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‘Super Mario Bros.’ Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Explains Why Nintendo Games Are So Good

By David Cornell
Published on: 10:17 PST, Jul 6, 2016

Super Mario Bros. is a game almost every older gamer knows, and for good reason. It helped Nintendo bring gaming back after the crash caused by E.T. for Atari 2600. To this day, Nintendo games are some of the most fondly remembered, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of such a legendary franchise, knows exactly why.

Several franchises these days continue to compete for our gaming dollar, but none of them seem to capture the magic we felt playing Super Mario Bros. for the first time. Assassin’s Creed has almost become a guilty pleasure forcing gamers to push past the barriers created by Ubisoft’s sense of difficulty. Call of Duty is almost the godfather of the first-person shooter world. Even Tomb Raider always went for that sense of exploration and wonder when we reached certain parts of the game.

Nintendo games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby all have that something which brings back a feeling of childlike wonder and joy. Miyamoto explained why that is, “Ultimately I want a lot of people to enjoy the game, but the initial barometer and gauge is whether I enjoy it or not.”

This is the same reason we always go back to games like Tetris, Pac-Man, and Dig Dug. If you enjoy it, that outweighs the visuals. Miyamoto also believes in making something unique every time. No two Mario titles are the same, unless they’re remakes, but there is always the push to try something original.

Just ignore the fact that Nintendo made the Virtual Boy, probably the least fun video game system ever made.

“I think what a lot of people see as unique is using different technology or different techniques [to make games], but I feel like, as long as you have a core that’s unlike others, that’s what ‘unique’ is. So we can be using the same kind of technology, the same kind of techniques, but when we use it, we get something different.”

There is also something in Super Mario Bros. which Miyamoto says is his goal with everything Nintendo makes. It is a Japanese word which has no direct translation in English. “Tegotae” is like a balance between control and fun, almost a visceral sensation which happens when you press a button to make Mario jump. It’s missing from some games where the controls almost seem to lag between the command and the screen.

Another part of this feeling of “tegotae” is when a character interacts with objects the way you would want them to. If they are in front of a wall, but don’t act like there is a wall there, it creates a sort of disconnect. It’s the same feeling a lot of open-world games tend to get wrong with the edge of the map. Sometimes you end up just walking in place and there is no visual reason. That’s called the “invisible wall,” and it frustrates gamers who want to explore just a little further.

In Super Mario Bros., the only thing close to this was the levels which forced the player to move forward so they wouldn’t get stuck and squished against the edge of the screen.

Even sound plays a role in getting you immersed in the world of Super Mario Bros. and even more recent games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When you hit a rock, you expect a certain sound. The same thing is expected when you move through grass. If it sounds like you’re walking on broken glass instead, it takes away from the experience. Get the visuals, sounds, and controls just right and it feels like you’re actually in that world, but always make it enjoyable.

Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto concluded, “Really, a game is about helping the player remember what they know.”

[Feature image via Nintendo]

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