Tag: video game pioneers

01 Aug
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Master of Play

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Shigeru Miyamoto portrait in creative studio Sketches of Mario and Zelda characters on paper Miyamoto working at Nintendo design desk Childhood wooden toys made by Miyamoto Gameplay screenshot from Super Mario Bros. Artistic concept drawing for The Legend of Zelda Nintendo Famicom console and controllers Miyamoto presenting a game prototype to colleagues Vintage Nintendo development tools and notes Illustration of play and creativity inspired by game design
Shigeru Miyamoto has always tried to re-create his childhood wonderment. He’s the closest thing there is to an autobiographical game creator, and shuns focus groups: “As long as I can enjoy something, other people can enjoy it, too.”Photograph by John Ritter

Nick Paumgarten’s long-form article “Master of Play” profiles Shigeru Miyamoto, the visionary game designer behind iconic franchises like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong. The piece delves into Miyamoto’s childhood wonderment, his creative philosophy, and his approach to infusing joy into interactive experiences. It’s a fascinating journey into the mind of a man who helped shape modern video game culture. You can read the full article here. This excerpt is shared under fair use for educational and non-commercial purposes. All rights to the original content belong to Nick Paumgarten and The New Yorker.

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01 Aug
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SPACEWAR

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Screenshot from 1972 Rolling Stone article showing Spacewar gameplay Black and white photo of MIT PDP‑1 computer running Spacewar Illustration of two spaceship combat on a CRT screen Historic image of players competing in Spacewar Olympics at Stanford AI Lab Photograph of early computer hackers crowded around consoles Diagram of PDP‑1 control buttons used in Spacewar Vintage Spacewar game pads and joysticks on a table Spacewar torpedo explosion captured in pixel art style Early tech culture scene with students gaming and coding Historic game room with PDP‑1 terminals running Spacewar

Stewart Brand’s article “S P A C E W A R” chronicles the early history and cultural rise of Spacewar!, one of the first digital video games, in the December 1972 issue of Rolling Stone. Through vivid anecdotes and firsthand reporting, Brand captures the excitement of the pioneering “Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics” at Stanford’s AI Lab and the hacker‑driven evolution of gaming culture. This historic piece highlights how a simple two‑player space combat game helped spark the modern video game era. You can read the full article here. This excerpt is shared under fair use for educational and non-commercial purposes. All rights to the original content belong to Stewart Brand and Rolling Stone.

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