Yoshio Sakamoto is one of the creators of Metroid and was mentored by famed Gameboy designer Gunpei Yokoi. Gunpei is quoted as saying, “All you have to do is come up with a great idea, and give it to a designer. In fact, I don’t want you guys to learn any of the technical stuff. It’s just going to hold you back.”

This got me thinking, “What types of results do you get from tutelage like that?” Well if the early Nintendo hits like Metroid are any indication, then it must have worked. Many of the game decisions that caused video games to get created the way they were was because of the technical limitations of the hardware and the unique nature of the people that were involved in creating in a constrained environment. Nowadays, when people simply see the imagery and sounds, they simply see it as a cheeky style, but it was a bit more than that.

Whenever people are faced with constraints of a medium it actually causes a situation where solutions are forged from a need to be focused. This often makes for a stronger end product.


“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Misterbenja.

Wired interview with Yoshio Sakamoto.