10 Things You Never Knew About Hidetaka Miyazaki (The Creator Of Dark Souls)

Hidetaka Miyazaki is responsible for one of the most challenging and punishing game series of all time, but he’s really a very nice guy!

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In 2009, a small Japanese game called Demon’s Souls released to little fanfare. Those who did buy it slowly discovered the intense depth of the mechanics, systems, and lore. Word spread of this enigmatic RPG, turning it into a cult sensation. FromSoftware churned out Dark Souls a couple of years later, which continued the developer’s upward trajectory. By the time Bloodborne came out in 2015, the studio had become mainstream, and their games had influenced numerous other studios. In an age where the medium does its best to make the experience smooth for players, FromSoftware’s games offer a grueling challenge that respects the player’s ability.

The main mind behind these games is Hidetaka Miyazaki, who recently became the studio’s president. The following list will provide ten facts you never knew about the genius video game designer.

10 His Childhood

Gaming is a fairly luxurious passion. While accessibility to games and consoles has gotten significantly easier in recent years, it still is too expensive for some families. Miyazaki grew up in an impoverished household which lacked any gaming devices.

Reportedly, his parents forbid him from playing video games throughout his childhood. Many developers will tell stories about being wowed by the medium in their formative years. Because of his parents’ strict rule, Miyazaki has no such story.

9 He Read Books Without Understanding Them

Miyazaki spent much of his childhood in libraries, reading and absorbing literature – some of it in English – like a sponge soaking up water. Just as a sponge is ignorant of water’s composition, so did Miyazaki read many passages he simply could not understand because of the language barrier.

As a result, he would fill in the parts he didn’t understand with his own imagination. This unique, unconventional approach to reading influenced the way plot develops in his games. Player’s are often encouraged to figure out the plot for themselves, with the stories leaving room for interpretation.

8 His Education

One would expect such an especially artistic individual to have a degree in a creative field, if not one in game design. Miyazaki’s education couldn’t be farther from this. The now venerated game designer got his degree in Social Science, a decidedly inartistic field.

He didn’t develop a love for games during this period either, getting a job in account managing out of school. Hopefully, this serves as inspiration for some people who are currently in fields outside of their passion.

7 He Loves Board Games

While he makes video games and is intent on making the best ones the medium has to offer, the virtual space isn’t the only place where he likes games. Because of his lack of video games in childhood, Miyazaki developed an affinity for board games.

He still plays them regularly and has amassed a large collection. Some mechanics from board games translate to video games, so it makes sense for a designer to be infatuated with them too.

6 Ico

His games are often seen as works of art because of their unique design and storytelling mechanics. Few other works in the medium have been seen as such auteur pieces. One game that garners similar respect is Ico. While it is vastly different from the Souls series, it shares the same spirit of telling a story and giving an experience only games can provide.

Coincidentally, it was a run-in with the classic PS2 game that kindled Miyazaki’s passion for video games. After playing the game for the first time, the game designer opted to change career paths into the gaming industry.

5 His Start In The Industry

These days, most people enter the industry at a relatively young age, when they are still capable of working long and hard with youthful vigor. Miyazaki didn’t start working on games until he was twenty-nine.

This presented a few problems for him. For one, he lacked experience in the field. Secondly, few companies would offer him a job. Fortunately, FromSoftware hired him and he started working on the Armored Core series. After heading several projects, he is now the studio’s president.

4 Demon’s Souls

His big break was Demon’s Souls. The project languished in development before he took over. He drastically reworked the whole thing into the cult classic it eventually became. Because the company saw the project as a failure during development, Miyazaki was able to do what he wanted with little consequence.

Attendees at trade shows had little enthusiasm over the unique game, and it quickly faded into obscurity after release. However, it slowly gained a dedicated audience over time, getting the ball rolling on FromSoftware’s increasing popularity.

3 He Loves Dungeons And Dragons

The classic pen and pager RPG Dungeons and Dragons is a favorite among many veteran video game designers. Before video games embraced the RPG, it was the only way to build a character and let them explore a world.

The father of the Souls series also loves the classic game, and it shows in his works. The stats and character development bears some resemblance to Dungeons and Dragons, though the pen and paper RPG probably doesn’t make grown ups cry and break things out of frustration.

2 He’s Shy

A Google search on Miyazaki will reveal a lot of pages of people talking about him rather than his own words. This is because he is extremely shy and uncomfortable with any sort of celebrity status.

All he wants to do is make great games, and would rather them be the stars than him. He has done an interview here and there, and always comes off as humble and thankful for just how much people love Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and, more recently, Sekiro.

1 He Refuses To Appear On Film

Do a quick Youtube search on Miyazaki and not a single one will have him show up on film. Scroll down long enough and it’ll just go to the famous animator with whom he shares a last name.

For various reasons, he refuses to show up on film. People can take pictures, but no one can put him on moving images. He doesn’t think it’ll steal his soul, but it probably has something to do with his timid nature and desire for the game’s to be more well known than his name and image.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/things-never-knew-hidetaka-miyazakia-creator-dark-souls/