Miyamoto on why Wii Fit fits, Mario Galaxy’s 2-player mode, and backseat driving

As Albus Dumbledore is to Hogwarts is Shigeru Miyamoto to Nintendo [expect more Harry Potter fanboyisms from QJ now that the last book’s out. -Ed]. He’s got a lot on his mind and has enough influence on the gaming industry as do most who hold an Order of Merlin (First Class) for Grand Sorcery on the wizarding community [see, I told ya! -Ed].

Chris Kohler is one of the lucky few who was able to interview Miyamoto during last week’s E3. And as the transcript of their sit-down has been published over the Game|Life blog network, we now see what kind of spells Miyamoto is weaving to enchant many a gamer far and wide.

One of the interesting things they touched on was Miyamoto’s take on Wii Fit. With the introduction of the Wii Balance Board (which we now learn is already being manufactured), Wii Fit has captivated quite a lot of developers and publishers to follow a different direction – a fresh, new direction – in game development. We are then taken, once again, back to the core concept of the Wii being used by the whole family, each one taking turns enjoying the system.

So the idea is that the Wii would be a device that you would not necessarily have to sit and play for hours on end, but that you could play for just a little bit of time every day. // And that’s kind of in line with the ideas behind Wii Fit, and Wii Fit fits very naturally into that concept. […] it’s something you could play for just three minutes every day or go in for a workout and do one hour every day. So in that sense it’s really more about the interesting ways in which we’re using this video game system to try to provide new experiences that everyone can enjoy.

On a related note, they also talked about how “sharing experiences” factored into the inclusion of the two-player mode in Super Mario Galaxy. With the Wii’s concept of having people with you while you play, it’d be natural for there to be outcries of “Go there! Go there!” or “Flick the switch – no, not that switch! – That switch!” (what I would could a “backseat gamer” in the same sense that I’d call my mom a backseat driver, but moving on).

With backseat gamers not being able to interact with a game, the incorporation of a two-player mode in Super Mario Galaxy was made. “The Wii remote and the pointer we would be able to make it more interactive for the people sitting on the couch next to you, who could guide you along the way pointing at different objects,” reasons Miyamoto.

This interview is a Gringotts bank full of treasures. We’ve only capped the tip of the iceberg. They also touched on the Wii Zapper, Mario Kart, WiiWare, Wii Music, and all things wizardly. Point your wands over to the Read link for the full deal.

Image by James Porto for Time.

As Albus Dumbledore is to Hogwarts is Shigeru Miyamoto to Nintendo [expect more Harry Potter fanboyisms from QJ now that the last book’s out. -Ed]. He’s got a lot on his mind and has enough influence on the gaming industry as do most who hold an Order of Merlin (First Class) for Grand Sorcery on the wizarding community [see, I told ya! -Ed].

Chris Kohler is one of the lucky few who was able to interview Miyamoto during last week’s E3. And as the transcript of their sit-down has been published over the Game|Life blog network, we now see what kind of spells Miyamoto is weaving to enchant many a gamer far and wide.

One of the interesting things they touched on was Miyamoto’s take on Wii Fit. With the introduction of the Wii Balance Board (which we now learn is already being manufactured), Wii Fit has captivated quite a lot of developers and publishers to follow a different direction – a fresh, new direction – in game development. We are then taken, once again, back to the core concept of the Wii being used by the whole family, each one taking turns enjoying the system.

So the idea is that the Wii would be a device that you would not necessarily have to sit and play for hours on end, but that you could play for just a little bit of time every day. // And that’s kind of in line with the ideas behind Wii Fit, and Wii Fit fits very naturally into that concept. […] it’s something you could play for just three minutes every day or go in for a workout and do one hour every day. So in that sense it’s really more about the interesting ways in which we’re using this video game system to try to provide new experiences that everyone can enjoy.

On a related note, they also talked about how “sharing experiences” factored into the inclusion of the two-player mode in Super Mario Galaxy. With the Wii’s concept of having people with you while you play, it’d be natural for there to be outcries of “Go there! Go there!” or “Flick the switch – no, not that switch! – That switch!” (what I would could a “backseat gamer” in the same sense that I’d call my mom a backseat driver, but moving on).

With backseat gamers not being able to interact with a game, the incorporation of a two-player mode in Super Mario Galaxy was made. “The Wii remote and the pointer we would be able to make it more interactive for the people sitting on the couch next to you, who could guide you along the way pointing at different objects,” reasons Miyamoto.

This interview is a Gringotts bank full of treasures. We’ve only capped the tip of the iceberg. They also touched on the Wii Zapper, Mario Kart, WiiWare, Wii Music, and all things wizardly. Point your wands over to the Read link for the full deal.

Image by James Porto for Time.