Shigeru Miyamoto ranks 20th in CNN’s 50 Who Matter Now list

With his Nintendo Wii and DS consoles conquering millions of homes like welcome alien invaders, Shigeru Miyamoto certainly is making enough monetary impact for him to land in CNN Money’s shortlist of 50 People Who Matter Now.

Miyamoto managed to grab the 20th spot (possibly even higher, if us gamers were to be asked). Who hasn’t heard of Donkey Kong? Zelda? Surely even your grandmother could recognize the trademark red cap and moustache that Mario sports in each and every game that he stars in. Nintendo is now beyond being a household name; it has evolved into a culture in its own right.

And the reasons that Miyamoto matters right now are his cleverly-marketed new consoles: the DS and the Wii. While the Nintendo DS innovated gaming with its use of stylus controls and dual screens, the Nintendo Wii has given new meaning to console gaming by injecting more physical involvement into Wii games, with its Wiimote controls. Marketing the Wii to an until-recently untapped older demographic, the Nintendo is still going strong in its quest to dominate the US$ 30 billion dollar industry, despite of naysayers.

With his Nintendo Wii and DS consoles conquering millions of homes like welcome alien invaders, Shigeru Miyamoto certainly is making enough monetary impact for him to land in CNN Money’s shortlist of 50 People Who Matter Now.

Miyamoto managed to grab the 20th spot (possibly even higher, if us gamers were to be asked). Who hasn’t heard of Donkey Kong? Zelda? Surely even your grandmother could recognize the trademark red cap and moustache that Mario sports in each and every game that he stars in. Nintendo is now beyond being a household name; it has evolved into a culture in its own right.

And the reasons that Miyamoto matters right now are his cleverly-marketed new consoles: the DS and the Wii. While the Nintendo DS innovated gaming with its use of stylus controls and dual screens, the Nintendo Wii has given new meaning to console gaming by injecting more physical involvement into Wii games, with its Wiimote controls. Marketing the Wii to an until-recently untapped older demographic, the Nintendo is still going strong in its quest to dominate the US$ 30 billion dollar industry, despite of naysayers.