Shigeru Miyamoto Had a Different Outlook for Goldeneye 64
Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed creator of Mario, wanted to make some changes to the classic N64 game Goldeneye 007. Developed by Rare, it was extremely popular for its time, notably for its four-player multiplayer. It was an adaptation of Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond movie, and revolutionized shooters on consoles.
Although Miyamoto didn’t have anything to do with the game, Nintendo published it. And in a recent New Yorker article that explores Trump’s focus on the link between violent video games and mass shootings, an interesting bit of information was revealed.
Apparently, GoldenEye lead developer Martin Hollis received a fax from Shigeru Miyamoto, saying that he thought the game was “tragic” and “horrible.” He also suggested that Rare force players to shake hands with their victims as they lay recovering in hospital beds. But this never happened.
Since Trump’s focus on violent video games, many people in the industry have been voicing their opinions. Warren Specter, creator of Deus Ex, called the video reel played at the White House meeting “disgusting.”
“I don’t believe games cause violent behavior. Not for one second,” he said. “However, the videogame reel shown at the White House on Thursday is simply disgusting. Every shot is in colossally bad taste and everyone associated with those games should be ashamed of themselves. They hurt us.”
In response to people pointing to the fact that his game, Deus Es, allows the killing of children, he said the following:
“And, easy for me to say, but true: I’m ashamed of the kid-killing possibility and wouldn’t do it again. Can’t promise, but I don’t think I’ll ever make another game where you can kill virtual people at all.”
Goldeneye 007 was released for N64 and can also be purchased on the Wii. A remake of the game was released for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.