Zigging when everyone else zags
Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's legendary game designer, is the ultimate rule-breaker in an industry obsessed with trends. If you’ve spent any time with a controller in your hands, you’ve experienced his work. He gave the world Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Star Fox—but what really sets Miyamoto apart is how he doesn’t just make games. He creates immersive worlds by doing what others won’t: ignoring the playbook.
Take Donkey Kong in 1981. Nintendo was in a tough spot, sitting on thousands of unsold Radar Scope units. Enter Miyamoto, not a programmer but an industrial designer with a different kind of vision. He didn’t just slap together another arcade game; he designed a story. Inspired by Popeye, but unable to secure the rights, he swapped in a carpenter named Jumpman (later Mario), a gorilla named Donkey Kong, and a love interest. Donkey Kong became a global hit, not because of flashy tech but because of a story that connected with players.
Miyamoto believed that games should be about the experience, not just winning. Take the iconic first level of Super Mario Bros.—there’s no hand-holding, no tutorial, just you, Mario, and your instincts. You learn by playing, stumbling, and getting back up. You move to the right, smash blocks, and grow in size, all without being told what to do. That’s Miyamoto’s genius: letting players figure things out, rewarding curiosity with discovery. It’s the same mindset that turned Zelda into a journey of exploration and bravery, where players didn’t just defeat enemies—they became heroes.
And then there’s the controller innovation. Miyamoto’s games weren’t just about where Mario jumped or where Link swung his sword—they were about how you controlled them. From Nintendo’s directional pad to the first 360-degree thumbstick to motion controls, Miyamoto understood that how you play is just as important as what you play.
Even when the world shifted to mobile gaming, Miyamoto still refused to follow the crowd. When asked in 2016 why Super Mario Run didn’t include microtransactions, his response was classic Miyamoto: “Everyone was saying I had to do it, but I don’t want to be told what to do just because ‘that’s how it’s done.’” And that’s Miyamoto—always zigging when everyone else zags, always making games that put fun and immersion above all else.
The real lesson from Miyamoto’s legacy? Success comes not from following trends, but from breaking away from them. Whether in gaming, business, or life—sometimes, the smartest move is ignoring the noise and carving your own path.