Nintendo Switch: The creators say "We explore empathy in video games" - TechnoTron
"Shinya Takahashi and Yoshiaki Koizumi, popes of Nintendo, highlight the potential of the new console"
One was for film director. The other, for lithographer. But Nintendo crossed paths in their lives and art always gave way to interactive art. Shinya Takahashi (ex-lithographer) and Yoshiaki Koizumi (the former filmmaker), who are mainly responsible for Nintendo's complex organization chart of the new Nintendo Switch console that launches this Friday, are executive artists. Men who have forged the legend of the creative company of Pokémon, Super Mario or Zelda in many of its most famous titles.
Now it's your turn to face the new Nintendo console, the Nintendo Switch, with which the company plays it to a letter. His previous home console, Nintendo Wii U, just sold one unit in 10 of his predecessor, the Nintendo Wii, the most successful console in history. The Kyoto company, which started playing card games at the end of the 19th century, needs a lot of success to regain confidence. In an exclusive interview with the duo to discuss Nintendo's past, present and future.
Both are graduates in Fine Arts. How did they end up on Nintendo?
Shinya Takahashi. I studied Fine Arts in Kyoto. I became an expert in lithography and, at that time, video game graphics were a similar process. Since I crossed with video games, the games I played the most were Nintendo. I started with the original Super Mario Bros. In those days, video games were really Nintendo. So it made sense to join them. But there was another compelling reason. I was born in Kyoto, I grew up in Kyoto, I studied in Kyoto and it turned out that in Kyoto was the best video game company. So it was easy for me to decide to join.
Yoshiaki Koizumi. My encounter with the video games was a little later. But they certainly impressed me. At that time, Super Mario Bros was very popular, but I still took more in. The legend of Zelda, that huge world arranged in front of you where you could live adventures. And I was very interested in how to tell a story through a game, on your way to defeat the final enemy. I thought this was a new way of expressing myself narratively. So when I found out that The Legend of Zelda's company was nearby (I did not live in Kyoto, but I did in Osaka) I decided that I wanted to join this company.
What is the central idea around the orbit of Nintendo Switch?
YK. The idea of empathy is certainly one of the central ones for us, how to find a means of expression that provokes an emotional reaction in the player. Until now, we had to rely on images to create empathy. But now we have a new technology such as high definition vibration, which allows the player to feel an object in his hand. I think this opens the door to a new way of interacting with video games. We would like to use this sense of vibration in high definition for all imaginable games. To achieve this we are trying to present this ability to other videogame creators so that they can make a deep use of it.
The indie video game community has been the biggest artistic leap in the media. Will they take advantage of this creativity by facilitating development for Nintendo Switch?
ST. We've paid a lot of attention with Nintendo Switch to the indie developer community. The first step has been to adapt Unity [the majority graphics engine used by this group] at a very early stage. To allow the community to start early to develop. An example, the Sniper game clips. It is a game developed by a very small British team. Normally, we would not have shared so much information with such small equipment on our new console, but the concept they presented us was perfect for the joycon and the two person game of Nintendo Switch. So we partnered very soon with them in the development of Sniper clips. We also have other indie studios working on other projects. So the indie community is something that we are giving a lot of relevance in Nintendo Switch. Europe is one of those places where more creativity and unique projects we are seeing in the world
In an interview with Wired, you [Yoshiaki Koizumi] spoke of a tug-of-war with Shigeru Miyamoto [creator of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Nintendo's alma mater and Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities 2012]. As he said, you are interested in further elaboration narrative on Nintendo and Miyamoto no. Now that you seem to be the public and creative faces of Nintendo, can we expect the new generation of games to further explore the narrative?
YK. This interview is from many years ago. And the different interpretations about it are interesting, because I remember it in another way. When we tell a story to a player, there are several possible paths. For example, we can use text and count in a very linear and literary way an argument. In the past, I think I used this myself. But there is a different way of presenting the story to the player as we do in The Legend of Zelda. Breath of the wild. And there's the crux of the conversation I had with Miyamoto. We both cared to discuss how the player relates to the story of the game, but not necessarily through text. As we were discussing the topic we realized how to improve on this interactive way of narrating. So I would not want this whole debate to be interpreted as a break between Miyamoto and me, because it was not. We are in the same line.
So, is interaction the way to narrative in video games?
YK. We talked about how to tell a story. I am interested in highlighting the most obvious difference between film and video games: this is the interaction that the player can have with the work. Playing a video game together also makes the reaction of the other person key to the experience. And so we put two controls in one on the switch, to enhance this aspect of human interaction. For example, with the Sniper game clips, there is no story in the traditional sense, but solving a problem together with another person becomes a story in itself. This is the potential of games and must be explored and evolved.
ST. For me, when I think of video games and art, I do not like to think, necessarily, of high art. Video games are looking for a reaction in the player, the enjoyment in his face to experience it. So I prefer to imagine our system as a tool to provide that enjoyment. In an event where we try out consoles with families, our biggest reward happens when parents smile at the excitement of their children. That is our ultimate goal, to unite as many people as possible in a shared pleasure.
Industry, critics and the public agree that Nintendo is an example of excellence in game design. What is the secret to maintaining this level for decades?
ST. This is really the story of Nintendo. Our crafts. It started with a great designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. And he continued with say 10 or 20 of his apprentices who taught us how to catch an idea and develop it for the duration of a game. Of course, each one of us has interpreted his teachings in a different way and we have given our own aroma to that philosophy of design. So we have grown and I believe that we will continue to grow, transmitting this crafts to others.
YK. As you know, Nintendo started designing cards. These letters had some fixed drawings, but they were designed so that they could be played in many different ways. We even included a role explaining the instructions to these various games. So, from the point of view of the buyer, it was something very similar. They were given an ingenuity with which they could play many different games. I think that, so to speak, is our DNA.
Nintendo Wii-U, the company's previous console, failed - it sold about one in ten of its predecessor, the Wii. What lessons have you learned for the Switch?
ST. As Koizumi explained, we wanted to facilitate the game idea, seek the empathy of people and make it very easy to have fun with Nintendo Switch. We believe that the feature that facilitates this is the fact that it has the two joycon that allow with a single command to add two players. We believe that this idea of taking the screen wherever you want makes enjoy video games more accessible than ever. You can play with whoever you want, wherever you want and at any time.
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