Shigeru Miyamoto will receive the Order of Culture on Nov. 3, IGN reports, the first time Japan has given its top cultural honour to a game developer.
Shigeru Miyamoto says he feels "incredibly awkward but truly honored." That's the sentence he gave the press on Oct. 23, after Japan announced that he will receive the Order of Culture, the country's highest award for cultural merit. According to IGN, he is the first video game developer ever to get it.
The 73-year-old is Nintendo's Executive Fellow and Representative Director. The Emperor of Japan will present the award to Miyamoto and seven other recipients on Nov. 3, which is Culture Day, a national holiday. IGN says that's the same arrangement as in previous years.
Why this one is a big deal
The Order of Culture covers a wide field, from the sciences to literature and the arts. IGN lists film director Akira Kurosawa, fashion designer Issey Miyake and Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube among earlier recipients. Games have been part of Japanese culture for decades, but this is the first time the honour has gone to someone who builds them.
Miyamoto joined Nintendo in 1977. He is best known for the Mario series, whose hero first showed up in 1981's Donkey Kong, and IGN notes he also had key roles in The Legend of Zelda and Star Fox.
What he said about it
His reaction wasn't a victory lap. "As I often point out, I don't create games on my own," he said, per IGN. "This award is the result of working together with a great number of people, so I will accept it on their behalf."
He also pointed to how far his work has travelled beyond consoles, citing Super Nintendo World attractions at Universal Studios and films such as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. "I'd like to share the joy of this award with everyone," he added.
And he looked back at the start of his career: "50 years ago, I became involved in video games, a medium whose form was still very undefined." He said that being there at the dawn of the industry is precisely why he is being honoured, and that he has been "incredibly lucky in life."
Our take
This part is opinion. Awards for games usually come from the games industry itself, so a state honour handed over by the Emperor feels different. It treats the medium the way Japan treats cinema and literature. Miyamoto's refusal to take sole credit is also very on brand, and it's a fair reminder that most of the games he's linked to were built by large teams.
Picture credit: Portrait: MEXT Japan (CC BY 4.0). Design: Savvy VibeZ
