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Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away

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G

GiantBreadbug

Member
Here's what I wrote for my contribution to Nintendo Life and their memories post that will go live tomorrow. It's choppy and rambling but I can't really think straight right now.

The news of Iwata-san's passing affected me so suddenly and thoroughly that my reaction itself actually caught me off guard. I have never met Satoru Iwata in person; the only thing resembling an interaction we've ever had took the form of me smiling into my laptop screen as he smiled back from the stage of a Nintendo Direct. Yet, somehow, I felt as though a close friend had passed away. I had to think about it a lot, and as pretentious and silly as it may seem, cry a lot as well. But I think I finally understand why Iwata-san was so important to me (and many other Nintendo fans).

If we can pardon some overwrought philosophical speak: playing a video game is much more than a simple audio-visual experience. It evokes a complete emotional journey; memories that can't possibly be your own. The reason the best game makers are so passionate about what they do is because they want to share an experience with us as purely as possible. The experience of a video game is central to the existence of them as a medium. We play games to connect, whether or not that connection is explicit (such as an online connection), and we play them to experience the bliss of imagination that buzzes around in everyone's minds. When you experience a game which has been made on these principles, there is a moment of understanding. Suddenly, you "get" what the creator wanted so desperately to show you. And the experience becomes shared between you, other players, and the creator. We share the experience by talking with others who have played the game, whether they're strangers or close friends. We share by creating art and expanding the game's universe in your own way. We share by loving these games and allowing the visionaries behind them to reach out to us with more experiences.

This is why I have been so hurt. Satoru Iwata was a person who, even outside the context of games and entertainment, radiated a certain wisdom and peace. In making games, he placed the foundation of the core experience and connecting players to the game above all other factors that may compete for a developer's attention. He was, in my mind, the ultimate realization of what a game maker aspires to be: the mentor of our imaginations. He took so much pride and care in showing us all there was to see in not only the creative minds at Nintendo, but his own mind as well. Thinking back to night-long gaming sessions with my friends, it seems like my mind remembers Iwata-san being there. I remember him being there, or at least I remember feeling as though he were watching us play. Sometimes I feel like he was sitting there with us, holding a controller of his own. I could feel Iwata's presence through every game he worked on. This is what I mean by games being centered around connections. Now, when my friends gather in my home to play the latest Nintendo game, it won't feel quite the same. Someone will be missing from my cast of characters. And it will be the someone who is usually responsible for making these experiences possible.

Games are a very curious entertainment platform. One may ask what draws people to the colorful worlds and characters, and what makes people spend hours on end laughing and playing in a digital world. I can only answer for myself, but I know that video games, and especially Nintendo's games, have served as a supplementary connection-maker. Right now, I hold in the garden of my mind experiences, memories, and friendships that would literally not have grown or happened at all had it not been for these games. For me, games give me a tool to connect to other people, to share with them, to escape to a place of whimsy that makes mutual understanding so much easier and, well... fun. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I have Satoru Iwata to thank for aspects of my personal life which define what I am as a person. When my mind wanders (and it often does), it tends to go to the world of Nintendo. I childishly daydream about fishing in my Animal Crossing village alongside my Pokemon team, and riding a Warp Star over Palutena's Temple. Always present in these daydreams, among others, is Satoru Iwata. After all, he's one of the people chiefly responsible for this world. But now I feel like he's been taken from us, and from the worlds he created.

I should bring my comments to a close, though I could go on for much too long. I'll finish by saying that, though Iwata-san wasn't the person who introduced me to games, or wasn't wholly responsible for my first forays into gaming, he was the person who made me realize what they were, and what potential they have as a medium. He is the person who taught me to love games for the experiences and friendships they enable. I would not be anything resembling the person I am right this moment if it weren't for the beautiful mind of Satoru Iwata. I owe him so very much. The love he poured into making these games will enrich and connect us for as long as we search for each other in the fantastical worlds of Nintendo.

"Games are supposed to be just one thing: fun. Fun for everyone!"
Click to expand...
 
M

Majestad

Banned
yDgTAWX.jpg


Going to NoA and seeing that picture of the rainbow over Nintendo of Japan has helped a little bit. Still, these will be hard days.

I will play some Smash as a tribute to Iwata.
 
U

useyourfist

Member
So sad, I have not been able to tell my son yet. He's only 8 but is very into Nintendo and knows who Iwata is, he always calls him Mr Nintendo and awaits his announcements of new games.

Rest in peace Iwata-San.
 
S

scamander

Banned
I still can't believe it and am kinda speechless. Really thought he was getting better! :(
Iwata was more than the head and face of Nintendo to me. For over a decade he was an inseparable part of Nintendo and had huge impact on my picture of the company. All the memories of him and his games keep flooding over me and I can't stop thinking about him and his contribution to my childhood. Today, I can't even imagine a Nintendo without Iwata.

And now I sit here for 10 minutes, unable to think of a way to end this post properly. There are so many things left to say and I can't think of the right words. Thank you, Mr. Iwata. For Everything.
 
S

Salbug

Member
TheBigG753 said:
I was just in the kitchen making lunch, and since I have no artistic skills to speak of, it just seemed like the right thing to do today.



He will be sorely missed, not just from Nintendo but from video games in general. He's been the face of Nintendo for almost as long as I've been playing their games. A day later, it all still feels so hard to accept.
Click to expand...

The next chance I can get a hold of a bundle of bananas I'll shall post my own "Iwata Bananas" picture as tribute.
 
D

D-Man

Member
Can somebody put the Mario font ribbon on my avatar please? I want Iwata's name to be a bit more noticeable since the ribbon I currently have is a bit small.

WM3g7T7.png
 
S

Speedwagon

Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Yabuki turned off voice chat in Mario Kart races. True artists of their time.
Broken Joystick said:
Miyamoto:

I'm thinking about updating OP with condolences and messages from other people in the industry, if you see any, post them and I'll stick them in the OP. We should celebrate his life and what he achieved.
Click to expand...

"Satoru Iwata was the one who led Japanese game industry to the world and had great passion for games. RIP."
"Life time is limited no matter who you are. We don't last forever but what we've done won't go away and will stays someone's heart."
https://twitter.com/Tak_Fujii/status/620393093737480192
https://twitter.com/Tak_Fujii/status/620396335695433728

"He was a man who understood Pokémon, and a great leader. When I visited the other day, he was well. I will pray for his soul from the bottom of my heart"
https://twitter.com/Junichi_Masuda/status/620396563240628225
 
Z

Zoetis

Banned
really a hard and sad day, some left the dev studio's early a moment of fuck it, a moment of disbelief, a moment where the clock stopped ticking..

R.I.P MR Iwata and thank you, your passion will live forever!
 
R

Rösti

Unconfirmed Member
It's the middle of the night in Japan right now, so there's probably nobody at HQ. Most there have probably known for a while, but it's gotta feel very strange to come back to work when this news has been made public.
 
S

Snarfington

Member
Just wanna say thanks, GAF, for sharing your memories and collating images, videos and articles showing the outcry of love and appreciation. It's made a really weird, sad day a lot easier. Rather than walking around just being upset, I've come here a lot during the day and been happy and smiled for Iwata's legacy. Appreciate everyone's posts massively.
 
S

SpacePirate Ridley

Member
As an indie dev, I would not be were I am now if not for Nintendo and the magic of Iwata.
I was so sad that I couldn't work today, so I decided to make a small drawing that then turned bigger.
This feels for me like when Walt Disney died and couldnt conclude his dream city of the future, butI hope he can see from wherever he a bright and exciting future for everything he planned
Thanks Iwata, for everything.

iwata_small4nujr.png


And a 1080p version for anyone who wants it as wallpaper:
iwataqhucx.png
Click to expand...
http://spridley.tumblr.com/post/123997009095/as-an-indie-dev-i-would-not-be-were-i-am-now-if
 
S

StimaTobou

Neo Member
I fondly remember when Satoru Iwata introduced the Wii U Gamepad in a Direct just days before E3 2012: http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/06-03-2012/#/video-ndirect. This Direct essentially sums up the thing that I appreciate most about Mr. Iwata--it was clear that he was incredibly passionate about creating games that foster community amongst family and friends. I will always be thankful that Iwata's influence has directly led to my best gaming experiences and memories, most of which are shared with the people that I love. Thank you, Mr. Iwata.
 
C

CloakBass

Member
Feats of heroism performed by late Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata:


  • Was one of the founders (and sole programmer) for HAL Laboratories, creators of Kirby, which he built from a tiny Akihabara apartment into one of the most respected game developers in the business.
  • Saved HAL Labs from the brink of collapse by sealing a crucial deal with Nintendo. Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi agreed to the deal only on the condition that Iwata become the new president of HAL Labs. Yamauchi would eventually break family tradition and appoint him as his successor as President and CEO of Nintendo.
  • Completely reworked EarthBound from scratch in 6 months after the project had languished in development for 4 years.
  • Wrote the battle logic for Pokemon Stadium for Nintendo 64 in a week without any reference documents from the Game Boy games.
  • Brought in to optimize Pokemon Gold/Silver so the designers could fit in the entire map; the end result was so efficient they had room left over to add in the original map from Pokemon Red/Blue.
  • Acted as head of debugging for Super Smash Bros. Melee at the 11th hour to meet its ship date. Completed his job in 3 weeks. This was after he left HAL Labs to become a high-ranking executive at Nintendo.
  • Supposedly personally played every milestone build of every game in development at Nintendo during his tenure.
Most of these are footnotes from interviews or personal anecdotes that emerged years after the fact. I'm sure many many more will come out in light of his passing. This man may have been at the top, but his heart was always with the developers in the trenches. The game always came first.

Please understand that you directly touched our hearts. Thank you, Mr. Iwata.
 
B

Brofield

Member
SpacePirate Ridley said:
As an indie dev, I would not be were I am now if not for Nintendo and the magic of Iwata.
I was so sad that I couldn't work today, so I decided to make a small drawing that then turned bigger.
This feels for me like when Walt Disney died and couldnt conclude his dream city of the future, butI hope he can see from wherever he a bright and exciting future for everything he planned
Thanks Iwata, for everything.

iwata_small4nujr.png


And a 1080p version for anyone who wants it as wallpaper:
Click to expand...

Definitely making this my wallpaper, and cleaning up the icons so I can appreciate it in full.
 
R

reminder

Member
I don't even consider myself a huge Nintendo fan anymore, but the whole day was just awful for me after reading about his dead in the morning. It got even worse after coming home from work, seeing all those tribute pictures and videos, hearing all those beautiful music that was posted... i'm constantly tearing up since then.

I was reminded constantly of my childhood, when Nintendo meant everything to me and why i loved them. After the N64 era i moved slowly away from Nintendo, but never forgot about my roots. It was only in the Wii era when i fully stepped away from Nintendo. I feel like buying a Wii U now, just to buy some of his games on the VC...

By the way, as a kid i bought Kirby's Dream Land just because of the name alone. I didn't read any game magazines back then and didn't even looked at the back of the box before buying it with the little money i had. I just liked the name of the game and the cover art. It ended up being one of my favourite games on the Game Boy. I know Iwata is not credited in this, but i still want to thank him for his work on this gem.
 
C

Chaos17

Member
CloakBass said:
Feats of heroism performed by late Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata:


  • Was one of the founders (and sole programmer) for HAL Laboratories, creators of Kirby, which he built from a tiny Akihabara apartment into one of the most respected game developers in the business.
  • Saved HAL Labs from the brink of collapse by sealing a crucial deal with Nintendo. Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi agreed to the deal only on the condition that Iwata become the new president of HAL Labs. Yamauchi would eventually break family tradition and appoint him as his successor as President and CEO of Nintendo.
  • Completely reworked EarthBound from scratch in 6 months after the project had languished in development for 4 years.
  • Wrote the battle logic for Pokemon Stadium for Nintendo 64 in a week without any reference documents from the Game Boy games.
  • Brought in to optimize Pokemon Gold/Silver so the designers could fit in the entire map; the end result was so efficient they had room left over to add in the original map from Pokemon Red/Blue.
  • Acted as head of debugging for Super Smash Bros. Melee at the 11th hour to meet its ship date. Completed his job in 3 weeks. This was after he left HAL Labs to become a high-ranking executive at Nintendo.
  • Supposedly personally played every milestone build of every game in development at Nintendo during his tenure.
Most of these are footnotes from interviews or personal anecdotes that emerged years after the fact. I'm sure many many more will come out in light of his passing. This man may have been at the top, but his heart was always with the developers in the trenches. The game always came first.

Please understand that you directly touched our hearts. Thank you, Mr. Iwata.
Click to expand...

I would love to buy a book about Iwata life.
 
S

SmartWaffles

Member
Rösti;171758630 said:
I don't know if already posted, but NoA updated its press site with a more recent image of Mr. Iwata (this photo was taken on June 23 this year):

iwatajbjh2.jpg
Click to expand...

It pains me to see him like this.

It pains me even more thinking about him knowing himself is not long to this world.

It pains me even harder knowing he is gone after less than a month.
 
K

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
useyourfist said:
So sad, I have not been able to tell my son yet. He's only 8 but is very into Nintendo and knows who Iwata is, he always calls him Mr Nintendo and awaits his announcements of new games.

Rest in peace Iwata-San.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd stopped crying.

I would be devastated. At that age I was enjoying Kirby's Adventure and Kirby's Pinball Land.

Tell us if he takes it well, and if he doesn't, tell him we're right there with him.
 
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