Nintendo and Sega may have had a famous rivalry between them, but Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto admits he still allowed a good Sega game or two in his household. The Nintendo game director revealed in a recent interview that his kids sometimes played Sega titles, and that apparently never bothered him despite being Nintendo's star developer since the 1980s. On the contrary, he says it inspired him to make even better Nintendo games.
Nintendo and Sega fought for dominance in the console market, and the console war was at its strongest in the 1990s during the lifespans of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Sega Genesis. Nintendo had already previously revived home consoles with its Nintendo Entertainment System a generation before Sega entered the game, but tensions were high as Nintendo and Sega entered an ad feud in an attempt to pull consumers to their sides. This original console war was a crucial point in video game history, to the point where it was documented in its own book by Blake Harris and a Console Wars documentary film.
No matter how intense the console war got, it apparently never made Sega a forbidden name in Miyamoto's home. In an interview with The New Yorker, Miyamoto said that his kids "played a lot of Sega games," specifically Out Run and Space Harrier. When asked if he ever felt jealous that his kids wanted to play games from Nintendo's rival, Miyamoto said that he only felt "inspired to try harder" to make Nintendo games that his kids would prefer.
While his children enjoyed a few Sega games, the legendary designer shares that his grandchild plays Nintendo. Miyamoto recalled a moment where he helped his grandson through Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and noticed that the five-year-old's eyes were "shining" because he was so immersed in the game. Miyamoto said he understands how it may be concerning to see one's child so invested in virtual worlds, but he encourages parents to try the game themselves to see why their children are so entrapped and how the game can help their growth.
The heat of Nintendo vs. Sega may be in the past, but the original console war set the pace and the fierce competition is just as prominent today. It's best exemplified by Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S, though the record-breaking sales of the Nintendo Switch isn't to be counted out. While Nintendo's handheld/home hybrid's success has only grown since 2017, its fellow gaming giants battled it out before their November launch dates to drive consumers to their respective consoles.
While Sega is no longer a power Nintendo fears and console wars haven't gone anywhere, these industry giants have taking the initiative to become a peaceful unit rather than rivals, as seen in the recent partnership between Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to make online gaming safer. The games industry is ever-changing and not quite the heated competition it used to be, which is certainly something to celebrate.
Source: The New Yorker