Mario and Zelda creator receives one of Japan's highest honors

Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most influential figures in video game history, having shaped entire generations of gamers through characters like Mario and Link. Now, his work is receiving a very special form of recognition: On October 23, the 73-year-old was announced as a recipient of Japan's Order of Culture, one of the country's highest national honors. The news was reported by Japanese gaming outlet Denfaminicogamer, which attended the announcement in person. Miyamoto is the first representative of the video game industry to receive the award.

Established in 1937, the Order of Culture recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to Japan's cultural development. Previous recipients include Nobel Prize winner Hideki Yukawa and baseball legend Sadaharu Oh. The official award ceremony is scheduled for November 3, Japan's Culture Day, at the Imperial Palace. Incidentally, this isn't the first time Miyamoto has received national recognition for his work. In 2019, he became the first person from the video game industry to be named a Person of Cultural Merit. The Order of Culture, however, is an even more prestigious distinction.

At a press conference held at Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto a day before the official announcement, Miyamoto appeared visibly moved. According to Denfaminicogamer, he admitted that receiving the award was almost a little embarrassing, while also describing it as a tremendous honor. He also emphasized that his achievements were by no means his alone, pointing to the many developers and other staff members who contributed to games such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. The community is celebrating Miyamoto's recognition as well. Many fans believe an award of this magnitude was long overdue, with some comparing the video game veteran to influential figures such as Walt Disney and George Lucas. Anyone looking to celebrate Miyamoto's achievement by playing one of his games might want to check out the latest additions to Nintendo Switch Online.

As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart - in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I'm not sitting at my computer, I'm probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life - namely sitting for long periods - at the local swimming pool.