The man responsible for games like Metal Gear and Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima, has just dropped a surprising twist everyone in the gaming community is talking about. In a recent interview, Kojima said that he is not really into gaming at all and in fact, only plays one game a year. He is inspired by life, books, movies, and the world in general. People have different opinions about it; some think of him as a genius whereas some think he is out of touch with contemporary gaming.
Let’s get to the point. He said “I don’t watch games. I watch movies, read books, meet people, and visit museums, and I don’t imitate games.” As a creative, he understands the importance of games for young people, but he believes it’s essential for creators to be exposed to various art forms and create something new from them. He says games take too much time, and out of the game world, there’s more to satisfy his curiosity and incorporate into his work.
It’s, well, something else, with the reaction on social media. Gamers are utterly divided on this one. Some people seem to think “now the dots connect” and some others are throwing serious shade. One user named Vaughn Fry said “Which explains why his games lack gameplay,” which kind of sucks, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
There’s an entire Twitter thread going on about if this is a genius perspective or arrogance. Some people mention the fact that some iconic games were created because of real-life experiences – Pokemon because of bug collecting, Metal Gear because of hide and seek, and Zelda from exploring the woods behind one’s house. Now instead of being inspired by real-life, developers get inspiration from other games which might explain why everything feels dull sometimes.
Then you have the critics coming in fully. “I’m not shocked. that’s why his games suck and are like movies. play some good games like elden ring,” one person said. “outrageous.” He was called “narcissist arrogant with superiority complex pleb” which is… a lot.
The argument “his games are just movies” keeps coming up. It’s said he’s been wanting to go Hollywood for a while. People talk about how Kojima dropped David Hayter and replaced him with Kiefer Sutherland for MGS5 and that he keeps hiring more actors. The cutscenes keep getting longer. He’s being told “just make movies already.”
There’s an opposing view to this. People defending him mention that Kojima has been in the business for many years now. Regardless of not playing all games, he does know the fundamentals of game development. Art and movies can be wonderful inspirations for games. It could be that not being overly exposed to other people’s ideas is what enables him to create genuine masterpieces.
This also in a way connects to the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, of course relating to the timing of the revelation. Many are speculating on how this approach affects gameplay as opposed to the visuals and the feel of his games. The Death Stranding gameplay loop has been discussed to an extreme that’s why the DS2 rumors have players waiting eagerly.
Kojima just revealed his methodology, and suddenly people are taking game development expertise. Some trolls randomly insult him and wipe out nearly 30 years of his work, others engage in ironic praise of his unique perspective.
As for the funny side, a lot of people act like this is a brand-new discovery. For a lot of times, creators inside a certain field tend to avoid consuming too much within their own field. For instance, comedians who avoid watching comedy and musicians who watch what music they listen to.
In a broader sense, the issue of inspiration in video game development is raised: Is it true that developers are merely plagiarizing one another? Has the industry been on a long loop where everything that has been created is just an imitation? Although Kojima’s methods of inspiration veer on the extreme side, what is of greater worth is looking into other means other than gaming.
Despite how one views Kojima’s games, as either loved or dismissed as overhyped movies, he carries a legendary reputation in the gaming world. He is the person behind Metal Gear Solid, which revolutionized stealth games as well as storytelling in video games. When Death Stranding launched, it was unlike any other games at the time. Such peculiar ways of looking for inspiration might be the reason why the man’s games stand out in a sea of similar titles.
There will be debates about this from the gaming community, especially over the course of weeks that follow. Certain fans have this as confirmation to their criticism, whereas others view it as proof to his mastery. Regardless of whichever way people take this, Kojima, without a doubt, is able to incite discussions which, as I mentioned earlier, is a good thing because, in the current era, where the majority of games adhere to the same set of guidelines, it’s a delight to have conversations on the other spectrum. People will watch his next game for sure, and I can’t wait to see how this outside-the-box inspiration impacts the gameplay.
