Game designers you should know
Cody Bozarth
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Opinion
Part of achieving a well-rounded education is learning things not because you need to know them for your future career, but because you simply need to know.
Those classes are usually taken under the general-education requirements set forth by the different departments. You may take history classes even though you're a law enforcement and justice administration major, not because you need to know about the Civil War to be a good cop, but because you should know about the Civil War. For a bit of fun, next time you get pulled over, ask the officer to name the generals of the Union and Confederate armies. I bet he or she could answer correctly.
But anyway, that's an analogy to justify why you should read this column. If you don't make a point to play a lot of video games, or you just play them casually and never notice things like names of game publishers, developers, development houses or designers, you should know the names of the more significant game designers. Not because it's necessary information, but because it's a growing industry that is taking the forefront of popular culture.
You know names like Steven Spielberg, Jim Morrison and Michelangelo not because you might be a movie, music or art buff, but because they're common knowledge. Here is a list of famous people in the game industry who aren't commonly known, even though the things they made are.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Miyamoto is currently Senior Managing Director of Nintendo Co., Ltd. and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division. This guy has done so much for the industry, but people know more about his creations than the man himself. This guy has given the world Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda and Star Fox, to name a few. Mario is the single most widely known video game character.
Miyamoto has had his hand in nearly every single Nintendo release of relative significance. If you can name a Nintendo game, chances are you'll be able to see his name in the credits. A fun piece of trivia: the Chain-Chomp enemy from the Mario series was inspired by a menacing neighborhood dog who was kept at bay with a chain and frequently terrorized a young Miyamoto.
Those classes are usually taken under the general-education requirements set forth by the different departments. You may take history classes even though you're a law enforcement and justice administration major, not because you need to know about the Civil War to be a good cop, but because you should know about the Civil War. For a bit of fun, next time you get pulled over, ask the officer to name the generals of the Union and Confederate armies. I bet he or she could answer correctly.
But anyway, that's an analogy to justify why you should read this column. If you don't make a point to play a lot of video games, or you just play them casually and never notice things like names of game publishers, developers, development houses or designers, you should know the names of the more significant game designers. Not because it's necessary information, but because it's a growing industry that is taking the forefront of popular culture.
You know names like Steven Spielberg, Jim Morrison and Michelangelo not because you might be a movie, music or art buff, but because they're common knowledge. Here is a list of famous people in the game industry who aren't commonly known, even though the things they made are.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Miyamoto is currently Senior Managing Director of Nintendo Co., Ltd. and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division. This guy has done so much for the industry, but people know more about his creations than the man himself. This guy has given the world Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda and Star Fox, to name a few. Mario is the single most widely known video game character.
Miyamoto has had his hand in nearly every single Nintendo release of relative significance. If you can name a Nintendo game, chances are you'll be able to see his name in the credits. A fun piece of trivia: the Chain-Chomp enemy from the Mario series was inspired by a menacing neighborhood dog who was kept at bay with a chain and frequently terrorized a young Miyamoto.
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