<i>Economist</i> honors Miyamoto

UK game-industry news magazine MCV today is reporting that legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has added a new notch to his belt of accolades. The Nintendo boss and creator of such iconic figures as Donkey Kong, Zelda, and Mario was honored with the Innovation Award for Consumer Goods by the respected British world-affairs magazine The Economist last night.

"No one is more identified with modern video games than Shigeru Miyamoto," Econonmist business editor Tom Standage told MCV. "His pioneering vision and creativity truly created a new category of entertainment." Miyamoto was selected for the award by "an independent judging panel of industry experts."

Since it launched in November 2006, the Wii has been an ongoing success story. Last month The Financial Times reported that around 9 million units of the motion-sensing console have been sold worldwide as of the end of July. According to industry analyst firm the NPD Group, more than 4.5 million Wiis have been purchased in the US as of the end of September. Miyamoto himself has received several other awards this year, including a lifetime achievement award during the Game Developers Conference and a slot in Time's 100 Most Influential People of the Year.