Shigeru Miyamoto, bras levé, aux côtés de la mascotte Mario

Shigeru Miyamoto: the creator of Mario

1583 words | Reading time : 7 minute(s)

CharacterShigeru MiyamotoNintendo

He joined Nintendo in 1977 as a plain staff artist, for lack of a designer position. Born on 16 November 1952 in Sonobe near Kyoto and trained as an industrial designer, Shigeru Miyamoto became Nintendo's first in-house artist. This profile traces his roots, the Donkey Kong turning point, the building of the Mario and Zelda universes and his philosophy of fun above all else.

Behind every Mario jump, every green Warp Pipe and every Question Block stands one man: Shigeru Miyamoto. Born in 1952 in the Japanese countryside, this industrial design graduate joined Nintendo in 1977 as a plain staff artist, before becoming the most influential game designer in history. We owe him Mario, but also Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Pikmin.

More than a portrait, this article retraces the career and the design philosophy of the man who turned video games into a universal pleasure. From his childhood memories in the hills of Sonobe to his current role in cinema and theme parks, meet the creative mind behind the whole Mario universe.

Contents

From Sonobe to industrial design: the roots of a creator

Shigeru Miyamoto was born on 16 November 1952 in Sonobe, a rural town in Kyoto Prefecture, surrounded by forests, rivers and hills. As a child he explored the nearby woods with no toys and no screens: those expeditions, above all the discovery of a cave he ended up venturing into with a lantern, left a lasting mark on his imagination. That taste for adventure and discovery would later become the very heart of the series The Legend of Zelda.

A fan of drawing, manga and tinkering, he studied industrial design at the Kanazawa Municipal College of Industrial Arts, graduating in the early 1970s. That training, focused on function and ergonomics rather than pure art, would shape his vision: he would always design his games as products designed for the user, and not as abstract works of art.

1977: joining Nintendo and the Donkey Kong spark

In 1977, Miyamoto's father got him an interview with Hiroshi Yamauchi, then president of Nintendo. Won over by his toy ideas, Yamauchi hired him: Miyamoto became the first in-house artist the company ever had, at a time when it was still known above all for its playing cards and its toys.

His big turning point came in 1981. Nintendo was buried under thousands of unsold arcade cabinets of the game Radar Scope, a flop on the American market. Yamauchi handed Miyamoto, a novice until then, the job of creating a new game to fit into those cabinets. The result was Donkey Kong: a mustachioed carpenter named "Jumpman" has to climb scaffolding while dodging the barrels thrown by a gorilla. That hero would become Mario. The game saved Nintendo in the United States and launched its designer's career.

An architect of worlds: Mario, Zelda and much more

After Donkey Kong, Miyamoto turned out one landmark creation after another. In 1985 came Super Mario Bros. on the NES, which cemented the platformer and turned Mario into a global icon. As early as 1986, he gave birth to The Legend of Zelda, directly inspired by his childhood explorations: a vast open world to roam freely.

His creative signature reaches far beyond the Mushroom Kingdom:

  • Star Fox (1993): the 3D space rail shooter;
  • F-Zero (1990): high-speed futuristic racing;
  • Pikmin (2001): strategy, born of his passion for gardening.

As a producer, he also oversees the Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario series. All told, more than a billion copies of games from his franchises have been sold worldwide.

Sketch of Mario in his cat suit, hand-drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto
Forty years on, the creator still sketches his characters in pencil.

His philosophy: "fun above all else"

Miyamoto's founding principle comes down to a single idea: designing games anyone can enjoy, whatever their age, gender or experience. For him, gameplay, the feel of playing, always comes before graphics, story or technical prowess. A famous maxim is attributed to him: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is bad forever."

True to his industrial design training, he tests his games in real-life conditions rather than in marketing focus groups. The late president Satoru Iwata used to tell how Miyamoto would hand a controller to someone who knew nothing about the game, then watch them in silence, over their shoulder, to spot every hesitation. He readily compares his creations to a "miniature garden" the player explores as they please.

Shigeru Miyamoto on stage at the Game Developers Conference 2007, microphone in hand
On stage, Miyamoto has never stopped explaining his method: the fun of playing comes first.

Nintendo's wise man: from creator to mentor and film producer

General manager of the Nintendo EAD studio from 1984 to 2015, then a leading figure at the EPD studio, Miyamoto is also an executive: he has been a Nintendo representative (Representative Director) since 2002. In 2015, he took the title of Creative Fellow, an advisory role that moves him away from day-to-day development so he can devote himself to new horizons.

Today, Miyamoto watches over the expansion of the Nintendo universe: he oversaw the Super Nintendo World areas with Universal, and produces the Mario films. After the worldwide success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), he is now shepherding The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, due in 2026. Even off the front lines, he plays the first 30 minutes of every new Mario game to check that it "really feels like Mario".

Star engraved with Shigeru Miyamoto's name on the Walk of Game sidewalk
His own star on the Walk of Game: recognition of an entire career.

Shigeru Miyamoto at a glance

Full name Shigeru Miyamoto (宮本 茂)
Born 16 November 1952, Sonobe (Kyoto, Japan)
Education Industrial design, Kanazawa College of Art
Joined Nintendo 1977, as its first in-house artist
First major game Donkey Kong (1981), creator of Mario
Franchises created Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pikmin
Current role Creative Fellow and Nintendo representative

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FAQ

  • Who is Shigeru Miyamoto?
    Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, director and producer born on 16 November 1952. A Nintendo employee since 1977, he is the creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Pikmin, which makes him one of the most influential figures in the history of video games.
  • Did Miyamoto really create Mario?
    Yes. Mario first appeared in 1981 in Donkey Kong, an arcade game designed and directed by Miyamoto. The hero, first called "Jumpman", jumps over barrels to rescue a captive. Miyamoto then directed Super Mario Bros. in 1985, which turned the plumber into a global icon.
  • What other famous games did he create?
    Beyond Mario, Miyamoto created The Legend of Zelda (1986), Star Fox (1993), F-Zero (1990) and Pikmin (2001). He has also produced major series such as Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario. More than a billion games from his franchises have been sold.
  • What is his game design philosophy?
    Trained in industrial design, Miyamoto conceives his games as products built for the player. His golden rule: the fun of playing comes before graphics or story, and a game should be enjoyable for everyone, whatever their age or experience.
  • What does Miyamoto do at Nintendo today?
    Since 2015 he has held the position of Creative Fellow, an advisory role. He oversees Nintendo's extended universe: the Super Nintendo World parks with Universal and the Mario films, including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie due in 2026. He still plays every new Mario game to test it.

Beyond the consoles

Films, series, music, theme parks and records: our guide follows Mario everywhere he has stepped outside the games.

🎬 Mario in film and culture →
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