Lines went around the block and twisted in front of the ballroom for the much anticipated headlining keynote by Nintendo Creative Lead Shigeru Miyamoto. With glowing praise from Game Developers Conference director Jamil Moledina, Mr. Miyamoto commenced with his keynote address. Conducting his presentation using the Photo Channel embedded in Wii, he discussed the shifts in the game industry and paradigms of game design. Explaining how Nintendo’s vision for games dramatically departs from its competitors, his speech focused on his experiences in development and desire to drive gaming in new directions.

Mr. Miyamoto described three key elements that distinguish Nintendo’s strategy. First, he stated the commitment to expanding the audience of players must be a priority when crafting games. Touting a “Wife-o-meter” to gauge interest in games he had designed, Mr. Miyamoto mentioned specific Nintendo titles that have increasingly gained his wife’s curiosity. From Tetris to Animal Crossing to Brain Age, his aim has been to raise the appeal of games to new people, using his wife as an indicator.

The second element characterizing how Nintendo’s vision, Mr. Miyamoto outlined is balance. Referring to previous platforms, he pointed out how the design of controllers required balance of input from different teams within Nintendo. With the shift to Wii, balance is a critical component of the company’s strategy in building a working platform, solid first-party software library, and courting third-party support. Unfortunately, the updated software release calendar for Wii and Nintendo DS unveiled yesterday casts some doubt as to the company’s ability to actually do this. None of the company’s major first-party titles are slated for release in the first half of this year, arguably creating a software drought; moreover, a lack of any significant third-party releases for Wii in the next few months may prove to be a significant problem.

Rounding his trio of strategic elements, Mr. Miyamoto stated risk was a key component of Nintendo’s vision. “None of the risks Nintendo has taken rivals that which was taken by Wii,” he triumphantly asserted. He claimed that worries over the design of Wii were dispelled when it was officially revealed in playable form at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Exposition. Risk doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative experience; rather, Mr. Miyamoto revealed that his primary focus in innovating and taking risks in game design is creating an entertaining experience. The risk taken is in attempting to create a unique, fun game. Imagining a happy player’s face motivates Mr. Miyamoto in crafting these sorts of experiences.

While few details were discussed, development of a new Wii Channel was mentioned. You’ll be able to compare Miis and rank your favorites; moreover, Miis will be rated on their popularity. New footage of Super Mario Galaxy was then shown following this announcement, demonstrating the new platform mechanics of the series. Mario will traverse across a variety of spherical worlds collecting shines. A variety of worlds were shown ranging from a magma-riddled planet to a wide-open space of asteroids. Mr. Miyamoto reiterated that Super Mario Galaxy will see release before the end of the year.

In concluding his address, Mr. Miyamoto highlighted the changes Wii is making to games. Titles like Super Mario Galaxy and the forthcoming Wii Channel involving Mii popularity will certainly encourage new players. Unfortunately, until these applications hit Wii, Nintendo’s strategy won’t take effect. With a severe lack of significant titles through the first half of this year, we can only hope that the entertaining experiences Mr. Miyamoto is promising come to us soon. - Tracy Erickson