For a long time at Nintendo we didn't focus as much on online play because for many years doing so would have limited the size of the audience that could enjoy those features. But certainly now we see that so many people are connected to the Internet. It opens up a tremendous amount of possibilities.
When I'm making video games today, I want people to be entertained. I am always thinking, How are people going to enjoy playing the games we are making today? And as long as I can enjoy something other people can enjoy it, too.
I could make Halo. It’s not that I couldn’t design that game. It’s just that I choose not to. One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play.
Throughout the Zelda series I've always tried to make players feel like they are in a kind of miniature garden. So, this time also, my challenge was how to make people feel comfortable and sometimes very scared at the same time. That is the big challenge.
I think Zelda 64 is utilizing about 90 percent of the N64 potential, ... When we made Mario 64 we were simply utilizing 60 to 70 percent. So we have come a long way I believe.
What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself.
I'm very impressed that there are so many fans - not just in Japan, but here in America - that are fond of the work that I've done. I'm actually kind of embarrassed by it all.
When I look around and see how aged cartoonists continue to work on their manga and how movie directors create new movies all the time, I understand that they would never retire. And by the same token, I guess I will still be making games somehow. The only question is whether the younger people will be willing to work with me at that far point in the future.
I try not so much to create new characters and worlds but to create new game-play experiences.
Japan actually is an aging population, and so as the population has aged, they have had a lot more problems with health.
There are some ghost stories in Japan where - when you are sitting in the bathroom in the traditional style of the Japanese toilet - a hand is actually starting to grab you from beneath. It's a very scary story.
What comes next? Super Mario 128? Actually, that's what I want to do.
Originally, I wanted a machine that would cost $100. My idea was to spend nothing on the console technology so all the money could be spent on improving the interface and software. If we hadn't used NAND flash memory and other pricey parts, we might have succeeded.
I would prefer to grow with the team inside Nintendo rather than taking anyone from outside. It would be a joy for me if someone who was working with me became a big success.
I used to draw cartoons. I'd just show them to some of my friends, expecting that they were going to appreciate them, that they were going to enjoy reading them.
I feel more reassured with physical media. Entertainment is something that will not just become digital.
I made some games, but I'm pretending like I didn't because they all turned out weird.
Programming is all about numbers.
I think I can make an entirely new game experience, and if I can't do it, some other game designer will.
The PSP will not be able to display anything that you cannot do on a current system.
I don't really think of things in terms of legacy or where I stand in the history of Nintendo or anything like that.
What I found is that just in the lifestyle today, people have fewer and fewer opportunities to get exercise.
I believe that any sort of changes to interface that allows people to get into games and enjoy games is a great trend.
I don't think as a creator that I could create an experience that truly feels interactive if you don't have something to hold in your hand, if you don't have something like force feedback that you can feel from the controller.
When I look back I can tell that after I started having a family, I certainly wanted to make games that could be played with all the family members.
