Hideo Kojima
Hideo’s inclusion in this list is actually for very different reasons than you may think. Of course, he’s influenced countless people with his Metal Gear Solid series and focus on cinematic storytelling, his metagame antics that shroud all of his works in mind-bending mystery, and his consistent ability to innovate in interesting and effective ways that other artists could only dream of. He’s one of the most beloved personalities in gaming, his mere presence at conferences met with standing ovations. But do you follow him on Twitter?
Kojima’s career is a legacy unto itself and is sure to be a North Star for aspiring game designers for eons to come, but Kojima’s Twitter account is easily one of the most fascinating things about him, and if I could describe it in one word, that word would be “appreciation.” The same way that Geoff appreciates the hardworking artists of the gaming industry, Kojima appreciates just about everything in life, and if you look at it closely, there’s a lot to be learned from him through his Twitter account not only about Kojima himself but about life and how to love it.
For starters, I have never seen him tweet a single negative word about anyone or anything. That’s not to say that should be the expectation of all people, it’s particularly challenging in the modern world especially when so many issues need constant addressing, but if you’ve played Kojima’s games, you know he’s not ignorant to politics or society’s shortcomings. His Twitter doesn’t look like that of an ignorant man, but one who has chosen celebration over anything else – and there’s a certain kind of zen that comes with it that’s hard to describe. It doesn’t feel like someone trying to push a product or a brand, something many other developers in the industry fall into (which is okay too, they should be proud of themselves and their team’s efforts!), there’s no cynicism or snarky sarcasm regarding the latest trending topic. It feels like a fan who is always excited to share the things they love with as many people as possible, whether that be movies, music, games, Mads Mikkelsen or Norman Reedus (seriously, he heart-eyes’ those guys so much). He also likes to post pictures of meals he’s enjoyed or flowers he’s come across – both of which are totally hyper-normal in the modern age but-but it makes him that much more relatable and coming from him, it’s as if he sees everything put in front of him as an opportunity to be creative.
Bought this year’s advent calendar pic.twitter.com/7IjiIMHfMB
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) October 14, 2018
And all in all, this is what makes Kojima and his social media presence so great – when you think of him or see him on stage at E3, you see a creative powerhouse of a man with a mountainous legacy, and you picture him behind a camera or a programming, elegantly directing the next memorable moment in one of his outlandish games. But when you look at his Twitter, it’s harder to imagine that same person is still there because you see him doing all the things you do – posting pictures of your meals, going to the movies, making power poses with your friends, and scrolling through Twitter retweeting the shit out of anything that tickles your fancy – and knowing Kojima, that just may be the point. If this were one of his crazy metagames, it would likely be his way of saying that he is just like you, and you are just like him, the only difference being who is actually taking the time to make the art they want to see in the world.
There’s also a plethora of other people and organizations who do some truly stellar work bringing video games to the sick, disabled, and less fortunate including Extra Life, AbleGamers, Special Effect, Games Done Quick and Child’s Play, just to name a few, as well as the game developers who go the extra mile like the Overwatch team and their Pink Mercy fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty Endowment initiative. As I said before, there’s dozens of other people who deserve to be on this list as well, and I’m sure there are a few people you’re itching to tell me I missed, so please let me know in the comments!