How to Learn from the Legendary Game Designer Shigeru Miyamoto

When you think of smartphones, you might think of Steve Jobs. When you talk about martial arts novels, you probably think of Jin Yong. And if you have to pick one representative from the game developers, there is no doubt that this person is Shigeru Miyamoto.

He has contributed to the gaming industry more than Jobs did to smartphones, or Jin Yong did to martial arts. He is the creator of some of the most iconic and influential game franchises of all time, such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Pikmin.

But if you are new to single-player games, you might say: “Shigeru Miyamoto? I know him. He’s the guy who made Super Mario.”

Wrong. Very wrong.

Shigeru Miyamoto not only made Super Mario, but also Zelda and Pikmin. He also led the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is the highest-rated game in history according to Metacritic. He also mentored Eiji Aonuma and Koizumi Yoshiaki, who later made The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey respectively.

So Shigeru Miyamoto is not only a master of game design himself, but also a great teacher who nurtured a generation of game developers. He deserves to be called the god of games, and the god among gods.

But what makes Shigeru Miyamoto so special? What can we learn from his game design philosophy and techniques? How did he create such amazing games that are loved by millions of players around the world?

In this blog post, I will use the most familiar example of Super Mario Bros., the first level in particular, to help you understand how Shigeru Miyamoto designed his levels and why they are so brilliant.

Let’s get started.

The Opening Screen

As soon as you start the game, you will see a opening scene.

It looks pretty simple, right? But there is a lot of thought behind this screen:

• First of all, the opening screen is free of any danger, allowing the player to experiment with Mario’s basic controls and get a feel of what the game is about. This is very different from some modern games where the protagonist starts in a perilous situation, such as hanging from a train, fighting pirates on boats, or in bar fights. As awesome as these games are, there is something relaxing about starting the game simply and allowing players the freedom to mess around.
• Secondly, the screen positions Mario on the left with a lot of empty space on the right. These design choices create an affordance and subtly tell the player to move right. Affordance refers to the possibility of an action on an object or the environment. For example, a sidewalk presents the affordance of standing, walking, and running. The fact that Mario stays in the center of the screen for the rest of the game makes his opening position on the left even more noticeable.
• It should also be noted that video game budgets were not as big as they are now, and Shigeru Miyamoto had to be resourceful with his graphics. He used the same elements for both the bushes and the clouds to save memory.

Boxes and Goombas

As Mario moves forward, he encounters things that are both intriguing and intimidating.

Once again, there is much more going on beneath the surface.

• The first thing that catches your eye is the golden question mark box. It sparks your curiosity and makes you want to hit it. But how do you hit it? You have to jump. And how do you jump? You have to press A. This is how Shigeru Miyamoto teaches you one of the most important actions in the game without using any text or tutorial.
• The second thing that draws your attention is the Goomba, which is a brown mushroom-like creature with angry eyebrows. It looks dangerous and menacing, and it moves towards you. This is how Shigeru Miyamoto introduces you to one of the most common enemies in the game without using any text or tutorial.
• The question mark box and the Goomba together form a challenge for the player. A challenge is a short task, surrounded by periods of relative safety, which the player must complete all at once. Challenges are the source of gameplay and fun in games. Successful challenges reward players with satisfaction and progress.
• The design of this challenge is clever because it gives players multiple ways to deal with it. You can jump over or on top of the Goomba; you can hit or ignore the question mark box; you can even run into or away from the Goomba. Each choice has a different outcome and consequence. For example, if you jump on the Goomba, you will kill it and earn 100 points. If you hit the question mark box, you will get a coin or a power-up. If you run into the Goomba, you will die and lose a life. These are all valuable information that the player learns through trial and error.

The Red Mushroom

The next question mark box contains a red mushroom, which is one of the most iconic power-ups in the game. It makes Mario grow bigger and stronger, allowing him to break bricks and survive one hit from enemies.

But what if you don’t know that? What if you think the mushroom is an enemy and try to avoid it? Shigeru Miyamoto thought of that too.

• If you don’t hit the question mark box, that’s fine. You can still play the game without the mushroom. But you will miss out on some fun and benefits.
• If you hit the question mark box but don’t catch the mushroom, that’s fine too. The mushroom will bounce off the pipe and come back to you. It’s like Shigeru Miyamoto is saying: “Hey, trust me, this is good for you. Take it.”
• If you hit the question mark box but try to dodge the mushroom, that’s not so easy. The mushroom will follow you and try to touch you. It’s like Shigeru Miyamoto is saying: “Hey, don’t be afraid, this is not an enemy. Try it.”
• If you hit the question mark box and catch the mushroom, congratulations! You have just discovered one of the coolest features in the game. You will see Mario grow bigger and hear a satisfying sound effect. You will feel powerful and happy.

The Pit

The next challenge is a pit, which is a gap in the ground that leads to instant death if you fall into it. After the previous two challenges, you have learned how to jump and how to deal with enemies. Now it’s time to test your jumping skills and timing.

But jumping over a pit is not as easy as it sounds. You have to calculate the distance and speed of your jump, and avoid any obstacles in your way. This is one of the main difficulties in Super Mario games.

Shigeru Miyamoto knew that this challenge might be too hard for some players, so he designed some hidden features to help them.

• One of them is a hidden green mushroom, which gives you an extra life if you catch it. It’s hidden inside a brick above the pit, and it only appears if you hit it from below.
• The green mushroom serves two purposes: one is to break your jump and prevent you from jumping too early and falling into the pit; the other is to reward you for finding a secret and give you another chance if you fail.
• The green mushroom also hints at another feature of the game: hidden blocks. There are many hidden blocks in Super Mario games that contain coins or power-ups. Some of them are visible only when you hit them; some of them are invisible until you reveal them. They encourage players to explore every corner of the game world and find surprises.

The Rest of the Level

The rest of the level contains more challenges and secrets for players to discover. For example:

• The second question mark box contains a fire flower, which lets Mario shoot fireballs at enemies. If you are small Mario, it will give you a red mushroom instead.
• The brick under the second question mark box can be hit multiple times to get more coins. This teaches players that some bricks can be hit more than once, and also prevents players from breaking their way through.
• There is a hidden star in one of the bricks above the pit. The star makes Mario invincible for a short time, allowing him to run through enemies and obstacles without getting hurt.
• When Mario gets the star, the music changes to a more upbeat tune, and Mario changes colors rapidly. This tells players that something special has happened, and they should take advantage of it.
• There are two ways to finish the level: either by running through the flagpole at the end, or by jumping over it and entering a secret warp zone that lets players skip ahead to later worlds.

Conclusion

This is how Shigeru Miyamoto designed his levels: he used simple graphics and sounds to create immersive worlds; he used clever challenges and secrets to teach players how to play; he used multiple choices and outcomes to reward players for their actions; he used hidden features and surprises to delight players with their discoveries.

He did all this without using any text or tutorial; he let players learn by doing; he let players have fun by playing.

This is why Shigeru Miyamoto is considered one of the greatest game designers of all time; this is why Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influential games of all time; this is why we can learn so much from his game design philosophy and techniques.