Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow at Nintendo who brought Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda to life, has become the first game developer ever to receive Japan's Order of Culture.

On October 22nd, Nintendo Representative Director and Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto was selected as a recipient of Japan's Order of Culture. The Order of Culture is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of Japanese culture in arts, academia, science, and technology. Established in 1973, it is regarded as one of Japan's most prestigious honors. Winners are announced every autumn, and Miyamoto is the first from the gaming industry to make the list.

Representative Director and Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto has been developing games at Nintendo for a long time. Starting with Donkey Kong in 1981, Miyamoto introduced signature Nintendo franchises such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Miyamoto also oversaw the development of Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and the Pikmin series, while heavily participating in the Super Mario movie franchise. Prior to receiving Japan's Order of Culture, Miyamoto was awarded France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) in 2006 and a BAFTA Academy Fellowship in 2010, among others.

During a press conference held at Nintendo on the 22nd, Miyamoto discussed personal journeys, game creation, and philosophy. From the era of playing Nintendo home board games to having game consoles placed in living rooms, Miyamoto noted that the environment for enjoying games has changed drastically, spanning three generations from children to fathers and grandfathers. In response, Miyamoto added that the approach has always been to continuously create things that would interest even non-gamers.

The most important aspect considered throughout has been that gaming users are always using their minds, communicating by providing individual answers to the question of 'what happens if I do this next?' To young developers as well, Miyamoto suggested that rather than improving things based on existing templates, giving one's all to materialize the thought of 'wouldn't it be immensely fun to try something like this?' is far more enjoyable.

Regarding generative AI, Miyamoto stated that things consisting solely of copies will not survive for long and that ultimately, the human intention of what to create is what matters. Therefore, even if AI can do everything, Miyamoto believes there is still plenty left for humans to do.