Miyamoto Called a "New Einstein"

[Susan Arendt]

First off, I don't think we should take "New Einstein" quite so seriously. It's meant to imply brilliance, not actually be a one-to-one comparison.

Also included in the list is Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A's, who was included for his use of sabermetrics in baseball, and Homaro Cantu, the head chef of Moto Restaurant, for his innovative approach to cooking.

 

[TheWickerPopstar]

Genius isn't confined to science, technology, and business. Granted, the term "new Einstein" is definitely for hype, but the article seems to just be a glance at pioneers in different fields.

Miyamoto has revived the video game industry twice (once when it needed it and once when it didn't), and has made video games important to the rest of the world, as well as gamers. I don't think there is another game developer that could be given the title.

Relax, everyone.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

The term is incorrect. Besides, Einstein was a slacker and made horrible analogies (and also screwed over his own science in favour of his ego more than once).

Essentially, I would say that "Miyamoto has done for gaming what Einstein did for theoretical physics - he thought of and created things which hadn't existed before, and essentially established what we now consider the modern paradigm of such things."

He's also continued to innovate, create and improve - admittedly recycling characters and narrative, and often the basic principles - by adding more and more to existing franchises and developing new characters and systems when necessary.

Example: Mario 128 didn't work as a game, fun tech demo, but not a good game. He made Pikmin instead, using his recently-acquired love of gardening as a narrative starting point.
Second Example: When creating a platform game set in space, why not reuse a well-known platforming character who is generally popular?

He's a smart man and built a lot of good and entertaining worlds over the past 20 or so years, I hope for more to come. He's in good company - often achieving things that will be of greater importance to human life than him - but equal contributions of genius, just to more or less important fields.

 

[Doug]

Seriously, an Einstein? The guy is smart and intelligent and creative, but when put next to a guy who rewrote the physics rule book and the guys on the list, it seems more than alittle hypish.

Epic fail!

 

[Melaisis]

Yes well, Miyamoto didn't re-release the laws of physics every 2-3 years under a different name, did he?

 

[Sigenrecht]

Just think about it; video games would not be what they are today without Mario. I mean, he's a universally-recognized gaming icon, known by more people than George Washington, Mickey Mouse, and Sonic the Hedgehog put together. At this point, I think the consensus of games he's been in is over 116, not counting remakes. The whole Nintendo franchise which had undeniably set console gaming on its current path since it went from playing cards to 36-bit headstomping has been built upon Super Mario; yes, you could argue there's always been the Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, etc. but "Jumpman" started it all.

Edit: My point being, Einstein's theory of relativity shaped modern physics for generations to come, changing the basic way we view science; Miyamoto has done so with gaming.

 

[bittman]

Whether or not Mario is comparable to cures to malaria is not the issue. Genius isn't simply coming up with a good idea, because ideas are a dime a dozen sometimes. Genius is the pure inventiveness and tenacity to follow through with them.

Anyway, I'm sure people that make a list of something like this would know more about who is out there worth praising as a genius than us sitting on our computers.

The discussion shouldn't be whether or not Miyamoto deserves to be there, but who instead should be in the obviously "precious" place he has taken?

 

[Jumplion]

First off, I don't think we should take "New Einstein" quite so seriously. It's meant to imply brilliance, not actually be a one-to-one comparison.

Also included in the list is Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A's, who was included for his use of sabermetrics in baseball, and Homaro Cantu, the head chef of Moto Restaurant, for his innovative approach to cooking.

Yes, you guys are taking the term "New Einstein" way to literal. He was and is an innovative in the games industry and he brought a dead media back from the grave.