Mario Creator Ponders Real-World Issues, <cite>Zelda</cite> Sales

Just because Shigeru Miyamoto tends to make happy, sunhine-y games, that doesn't mean there aren't social issues that concern him. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Mario creator said that if he was going to design a game that addressed a real-world issue, it might be one that taught kids and young adults to respect their elders, or perhaps taught social responsibility, like the need to pay taxes.

He also pondered why Twilight Princess is not selling particularly well in Japan:

Well, I think a lot of people who bought the Wii are not necessarily the types of people who are interested in playing that kind of game.
And a lot of the people who would want to play it [due to chronic shortages of the console] can't find a Wii! But mostly, I think it's that there are fewer and fewer people who are interested in playing a big role-playing game like Zelda.

To be honest, I did find Twilight Princess to be a bit too enormous. Between hunting down Poes, finding heart pieces, catching bugs, and progressing through the actual storyline, it can be a bit exhausting. Doesn't mean it isn't an amazing game, of course, but has the time come to make a smaller Zelda?

The Man Who Made "Mario" Super [Entertainment Weekly]