. His early experiences at HAL Laboratory, helping to create games like Earthbound and Balloon Fight, would regularly come up in interviews and presentations.
"Of course, it is valuable to devise an offshoot of a current idea. But it is invaluable to come up with a brand-new idea of what a game can be."
Although Nintendo produces plenty of sequels and enjoys a remarkably large stable of characters and brands, Iwata was insistent that Nintendo never stop trying brand-new ideas.
"'It's a lot of fun!' can quickly become: 'Well, it's a lot of fun, but...!’”
Iwata often cautioned Nintendo developers that merely making a fun game wasn’t a guarantee for success, and pushed them to “raise their batting average” through superior effort.
"I've never once been embarrassed that children have supported Nintendo. I'm proud of it. That's because children judge products based on instinct. Everyone wants to appeal to people's instincts, but it's not easy."
Iwata understood that young children have an instinctive, almost visceral approach to video games. A child knows, almost instantly, whether a game is good or not, even if they struggle to articulate exactly why.
"In our business, too often people with a fresh idea don't have a chance. I believe if Tetris were presented today, here is what the producer would be told: Go back give me more levels give me better graphics give me cinematics and you’re probably going to need a movie license to sell that idea to the public."
As far back as 2005, Iwata was clearly concerned about the problems that continue to plague the video game industry today. Iwata understood that ideas are king, and the execution of those ideas needs to be handled with care and thoughtfulness.
Read more about Iwata's career and accomplishments right here.
Justin Davis is IGN's Executive Editor in charge of features. Follow him on Twitter at @Errorjustin.
