I’ve been patiently trying for a while to have a nice, long-ish chat with Mr. Miyamoto, Mario’s and Link’s storied creator. Yesterday, Nintendo granted my wish.
I’d read all I could about him and have spoken with him on a few occasions. But it's been years. Although I was nervous, I felt I was fairly prepared. As I listened to his answers, I kept hearing stuff I'd never before heard or read about. This was confirmed by the people around him who said they'd never heard him speak about some of the things I’d asked about, either.
Because he was so open, almost everything Miyamoto finally came together for me. Still, I wished the talk had lasted for much longer: he’s a great storyteller.
After a conversation that lasted for over an hour, we played New Super Mario Bros. Wii together, a potent and modernized homage to the sidescroller days of gaming.
Then, he sat down, King Size Permanent Marker at the ready. With a confident wave of his hand, he removed specks of dust from the Wii console.
And then, he drew Mario.
And then, he signed it.
