Every year to mark Culture Day in Japan, the government—on behalf of the Emperor of Japan—honors people whose cultural contributions have had a major impact on shaping the national image of the country. This year, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto was recognized for his contributions to gaming. During a public press conference expressing his gratitude for receiving the honor (transcribed by Denfaminico Gamer), the longtime developer reflected on the evolution of the games industry over the past 50 years, as well as the future of the industry as a result of AI.

“Video games are not a thing that can be developed alone, but are the result of groups of people coming together to create,” Miyamoto said at the ceremony, stating that he received the award as a “representative” of all the people he worked with to make his various games. “Especially recently, I’ve been working Universal Studios Japan on Super Nintendo World and with many people in different fields of work. I want to share the joy of this award with those people, as well.”

Reflecting that it had been almost 50 years since he joined Nintendo in 1977, he said that his was a “lucky life to have lived,” one in which he’s been able to have an influence on shaping the evolution of gaming. When he first started working at Nintendo, the company was most known for board games and playing cards—games that belonged in the living room, with friends and family coming together to play them. To him, developing video games has always been about shaping experiences around the living room and people in that space, making sure those games don’t look out of place in the center of a person’s home.

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