About Hideo Kojima
Game Industry Figures
Written by DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis
Hideo Kojima was born August 24, 1963 in Setagaya, Tokyo and is currently working at Konami Computer Entertainment, Japan as Vice President. He has recently completed production on Metal Gear Acid for the PSP and Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django for the Game Boy Advance SP (Wikipedia).
Kojima began designing games in the early 1980s, although he was relatively unknown in the United States until the release of Metal Gear Solid. A nine-minute trailer of his masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid 2, at the 2000 Electronic Entertainment Expo subsequently became one of the most significant previews of the show (Kent 569-570), demonstrating the powerful capabilities of the PlayStation 2.
One of the first games that Kojima is credited with is Penguin Adventure, released in 1986. Other titles he has worked on include Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Volumes 1-3, Snatcher, Zone of the Enders, and Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand (Wikipedia).
Kojima has also collaborated with Shigeru Miyamoto in the creation of the GameCube version of Metal Gear Solid 1. He also maintains interests in the film industry and is known for the “filmlike visuals” (N’Gai et al.) he utilizes in his games. However, despite his interest in film, he has remained hesitant to sell the rights to a Metal Gear Solid movie (Schwarzacher 17).
“Eventually, the word ’game’ will be gone,” this man predicts, “What’s important is making things fun, and from that we’ll be able to make something that has a positive effect on people’s lives. I don’t think games have done that yet, but one day I’m sure they will, just like movies and novels” (Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 42).
Hideo Kojima’s success as a video game designer has propelled him to become a leading figure of the gaming industry.
Game designers who seek to establish themselves in the industry should look to designers such as Hideo Kojima as examples of what they should strive to achieve. The success of his games asserts that innovation is integral to game design.
Hardware limitations should not govern game design. Kojima explains that “I’m a game designer, and I’m not going to depend solely on those things” (PSM 24-25).
Kojima also recognizes the differences between the United States and Japanese markets and acknowledges the significance of both. “In Japan, players are more passive... In the U.S. and in Europe, players want to be proactive” (Schwarzacher 17).
Like Shigeru Miyamoto, he holds a vision of what a true game should be. Game designers should not simply brush aside the opinions of men like Miyamoto and Kojima, but rather, consider them golden rules, never to be broken. The game designer should always “try to introduce gameplay that people cannot imagine” (PSM 24-25).
He also looks gravely upon the current state of the industry, “Everything’s supposed to be made for the masses, often without any trace of deeper meaning added from the creators,” (Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 42). “The soul has really vanished. Let’s blame greed, because it’s poisoning the soul. Greed can kill anything” (42).
As game designers, we must take to heart his words and not continue to allow the industry to follow the grim path of commercialization. To Kojima, game design should be an art, as well as it should be to any true game designer, a personal form of expression (42).
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Works Cited
Itol, N’Gai, and Kay Itoi. "Hideo Kojima: Videogame Designer."
Newsweek International December 2001.
Kent, Steven L. The Ultimate History of Video Games.
1st ed. : Crown Publishing Group, 2001.
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
"Kojima’s Message to the World; The mind behind the metal."
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine July 2004: 42.
PSM. "Hideo Kojima Q&A." PSM Holiday 2004: 24-25.
Schwarzacher, Lukas. "Game creator ready for pix."
Variety November 2004: 17.
Wikipedia. "Hideo Kojima." Online posting. 26 January 2005. Wikipedia.
28 Jan 2005. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima >.
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