"The essence of the game affects the risk by getting a return", Mr. Masahiro Sakurai who produced Kirby of the star "Why do you make games?"

"Nintendo released from"Kirby of the Stars"Or"Super Smash Bros. Smash Brothers X"And so onSora limited companyRepresentativeMasahiro SakuraiWhat kind of influence is affected by the game, how do you enter the industry with what kind of things, how do you think about making a game, what you think about society about work "Why are you making gamesKeynote lecture titled "CEDEC 2012.

I am Game Designer Masahiro Sakurai. Nice to meet you.


I received a request this time, but what I want to say is two books published at the same time "Thinking about making Masahiro Sakurai's game"Thinking about playing Masahiro Sakurai's gameI think that you can understand if you buy or read it.


However, it is an opportunity to attend the event, so I definitely want to have fun with you. There is nothing I want to tell you especially, everyone is a person who is making games, so I think that it would be fine if you do your own. However, I thought that it would be helpful for some idea, so I decided to accept this request.

Although this lecture is also distributed on the Internet, it is basically directed to game producers. In other words, it is a message for you.


The theme of the lecture is "Why do you make games?" I think that I thought of why myself was making games in my head not a few times when I got a title like this. Although I do not bother to listen to it, the thing to make it seem like that itself is important, so it may be that the purpose of the lecture has already been fulfilled.


So let's talk about the reasons and motivation of why I entered the game industry. My life is with the growth of computer games, and it is a generation that was affected by tremendousness in the growth of computer games. By following the history of the game and explaining the past me, I will briefly explain why I made the game. I think that it is nice that some pretty nice things came out in the Osassan generation like me. Heisei is born as a snooze .... It can not be said that it can not be ... so let 's have fun as much as possible.


First of all, I was born in 1970, and it is said that in 1970, the penetration rate of color television exceeded that of black and white television.


Around 1973 "PONG (Pong)"Game like that has increased. It is a type of game that moves the paddle up and down and hits back the ball. Why say "like PONG", there are many similar products, even "PONG" is not the original, so I express that kind of expression.

Pong (1972, Atari) - YouTube


It is an important advancement that block breakdown has appeared in about 76 years, that it became for one person, and that the idea of ​​the opponent who should beat down has come out. In 1976Supercar boomIt agrees with the era of. It is a childhood age when I remember the strong impression of being able to manipulate things in the screen. It was a lot of fun just changing the girly variable pad on the paddle, just like a stick moving in the screen. Because insects and children love lighting things, it is said that they were generations.


For home use released around 1977 from NintendoVideo game 15There is something called. Video game 15 andVideo game 6As you know, 15 kinds of games and 6 kinds of games can be played.


The following year 1978,Star WarsIt is the year when we swept Japan. Here is the biggest invader. that is"Space Invaders"is. The main medal game, slot and horse racing game which originally existed at the game center were replaced with video game machines, the table such as the coffee shop became the invader game, the game center called the invader house was muddled, the first social phenomenon in the game .


At the age of 10 in 1980. It is about time of Gundam boom. "Game & amp; Watch"Appeared, in Japan about 1287 million pieces, about 43.4 million pieces sold worldwide. Also in 1980 at the arcadePacmanHas appeared, it is a generation that has become able to play a proper character game. After 80 years, LSI game andLF gameThe number of things like that will increase. Among them there are deferred arcade and mobile games eachPack Monster, "Pakuri monster"·"Pakpak ManI think that it was a generous era when various games such as packs like that came out. And we had a culture of stationary arcade · mobile game, and was able to touch various works.


In Japan in 1981 "Cassette visionAppeared. I was just playing cassette vision at a toy shop. I was thinking that it would be better to play with an arcade because it was an era where you can measure dots with a ruler.


From 81 to 82Hobby computerI will show you lately. AfterA familyIs "FM-7"PC 8800"X1You can see that it is here.


After the opening in 1983, in JanuaryXevius, Atari's wireframe Star Wars, when the laser disc game came out, the guy is coming. It is the appearance of "Family Computer". Anyway, even from my perspective I was watching at that time "Family Computer" was overwhelming. Everything including video, music, operability and game fun are all included.


About this time, what other hardware got out means from Bandai in March that "Arcadia"Atari's May"2600Japan landing in Japan, vector scanning system in JulyLight speed ship,MS-XIt is an era when it came out.SpriteEveryone was one color, but "Family Computer" can use 52 colors in 3 colors full color, operability with the cross key was also good, I remember being quite funny. And, above all else, thinking that it is a mistake, I will resubmit it once in a few years, the hardware released on the same day as "Family Computer"SG-1000"SG stands for" Sega Game ". In other words, Sega and Nintendo's feuds started on the same day. The game of Sega was also interesting, but "Family Computer" was overwhelming after all. Anyway, in my childhood, "Family Computer" changed the world of the game greatly, I also thought that this was awful, I remember that everyone wanted savings in that year. Of course it is a square button.


In the same year PC games "Door door"Portopia serial murder case"Nobunaga's noppori". For me, the PC game was a flower of Takane, so it was not a very handy one, so I was playing at a PC shop. Especially the predecessor of Bomberman "Bomb manI loved it. Also, there is a sexual description in 1983Adult gameIt is about this as well. Actually, a major game company may be making adult games, so if you make it now it may have been like a game that warlords did not combine.


In July of 84, when one year passed since "Family Computer" was released Hudson said "Nuts & milk"The game will appear. It is the 3rd party software of NESCON's first third party software and it is the third generation of business. Also from Hudson, Nintendo's first scroll screen software is said to be "Road Runner"Was released three days after" Nuts & Milk "


Capcom got video games in 1984VargasIt is this year that I gave out. "Tower of Druaga"Hydride"Mental heartWhen it came out, it was a game with role-playing capture elements and growth.


Japanese games are growing up with arcades and consumers, but this is the era when such exciting fields of Japan and the fun of role playing were fused. Also in 1984,Video · Game · MusicI will release an album called. YMO'sHaruomi HosonoIt is the first Japanese game music album produced by. There is a trend that various manufacturers issue their own bands.


And in 1984 some things that greatly influenced my path were out. Peripherals that can make programs with NESFamily Basic"is. It was released on June 21, 1984, memory capacity is only 2 kilobytes, it is something you have to build basic with about 2000 characters. Naturally for me who can not buy a PC, it is very important, I finally bought it for about half a year for pocket money.


In 1984 I learned the concept of Famicom and program in Family Basic. This is good, is not it?SpriteThere was something, I moved the character with 16 x 16 pixels, and I was able to smoothly operate using the NES controller. By handling sprites, for example, how to set up parameters, how did you feel emotion in motion, it was training with numbers. Without this training I think that I have not been.


Since I have been there for a long time in 1985, I think that there are many people who know it,Star ForceThe nationwide caravan started. Playing the game itself was an event. On the other hand, the arcade began its own evolution. The so-called "Hang-on"Space Harrier"is.


Speaking of 85 years, the synonym of video game "Super mario bros"Was released, sold 40 million copies in the world.


In 1985 it was the beginning of game magazines such as "Family Computer Magazine" and "Famicom Communication".


It was at the age of fifteen in 1986, it came to think about career, I felt like a drowning back then, I would like to talk about important things that are clear now.


"People are made alive by the work of people", in other words, "People can live only in the work of people". For example, hundreds or thousands of people may line up in staff rolls when expressing how much skill and ingenuity a convenience store lunch has on staff rolls. Today I came by car, but it can not be done without people's work, such as car parts, highway, ETC system. That means that we are receiving tremendous benefits. I think that it can be thought that life is only established by people's work.


That is, "That specialist is building the world". And I think that it is better to specialize in something. I believe that specializing in specialists will make people's lives more comfortable. It is a loss to have a lot of dissatisfaction in the world surrounded by this human made person. In the current situation where many people produce things it is natural to become an average, I think that it is important to specialize in that situation.


In my youth, I thought that "it is more advantageous to do practical things as soon as possible", and it was a child who could not find much meaning in academics. I thought that it would be more professional knowledge to enter the work place than to stay at the university until becoming an adult.


So, I will go to a technical college of five years.


Although I went to college, I started to have doubts about whether I can do this.


The lesson was boring and it was earlier to fall out, but during classPocket ComputerI am making a game with. About this time, I thought that 'I can make games' somehow.


So I changed my course quickly, entered ordinary high school, studied games, bought a game, bought a game with the money I earned. Regardless of tying, buying anything in any tying, regardless of funny fun, I did not take idea memorandum etc, so I felt like playing more and more and felt like I felt the feeling of being born in my body.


Then,Hull InstituteI entered a company called.


The work which served as a director / game designer until now includes "Kirby of the stars" and "Kirby of the stars" is interested in the game but has never played the game, for those who do not know what to do It is a game of. There was also opposition etc in development as to whether it is so easy.





I am serializing columns on Famitsu, but it is "internal pressure" as a problem. I am thinking that the side making it should not speak so much, I do not speak, I have to put up with it, because of internal pressure, I think that it should be such that it is to drive it into the work. It is not a real thing to show off in the column, but because there are people who can be pleased, we are continuing the column.


In order to feel severe, I went to the world of self-responsibility.


Although I did supervision work when I was free, I did not put out my name in the face. To the table it seems like I made it, because the staff and I become unhappy.




As for how to think about the rules (system) of the game, I think logically as necessary. In particular, there is no reason for ideas, think as necessary.


For example, it took about 3 days for the proposal, but the rule construction of the launch puzzle of "Meteos" ends in 5 minutes. I am not very good at puzzle games. But you can make games. Because I am using the most important theory of risk & return.


I think "gaming" is a business, risk and return.


In case of shooting game



If the distance between the enemy and the battery is far away, it is a no-risk-no return.


Risk will increase, but returns will be obtained.


In other words, the essence of the game is to take risks and gain returns.


There is a "strategy" in similar words, gaming is fun, capture is devised as ingenuity.


I will look at concrete examples of capture in the invader game.


If it is not moving, the invaders' attack range is purple.


Actually, the invaders move sideways, so the attack range is oblique.



Attacks do not hit when following the invaders.


If you are chased you will be more likely to hit.


This distance to decide the risk is not merely a design, it is becoming a game character Kimo.


Also, the position to change the risk (Torchka) Is also game-like kimo.


So you can see that shooting bullets in 3 directions is a bad design.


Space invaders have lots of sludge specifications.



When the invasion becomes on the contrary the attack of the opponent will not be given "Striking Nagoya"Although it is the biggest crisis in the game, the place where the maximum return can be obtained is awesome.




I will also explain it in Mario of the action game.


Risk is small when you are away from the enemy.


Rising will get bigger when approaching ... ...


If you step on a jump, you can get a weapon with OK.


However, gaming is one of the pleasures and not all.


You can also say it roughly as gender gets ridiculous and generality falls.


In making games, I have not made games that I like to play with. I think it is important to produce what you think is necessary.


Moreover, it is enough to contribute to society by making what you think you want until you pay the price and getting the price.


Game producers think that people should pursue what they want, what they think is fun.


It is required in any age to hone his / her role by thinking of times and goodness. Please do your best on the road you chose and like. In this society built by many people, I think that it will be an opportunity to think about where I can put out my own power.