Hideo Kojima has rightly cemented himself as a legend in the games industry, having created iconic titles such as Metal Gear Solid, P.T., and Death Stranding. Although it probably shouldn't come as a surprise, however, Kojima cites Super Mario Bros. as the reason he started making games in the first place.
In a new interview with WIRED in which Kojima answers questions submitted online, he's asked which game he has played the most. His immediate answer was Super Mario Bros., claiming to have played it for "a year" when he was a college student. He states that "without Super Mario, I probably wouldn't be in this industry".
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Although he alludes to its simplicity (it was, after all, a launch title for the NES), he says that it pushed him to believe in the potential of games, claiming that "this medium would one day surpass movies".
Here's the full quote from Kojima:
"Super Mario Bros., definitely. Played it for a year. I was a college student. I skipped school to play at home. Without Super Mario, I probably wouldn't be in this industry... Yeah... I can't really play it now, though.
"It's a side-scrolling action game. Mario just goes left to right. Basically just jumping. But there's a dash button. Using that and jump subtly changes the jump trajectory to attack or dodge. It has almost no story, but it felt like you were on an adventure. When I saw that, although it was pixel art with no story, I felt this medium would one day surpass movies."
Kojima has recently released Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and is currently working on OD and Physint (working title). The original Death Stranding, initially a console exclusive for the PS5, has since been released on everything from the Xbox to the Amazon Luna, leading many to speculate that it might eventually wind up on the Switch 2.