Miyamoto: Games should belong to the entire family

In an interview with Business Week, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto discusses a variety of topics, from the changing face of games to the rationale behind the Revolution's controller. Much of the article will sound familiar to those who have closely followed Miyamoto's career, but the article provides some lesser-known facts, as well as a cross section of popular topics past and present.

Perhaps most interesting was the designer's vision for the future of games.

"It's convenient to make games that are played on TVs," Miyamoto is quoted as saying. "But I always wanted to have a custom-sized screen that wasn't the typical four-cornered cathode-ray-tube TV. I've always thought that games would eventually break free of the confines of a TV screen to fill an entire room. But I would rather not say anything more about that."

Addressing a future far less distant, Miyamoto discussed the thinking behind the Nintendo Revolution's controller.

"Most people think video games are all about a child staring at a TV with a joystick in his hands," Miyamoto said. "I don't. They should belong to the entire family. I want families to play video games together. That was the concept behind the Revolution. I also redesigned the Revolution's controller to look more like a regular TV remote, so anyone who saw it would know instantly how to use it, and so they wouldn't think they had to always stash it away."

As for his current favorite game, Miyamoto doesn't have one. As a matter of fact, he says he doesn't even play games anymore.

"The only time I play is maybe the 20 minutes I spend testing rivals' new machines," Miyamoto is quoted as saying. "I don't play video games in my free time. On the weekends, I fix things around the house, garden, or play the guitar. Or I'll exercise, go swimming, take the dog for a walk, or go for a hike."

For more on Miyamoto's approach to game design, where he gets his ideas, and the supposed convergence of games and movies, check out the full interview.