Shigeru Miyamoto Addresses Concerns About His Age And Role At Nintendo

Everybody ages. It’s down to the individual, their drive and their own health. There’s no reason he shouldn’t continue working but he should be aware if it becomes to his detriment. That is true at any age mind you.

Hiroshi Yamauchi was President of Nintendo until his late 70s and I think he still had a little input in an advisory / board capacity beyond that.

He will inevitably pass, but thanks to Mario, he will never die.

He’s a legend regardless of the age.

Good luck with everything Miyamoto.

Elders are respected in Japanese culture, aren't they. Unlike the West in general

He's immortal, gosh darn it

Would be fun if Shigeru Miyamoto had an idea for a totally new Nintendo IP!

Creating new game series is not part of his current roles at Nintendo, but at the same time: this is a creative mind, it would not surprise me if he has ideas for new games now and then, and I am sure everyone at Nintendo would listen if he wanted to share his ideas.

Master Miyamoto, you can't Game Over.

@gcunit No worries. I saw Miyamoto hoarding 1up Mushrooms.

@LEGEND_MARIOID
Yeah they’d never do something like make him a “Mario Ambassador” would they?

An excellent example of a playful spirit keeping one young.

Wow 72? My dad just passed away a couple years ago at that age. It was real sudden too. He had sepsis as a result of having a catheter put in and not keeping it clean enough. Went to the hospital feeling sick and died the next morning.

Hope Mr. Miyamoto is taking care his health. I don't want to think about a world without him in it.

Miyamoto is really awesome. Without him Nintendo wouldn’t be who they are today.

I mean if David Attenborough can still make nature documentaries at the age of 99 then I'm sure Miyamoto can still be involved in games for a good while.

That age is very concerning… he’s not even old enough to be a viable candidate for President of America!

@arabiansanchez Nintendo was still partly owned by his family when he stepped down, at least until he died and they sold all of their ownership back to the company during the Iwata era.

I hope he will continue his efforts, but he has passed the torch to a younger generation quite some time ago. He does have involvement in games and direction, but overall, I think he has ensured that his philosophies regarding game design are well spread throughout the entire company. I don't think anyone has such a grandmaster level of knowledge of game design as Miyamoto San has.

@Truegamer79 Sorry about your father. A few years ago, a family member of a similar age survived a case of sepsis, but only just in time. Had the medics arrived an hour later, the outcome would have been different.

@Tayrailbridge I'd love their music on Spotify. Sega puts it on there.

make game music available on spotify you cowards

Miyamoto seems to be one of those who think they can work until they’re REALLY old. I don’t mind as long as he stays healthy and capable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have QUITE the huge influence he once had, but he’s obviously still a mentor.

Miyamoto-San does not need to do games anymore, because according to the internet he let Tommy tallarico create and design Metroid prime himself just from his laser sounds.

I'm pretty sure that the creator of the Wii Fit is keeping himself as healthy as one reasonably can. In all cases, he is and will always remain an icon to me.

I honestly thought he was 10 years younger.

The problem with nintendo music is that the soundtrack releases are a mess, and they are done by different labels, nintendo doesn't have their own label so it isn't as easy as people think.

Honestly, working is the best way to ensure long life. Granted not to physical of work, but gotta keep the mind fresh and challenged.

George Miller just killed with Furiosa at 79. Age don't matter.

@Tayrailbridge
I buy OST CD's when possible and officially mp3's when possible. It seems easy and I wish nintendo would just upload (for purchase) current soundtracks and old ones (like Star Tropics) in 8bit form that never had official releases. But they don't even do that with all their old games.
I'm afraid of they DID do it, it would be another subscription tier or separate subscription.

@DripDropCop146 I'm picturing him in a Scrooge McDuck-like vault, overflowing with 1Ups.

Eh. My mom is the same age and still works. So long as he is training others and taking care of himself (which he is) he is fine.

Dang, investors, it's not like he belongs to y'all. 😆😬 I say that as someone who owns some shares.

Nintendo should formally record all of Miyamoto's various ideas, whether for new IP's or new game experiences or rides, movies, etc. Even if they don't make use of every idea immediately, his ideas could still be tucked away inside a vault for safe keeping until the time is right.

Mr. Miyamoto is one of my all-time heroes. I hope he lives to 100. The day he passes (eventually as we all will) I'll need to take a day off work to mourn.

@AdolBannings-Laylee
I bet his mother is very proud of that.

@SillyG and Zelda*

This is the life. İt works like this. We all getting old. İ hope Shigeru Miyamoto will still life long further. İ wish Shigeru Miyamoto a lot of lucky, happy years still. Shigeru Miyamoto is my chid years hero game producer from Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda.

When İ was a kid İ know Shigeru Miyamoto only. İ loved him back then so much. İn the time from N64 was it.
İ knew Shigeru Miyamoto had made back then Super Mario 64 and Zelda Ocarina of time.

İ do not know only where İ saw him but İ knew there was a guy like Shigeru Miyamoto. That he had made Super Mario 64 and Zelda Ocarina of time.

The kindest face at Nintendo, and the one who represents what I still love about the company.
Nintendo is a sinking ship, and he was the last captain.

@LEGEND_MARIOID It's also Japanese culture that people working for companies (and the government) are promoted based on age and seniority, not so much merit. With Shigeru Miyamoto being one of the most senior members of modern Nintendo (being around since the earliest days of their venture into video games), it's only natural within that business culture that he be moved to a more supervisory role and away from game development.

In fact, Katsuhiro Harada of Bandai Namco alluded to such recently when discussing why the Soulcalibur series had basically been dormant for years: people who would have went on to be great game developers were instead moved into managerial positions, with much of the Soulcalibur team being stripped away to work on other things that had nothing to do with game development.

I thought he was in his 50s he looks damn good I get to that age and look like that I'd be happy. Age just a number pretty rude saying cos somebody old they can't do something as good as somebody half their age. End day Nintendo wouldn't be where they are if it wernt for him

We love you Miyamoto sensei

He seems to age very well and still of a sound mind.

There's a lot of people who'll continue his views and legacies. So I am not concerned at all.

GOAT.

@AstroTheGamosian That's actually interesting

@LEGEND_MARIOID Maybe from a Western perspective, it is interesting. But it means that younger people with better, more innovative ideas are prevented from implementing them, because the older generations that have the senior positions within the company and government hold all the reins of power and are perfectly fine with things staying the way they are, preferring to adhere to tradition and the current social hierarchies.

If anything, that's probably why their economy has yet to recover to pre-1990 levels, and why their population is rapidly declining: their society is so heavily geared towards being run by and benefiting older generations that it's leaving younger Japanese citizens behind.

If you ask me, the 2016 film Shin Godzilla is a great allegory for this problem: the government, mainly comprised of older, out-of-touch officials, finds itself ill-equipped to deal with the crisis at hand (that being Godzilla), relying on tradition and precedent (even though the crisis is unprecedented). Even trying to use conventional military methods proved ineffective.

It results in most of the senior officials in the government, including the Prime Minister and much of his Cabinet, being killed when Godzilla destroys most of Tokyo with his atomic breath. It falls down to the younger generations of government officials to organize a team of scientists who don't fit the mold of traditional Japanese society (as they said in the movie, "lone wolves, nerds, troublemakers, academic heretics, freaks, and general pains in the butt of the bureaucracy") to find a way to stop Godzilla in his tracks.

Thus, what I took away from the movie was that Japan's future lay not in its older generations and rigid adherence to tradition and social hierarchies, but with its youth, who may have newer, better ideas on how to do things; as well embracing a society where people are more equal, regardless of age, and it is merit that gets you ahead, not your age or seniority within the company or government.

One can only hope that Nintendo (currently the richest company in Japan, at least as of a few months ago) will lead the charge and help guide the country towards a future like that. But it might not be until the older generation retires and the younger, less senior employees move up into more senior roles themselves.

Will Miyamoto develop the Nintendo brain chip?

It'll definitely be a new chapter when Shiggy passes on the torch.
I'm both excited and apprehensive at the prospect. But there's no denying it'll happen someday soon.

If only politicians could be as concerned about their age.

hes just a youngster 8 years time he can run for prime minister of japan

"Rather unexpectedly, however, one question raised concerns regarding Shigeru Miyamoto's age and role at Nintendo, with the attendee noting their wish that creators 'take care of their bodies'."

(suggestion for this article (and any future article similar to this one): text of "his or her [or her or his]" instead of text of singular "their")