Gaming auteur Hideo Kojima thinks it’s great that young people are playing so many video games, but he’s also strongly suggested that everyone should dip their toes in other mediums in order to create new and original art.
During a panel at the New Global Sport Conference (via Rolling Stone), Kojima got into his own media habits and how they inspire his game development, saying he doesn’t play as many video games as you might expect and generally prefers movies, books, museums, and meeting people.
“I don’t play games so much. I watch movies, read books, meet people and go to museums, and I’m not copying anything from a game. And there are lot of game creators just watching other games,” Kojima said.
Kojima’s central thesis here seems to be that more game developers, particularly aspiring young ones, should branch outside of games and seek inspiration not just from other forms of media, but just general life experiences as well.
He used Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii and Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo as examples of legendary visionaries whose best work came about “because they haven’t just watched anime. They have seen European films and [they] wanted to put that in anime.”
Kojima added, “I think the young people are playing games a lot, and that’s good. But on top of that, I want people to feel art or see art and then digest it themselves and create new games.”
I definitely agree that creative expression is best when it’s informed by a variety of different mediums, and it also does seem like gamers in particular have a tendency to isolate themselves from other forms of media (barring anime, naturally), but that’s understandable when dozens of highly acclaimed games requiring dozens of hours of time to complete release every year. It just doesn’t leave much time for anything else.
Still, Kojima insisted, “We should think outside the box and be stimulated by things all around us, and that’s what creators are.
“Games take a lot of time, and I probably just play maybe one game a year. I play my games by checking, but I have to think outside the box, and what’s happening outside the game world is more important to me to incorporate into my game.”
I’m gonna be real with y’all, as someone whose work is catered toward people who play video games, it really sounds like this is Kojima telling us to touch grass. The intent is clearly benevolent, as he’s saying the result is better art, but if you’re someone whose free time consists almost solely of playing games, well, don’t shoot the messenger.
