So, in case you've been completely ignoring video game news and/or only get your news from me (which you haven't received for about a year…oops), The CEO of Nintendo Japan passed away. His name is Satoru Iwata. I'm not going to give you a logistical, statistically-driven analysis about his history, but I will simply sum up what he has done: He started off as a programmer, worked at HAL, then was responsible for everything Nintendo did from 2000- today.
Always looking forward!
What does that mean to me? Well, I was in junior high when Iwata became the head honcho at Nintendo. From that time until now, he was accredited for the Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, DS, and 3DS. To me, that translates that (with the exception of GBA) he spearheaded everything that Nintendo did and has done since my adolescence, which is INSANE to think about! I'll elaborate more on that later…
The biggest attribute that I love about Nintendo is the same thing that many people complain about: the constant need to change. I was always on my toes whenever I heard about what the next Nintendo system was going to do next. At that time, other voices would differ, calling Iwata's systems similar to one-trick ponies and gimmicky until the next system comes out. However, it always seemed as if those voices were silences when other companies would soon follow nintendo's "gimmick" after viewing the system's successes.
The games under Iwata's direction were no different than the systems in regards to innovation. He's the dude that looked at Mario and said," put a hose on his back! and now he's gotta clean the town!" Or," we need to make a puffball that eats a lot and fights a pirate penguin looking thing!". He even went so far as to play a game while spinning around in a chair and essentially making Warioware!
Don't bother him… He's 'making a game'.
So… going back to what Nintendo means to me. I can honestly say that there hasn't been a company in my life that has had as much of an impact on me as Nintendo. when I started adolescence, I got my Gamecube. When I graduated high school, I got my Wii. After I graduated college, I got my 3DS. I feel that I've grown up with Nintendo, and they have encouraged me to keep pushing boundaries. Keep think weird. Keep thinking of an aspect from multiple angles. Most importantly: Nintendo taught me not to worry about the competition and do your own thing.
Thank you, Satoru Iwata. Some might say… Iwanta be more like you.
At least this guy's proud of my joke.
Thank you,
Joey
