Legendary Nintendo fellow Shigeru Miyamoto says that he doesn't play video games anymore except for when his grandkids come over. The veteran game designer is well known for his multiple hobbies outside of gaming, and has previously said he looks to hire those who have interests other than video games.
In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Miyamoto talks about his current gaming habits. When asked if he plays the Nintendo Switch he says, "well, I don't really play games by myself anymore," with a slight chuckle.
Though he doesn't game in his free time, he still keeps video games around the home to play with his grandchildren. "If there are video games in their house my grandkids play them too much, so I keep them at mine and say 'if you want to play games, come to grandad's house,'" he explains. "The little ones can't finish games themselves, so I think it makes them happy when we complete them together. They're really scared of the boss from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, so I do that one for them."
It might initially come as a bit of a surprise to hear that the Zelda and Mario maker isn't a huge gamer these days, but Miyamoto is well known for his hobbies besides video games as he uses them to inspire his game design. His love for playing instruments inspired Wii Music, Nintendogs came from his love of dogs, and Pikmin was thought up thanks to his time spent outside in the garden.
What's more, in a New York Times interview from 2017, Miyamoto expressed how he looks for those who have outside hobbies when it comes to hiring at Nintendo. "I always look for designers who aren't super passionate game fans," he said. "I make it a point to ensure they're not just a gamer, but that they have a lot of different interests and skill sets." He even explained that some of the people he hired had never played a video game before joining Nintendo.
Even if he isn't really a gamer anymore, we love that he is sharing his love of gaming with his grandkids.
