[In Case You Didn't Know] The Developer of 'Super Mario' Doesn't Own a Cell Phone (Part 2)

Animation Movie 'Super Mario Brothers'
Mario's Success Since 1983's 'Donkey Kong'
Shigeru Miyamoto, Praised as the 'God of Games'
Pursuing an Analog Life While Working in the Gaming Industry

'If you look closely' delivers useful information in a somewhat disorganized manner. It is a tip for enjoying movies more interestingly.

* Following <'Nintendo's main product was Hwatu, the maker of 'Super Mario' (Part 1)'>

* Mario first appeared to the world through 'Donkey Kong,' released simultaneously with the Famicom in July 1983, which contributed to the console's distribution. It is an action game where you rescue a woman captured by Donkey Kong. Mario uses jumping and ladders to avoid obstacles. The setting is a construction site under development. Players conquer three stages with different compositions. It was praised for breaking the then-common repetitive stage flow and adding a story, which was innovative. It was the first jump action game and became a hit in Japan and the United States.

* 'Mario Brothers' was released in September 1983. It was the first action game featuring Mario and Luigi as protagonists. Players stun enemies by jumping on them from below and then kick them off the screen. Enemies include turtles, crabs, and flies, with the last one approaching quickly. Fireballs and coins first appeared in this game. It was the first two-player simultaneous play game on the Famicom, allowing cooperation or competition between players.

* Released in 1985, 'Super Mario Brothers' entered the Guinness World Records as the best-selling game worldwide. It is a masterpiece that solidified the Famicom's popularity. Players control Mario and Luigi to explore aboveground, underground, and underwater stages to rescue Princess Peach, who was kidnapped. Users admired the unique characters, rich actions, and impressive BGM. It sold 6.81 million copies as a single software in Japan, the highest ever.

* Among the Mario series, the most popular 'Super Mario Brothers 3' was released in October 1988. Stages and actions evolved significantly compared to its predecessor. Diverse stages such as deserts, ice, and giant kingdoms were added, and players could choose the course they wanted on the map. Players transform into forms like raccoon and frog (Mario) to conquer eight stages.

* Starting with 'Dr. Mario' in July 1990, Mario appeared in various game genres. 'Dr. Mario' is a falling puzzle game starring Mario as a doctor. Players use capsules to eliminate viruses breeding inside bottles. Matching four or more capsules of the same color in a row removes viruses. Released in September 1991, 'Mario Open Golf' consists of stroke play competing over 18 holes and match play competing hole by hole. Players can play five courses worldwide and use Mario and Luigi in two-player mode.

* 'Super Mario Brothers 2,' released in June 1986 for the Family Computer Disk System, is a minor change version of the first Mario series. Mario and Luigi have different abilities, and new elements like poison mushrooms and gusts were added. Utilizing the save function, players could record clear counts and high scores, and it became famous for hidden stages World 9 and Special World. It is considered the most difficult in the series. Many players gave up at World 4.

* Yoshi debuted in 1990 with 'Super Mario World,' the fourth Mario series game released simultaneously with the Super Famicom. Mario gained new actions such as spin jump and a cape that allows flying for a limited time. The world map includes seven regions and a hidden course called Star Road. The final battle against Bowser featured effects utilizing the Super Famicom's scaling and zooming functions, shocking gamers. It was a huge hit, selling 3.55 million copies in Japan.

* 'Super Mario Kart' was released in August 1992. It is a racing game featuring Mario series characters. The appeal lies in using items to hinder opponents during races. Skillful use allows beginners to make comebacks. Players can perform big jumps with feather items or find shortcuts at desired locations. Four modes, including two-player battles, are available. It recorded the highest sales for Super Famicom software in Japan with 3.82 million copies sold.

* Nintendo operated the franchise chain 'Nintendo Entertainment Shop' from 1991. Affiliated retailers installed dedicated corners and distributed demos ten days before game releases. The main purpose was to prevent bundled sales and dumping rather than game promotion. At its peak, 2,200 retail stores in Japan were affiliated.

* 'Super Mario 64' was released in December 1996 simultaneously with the Nintendo 64 (Comboi 64). It was the first 3D polygon game in the Mario series. Players enjoy 3D action using the controller and freely roam 3D spaces. The goal is to control Mario to jump into paintings and collect Power Stars in sandbox-style stages. It is highly acclaimed as a textbook example of 3D action and recorded the highest sales among Nintendo 64 games (1.92 million in Japan, 11.91 million worldwide). The second best-selling game is 'Mario Kart 64,' with 2.24 million copies in Japan and 9.87 million worldwide.

* 'New Super Mario Brothers' was released in May 2006 as Nintendo DS software. It is a side-scrolling action game with simple controls and enhanced fun. It proceeds in 2D but features 3D graphics and characters. It follows Mario's basic actions with added moves like butt stomping and wall kicking. Transformations into Giant Mario and Mini Mario were also added. There are eight worlds with ten courses, and to go from World 4 to World 7, players must pass through a hidden passage. Besides two-player battles with Mario and Luigi, mini-games using the touch pen are included. It recorded the highest sales among DS software in Japan with 6.4 million copies sold.

* Shigeru Miyamoto married Yasuko, who worked as a general manager at Nintendo, after dating within the company. They set up their newlywed home near Nintendo headquarters and commuted by walking or cycling. His family is the source of his creativity. While early hits like 'Super Mario' and 'The Legend of Zelda' were inspired by childhood memories of playing in mountains and fields, later hits like 'Pikmin' and 'Nintendogs' drew ideas from his family. As his children grew, Miyamoto created a garden in the yard to raise them in a more nature-friendly environment. Every Sunday, he acted as a carpenter to make the yard a beautiful garden. He wanted to turn these joyful memories of making the garden with his children into a game, which developed into 'Pikmin,' selling over one million copies. After his children grew up, they started raising a dog together. They hired a professional trainer, which also became a fun family memory. He developed 'Nintendogs' to share the joy of raising dogs with others, which sold 8.4 million copies.

* Miyamoto asserts that people without ideas tend to make games in the easiest way, stimulating human primitive instincts. In fact, he does not allow players to commit violence against human characters in his games without reason. Players only fight villainous monsters.

* The North American game market faced a crisis from 1983 to 1985 known as the Atari Shock. It was a situation where sales competition in the video game industry overheated, drastically reducing profitability. Video games seemed to have reached their end in the U.S. People stopped playing games. Around that time, the U.S. government adopted computers into the regular school curriculum. Interest shifted from games to computers, further neglecting video games. Parents viewed game consoles negatively and kept them away. When Miyamoto entered the U.S. market in 1985 with the Famicom and 'Donkey Kong,' local media mocked the small Japanese company across the Pacific for not understanding the U.S. market. However, the Famicom sold 62 million units, and the 'Super Mario' and 'The Legend of Zelda' series became huge hits. Today, Miyamoto is recognized on par with Walt Disney in animation, Steven Spielberg in film, and The Beatles in music. He is even credited with virtually creating the video game market anew.

* 'Super Mario' is the world's first side-scrolling action game, and 'The Legend of Zelda' is the first action role-playing video game.

* Miyamoto's debut work 'Donkey Kong' spawned multiple series and has sold 43 million copies to date. The 'Super Mario' series has sold a record 285 million copies in video game history, and 'The Legend of Zelda' series has sold 52 million copies.

* Yoshiki Okamoto, who developed 'Street Fighter 2,' praised Miyamoto as the 'God of Games.' Hideo Kojima, famous for 'Metal Gear Solid,' described him as "a person above the clouds." Yuji Naka, the father of 'Sonic,' highly praised him as "someone impossible to surpass in games," and Hiroshi Sakaguchi of 'Final Fantasy' and Yu Suzuki of 'Virtua Fighter' named him as the person they respect most. This admiration is not limited to Japan. Peter Molyneux of 'Black & White' and Will Wright of 'The Sims' both pointed to Miyamoto as their favorite game planner. Programmers of 'Doom' and 'Unreal,' who dominate the 3D engine market, also entered the game industry after encountering 'Super Mario.' John Carmack, who developed 'Doom,' became famous for 'Commander Keen,' which copied 'Super Mario,' and Tim Sweeney, who programmed 'Unreal,' similarly created 'Jazz Jackrabbit.' Carmack revealed that the idea of items appearing when breaking boxes in 'Doom' came from 'Super Mario' and said, "Without Miyamoto, there would be no 'Doom'." Bill Roper, a game creator famous for 'StarCraft' and 'Diablo,' stated, "Miyamoto made games, but it is fair to say he created the world."

* When thinking of 'people who play games,' the image that comes to mind is often someone isolated in a dark room, staring at the screen with a gloomy face and dull eyes. Miyamoto developed the Nintendo Wii to change this negative image. It is an experiential machine that becomes more fun when played with others and improves physical fitness by moving the body. If the Nintendo DS trains the brain through games, the Nintendo Wii's approach is to train the body.

* Although working in the game industry competing with cutting-edge digital technology, Miyamoto pursues an analog lifestyle. He believes that just as game designers lose creative ideas by focusing too much on technology, relying too much on technology in daily life can cause one to miss other precious parts of life. This is evident in his preference for Kyoto, a somewhat quiet city, rather than Tokyo, Japan's capital. Originally, Nintendo planned to move to Tokyo for business but decided to stay in Kyoto. Miyamoto, a native born in the rural town of Sonobe, confesses that this was a very fortunate moment. He visits Sonobe once a month by bicycle to experience the fragrance of nature, and big cities did not suit him. Regarding this, 'Planning and Scenario that Determine the Fate of Games' states: "Seeing him still without a mobile phone reveals his effort to balance digital technology and an analog life. His claim that advanced and outdated technologies should coexist when using technology makes us reconsider balance and harmony in life."

Reference materials: 'Secrets of Nintendo (2009)' by David Sheff, translated by Kim Sung-gyun and Kwon Hee-jung, published by Ire Media; 'Nintendo Story (2009)' by Kim Young-han, published by Korea Economic Daily; 'Mario Born in 1981 (2017)' edited by Humanities Cooperative, published by Yoda; 'Console Wars (2017)' by Blake J. Harris, translated by Lee Mi-ryeong, published by Gilbut; 'How Nintendo Conquered the World (2015)' by Jeff Ryan, translated by Park Ki-sung, published by Acorn; 'Planning and Scenario that Determine the Fate of Games (2018)' by Kim Jung-nam and Kim Jung-hyun, published by eBiz Books; 'Nintendo Complete Guide: Computer Game Edition (2021)' by Yamazaki Isao, translated by Jung Woo-yeol, published by Laeui Nun, etc.