Those who follow the career of Shigeru Miyamoto (possibly the most famous videogame designer in the world) probably heard some of the stories about his childhood and how those defined him in this profession. I had a similar experience yesterday, and it was quite revealing.
Miyamoto tells the story on how he would walk around his neighborhood during his youth and once he ventured into a cave he was afraid of, and the excitement and surprise of his discoveries would fuel his creativity for games such as Super Mario Brothers and Zelda. I think I experienced a bit of this, as I was driving through a part of town that was near to places I go to a lot, but some entirely new streets.
I know it may sound stupid, but there was an amazingly beautiful blue sky, and I suddenly found myself feeling somewhat alien to this city I have been living in for my whole life. It was a little tug of wonder with a dash of discovery and a lot of excitement. I realize that place had been there all along, just a few steps from places I drive by almost daily... and yet, it was completely unknown and just waiting to be discovered.
I find it interesting that one of the cool responses to this sensation was an impulse to try and just explore other streets I have yet to traverse, as if these places are just lurking there, waiting to be discovered. It's that same drive to press DOWN when you see a pipe in a Mario game... you never know exactly what you are going to get.
People who can translate those experiences into games are bound to be the geniuses of game design as an art... and hopefully they will define where this art form goes.
1 comments:
I'm not sure about what triggers this sensation, but I experienced it sometimes already. It feels great, like if all of a sudden, you finally noticed the colors that have been there all the time. Dunno... but it feels great.
So simple, yet so powerful.
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