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The Beginnings of a Master
Shigeru Miyamoto was first hired by Nintendo in 1977. Despite having almost no technical know-how, this giant in the video game industry created a multitude of masterpieces. These included beloved Nintendo franchises like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and the Legend of Zelda, which continue to grow and affect the world of video games. -
Miyamoto's Makings
Shigeru Miyamoto's work Watch this brief summary of Shigeru Miyamoto's early work in Nintendo and how he affected the growing video game industry then and to this day. Video by video game review website, "Gamespot." -
The Dawn of the Platformer
Shigeru Miyamoto, after working at Nintendo for only four years, creates what is arguably one of the most influential games in video game history: Donkey Kong. -
An Icon Appears
From the groundbreaking game, "Donkey Kong," was born a titular hero named "Jumpman." What was first a throwaway character was brought back to star in one of the most influential and well-known games in the world: "Super Mario Bros." Jumpman's name was changed to Mario, who went on to become the mascot of Nintendo and churned out masterpiece after masterpiece, earning him a place in almost every gamer's heart. -
Story Emerges
After Donkey Kong's release, video games were introduced to a new format. Gone were the static screens and goals of high scores. Instead, games like "The Legend of Zelda," also created by Miyamoto and developed by Nintendo, created an exciting fantasy world for gamers to explore. -
The Rise of First-Person Shooters
Many platforming and RPG games were inspired by Donkey Kong and the Legend of Zelda respectively. However, video games weren't done yet. Wolfenstein 3D, a game developed by id Software, took a new route, creating the run-and-gun first-person shooter genre in games. This genre remains insanely popular to this day, with huge blockbuster games like Call of Duty drawing their most basic roots from this classic. -
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Video Games March On
With the establishment of these important genres, the platformer and the first person shooter, video games gained the building blocks that shaped their industry. The thousands of games that have been created since these precursors all rely on the core rules and principles created by games like Wolfenstein 3D or Super Mario Bros. Though there have been many genres of games that have been created over time, few so powerfully affected the growth of games as their iconic predecessors.
