Shigeru Miyamoto has collected just about every honor the games industry can give. Now he has one no game developer has ever received. Japan’s government on Friday, October 23 (Thursday evening in the US) named the Nintendo veteran among this year’s recipients of the Order of Culture, the country’s highest cultural award.
According to Jiji Press, Miyamoto, 73, is the first person from the video game industry ever chosen. He is one of eight people honored this year, and the Yomiuri Shimbun reports that his field, listed as media arts (games), is a first for the award. The other recipients include architect Toyo Ito and chemist Kenso Soai, who was named one of this year’s Nobel laureates in chemistry.
Miyamoto currently serves as a representative director and fellow at Nintendo. He is best known as the creator of Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, series that helped define home gaming for generations of players.
“Games aren’t something you make alone”
Speaking to reporters in Kyoto, Miyamoto said he was a little embarrassed by the honor. As quoted by Nintendo Life from Japanese outlet Denfaminico Gamer, he said, “Games aren’t something you make alone; they’re the result of working together with many people. I accept this award with the feeling that it represents that.”
He also seemed happy that the award treats games as part of Japanese culture, adding that he hopes “to continue creating things that are always at the heart of the living room.” Jiji reports that he called the recognition a true honor after about 50 years of making games.
When it happens
The medals will be presented at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 3, Japan’s Culture Day. The Order of Culture has been awarded since the 1930s to people who have made major contributions to art, literature, science and technology.
The news comes during a busy stretch for Nintendo, which recently said it underestimated demand for its Zelda Switch 2 bundle and promised restocks. For Miyamoto, though, this is the kind of recognition that goes beyond sales charts. It puts a game designer alongside Japan’s most celebrated artists and scientists for the first time.
