Nintendo’s method of making games [video]

I just love Game Maker&#x27;s Toolkit, if you haven&#x27;t watched it and love videogames, you should.<p>Even if you don&#x27;t like videogames, but you are creating experiences for other people, you should understand what&#x27;s behind a videogame.

Call me a fan boy or whatever. I was not able to pin point the reason I found Nintendo games more than any other developer, (the only other game that got me hooked like Mario did was God of War but that too had it&#x27;s nuances but I was hooked). This video really brings out a lot of things that explains me why I ended up liking something stupid like Kirby more than Gears of War or Assassins Creed.

When I interviewed Shigeru Miyamoto, he stressed his emphasis on gameplay, to provide the environments for the player to be creative. He added that story, background, etc. came afterwards to justify the gameplay.<p>&quot;Inside the Mind of “Mario” Creator Shigeru Miyamoto&quot; <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;rickyreports.com&#x2F;archives&#x2F;miyamotoshigeru&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;rickyreports.com&#x2F;archives&#x2F;miyamotoshigeru&#x2F;</a>

I think the key here is<p><i>Form follows function</i><p>Many gamedevs don&#x27;t get this. The underlying mechanics form the core gameplay. You can always make the story, looks and characters fit, but if your game mechanics are boring and broken, only major rework or starting over helps. In fact, the form being restricted by function may even be beneficial for the creative process and make the form more original.

Here&#x27;s another video that focuses on the mechanical side of a Donkey Kong Country level: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=d5wIIwBL784" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=d5wIIwBL784</a><p>It combines well with this video because it answers the question in detail of &#x27;What do you do&#x27; and &#x27;How do you communicate it&#x27;, once you have your character&#x27;s actions and mechanics nailed down.

My favorite example of this sort of game mechanic innovation outside of Nintendo itself is Katamari Damacy. Maybe even outdoes Nintendo.

There are tons of things to learn here for application developers of all sorts. I&#x27;ve found that working out the interaction model before polishing up the visuals usually results in a much better thought out and more usable application.<p>Too many designs start with how it looks and now how it works, but Nintendo&#x27;s genius is to pick one interaction model, teach the user that model, and then just run with it.

Anyone else got goose bumps? Not a fan boy but those are genius things that only come out of love and desire.

If anyone is interested in the subtle background music, it&#x27;s Resonance by HOME. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=8GW6sLrK40k" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=8GW6sLrK40k</a>

it&#x27;s interesting to note how really good games take a simple concept and explore it to its ends rather than taking a bunch of loose fitting concepts and throwing them together. probably the best examples i can come up with, even better than the nintendo ones in my opinion, are the team ico games designed by fumito ueda.<p>ico: escape while escorting<p>shadow of the colossus: the boss battles are the levels<p>the last guardian: mix the previous two

&gt; <i>Nintendo is quite different</i><p>&gt; <i>Nintendo always starts with the same goal, coming up with a new way to play</i><p>As a game developer this comes across as quite the Nintendo propaganda video. Nintendo games are the least innovative things I have ever played, as they simply recreate their popular IPs over and over again (mario, zelda, pokemon etc) with somewhat better&#x2F;different graphics. The only reason they are where they are today is the original games were released at the right time (timing + luck), and people continue to buy the sequels today out of nostalgia.