Miyamoto Wants to Change Gamer Stereotype

Filed in archive Interviews on May 30, 2006

MTV: You've talked about the gamer stereotype - a solitary figure in a dark room with only the reflection of the TV screen illuminating their faces - and your intention for the Wii to change that image (see "Nintendo Fans Swarm Mario's Father During New York Visit"). You've been in the gaming industry a long time - when did that stereotype start to concern you?

Miyamoto: I've actually been concerned about that image for a long time because we've been seeing it for a long time. You may recall a book [about Nintendo's history] called "Game Over" that came out many years ago. That may have been when I first started growing concerned about that image because in the beginning there's a photo of a child playing a [game on a] TV in kind of a darkened room. We've been looking at that image since the days of the NES and I think it's important we break out of that image ... I think it's time to break free from that stereotypical definition of what a gamer is, because until we do, we'll never truly be part of the national or worldwide culture.

MTV: What would you like the new image of the gamer to be?

Miyamoto: It would be similar to some of the photos we're showing of people playing the Wii here at the show - which is people of all ages kind of standing up, having a lot of fun and moving around. It's a very active and fun-looking image and that's the type of image I would like to see video gaming viewed as.

Full interview