Miyamoto Talks Mario's Past, The Future of Gaming

This just cross GoNintendo's feed and I thought I'd pass it along to you as well as comment on what I saw.   This comes from a Popular Mechanics interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. 
----------------------------------------------------
PM: When was it decided that he was a plumber?

SM: When we first created Donkey Kong, I kind of looked at him as your average, everyday foolish guy. The setting of that game was a construction site, so I kind of matched him with the setting of the game, and decided in that game that he was a carpenter. And then when we made the original Mario Bros. game, that was the first game that had pipes in it, and the enemies would come out of the pipes into this dark area and Mario would try to hit them and knock them out. Looking at the setting of that game, it had the feeling of an underground New York sewer system. And so with the pipes and the idea of it being an underground New York sewer system, I thought what kind of guy would be there working on the pipes? A plumber! So rather than saying Mario was a plumber, really it was a matter of what’s his role in the game and what’s the setting of the game and kind of occupation would put him in the setting to be doing what he’s doing.

PM: This is a broad question, but where do you see the future of video games?

SM: I think originally video-game systems were viewed as a toy, and they were something you played with. Whereas now I think we’re starting to see a blurring of the lines, where, obviously, the internal guts of a video-game system is essentially a computer, and we’re gradually seeing video games moving beyond simply entertainment into other aspects of everyday life. And I think what video games benefit from is an intuitive interface that’s easy to understand, where the controller is a little bit more familiar and easier to use than the interface of a typical computer. As time goes on, I think we’re going to see how the system of the video-game console and this interactive interface is going to gradually bleed in to other elements of, say, home electronics and daily life. For example, in Japan the Wii itself has a TV guide channel that Wii owners can download to their Wii. And for a lot of people in Japan who own a Wii, that TV guide channel is a lot more convenient and easier to use than a typical TV guide service.

PM: The Wii uses a motion-sensing controller. Going forward, as Nintendo releases future consoles, do you view the motion-sensing controller as an integral part of the experience that’s going to stay with Nintendo indefinitely?

SM: With both the Wii remote itself and Wii Motion Plus, what we’ve been able to do is introduce an interface that is both I think appealing and at the right price for a broad audience. And while we don’t have any concrete plans for what we’ll be doing with hardware in the future, what I can say is that, my guess is that because we found this interface to be so interesting, I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.

PM: What’s your dream type of game that takes advantage of the Wii-mote?

SM: Right now I’m focusing on creating the next Zelda game.

--------------------------------------------------------

While I do find the parts about Mario's past interesting, that really is news that has been around for a long time.  I do like the parts where he is discussing gaming's future and the fact that he thinks motion controls are here to stay.  I have been very favorable of Nintendo's approach to this console generation and have taken to the Wii Remote.  I really like the look, feel and interactivity I get with the Wii Remote and every month a new game comes out that really shows the developers are starting to understand the controller.  It's not about throwing motion control in for the sake of having it.  It's about using the motion and the pointer to enhace game play where it's needed.  Games like Tiger Woods, Wii Sports Resort, Dead Space Extracion and Max and the Magic Marker show you exactly what you need to do with the Wii Remote.  Don't use motion for everything, and allow people options in their controls.

You know there is something to the motion control movement or Microsoft and Sony would not be throwing their hat into the mix as well.  They see the value of those systems, even if you're not completely getting rid of a controller.  It is Nintendo, yet again, that is at the front of gaming innovation, much like it has been in the past.

The other bit right there at the end where Mr. Miyamoto flat out states all his focus is on the next Zelda title.  That is probably my number one franchise in the gaming aside from the traditional side scrolling Mario games.  Everything stops for me for a bit when a new Zelda game is released and those games last me a very long time.  I explore those worlds until there's nothing left to find.  I'm really hoping information for that title will start trickling out, just so we get even more confirmation that it's on the way. 

Right now though, my sights are on a bloy and his blob and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.