Theo Wargo/Getty Images for the Tribeca Film Festival)
Solid metal gear and Death Stranding Creator Hideo Kojima received the Minister of Education’s Award for Fine Arts, the nation’s highest artistic honour. The only previous game designer to receive the award is Mario and Zelda icon Shigeru Miyamoto, who was honored for his career in 2010.
In a tweet marking the occasion, Kojima dedicated himself to the future of digital entertainment and described games as an “immature medium”, but worth considering alongside other forms of culture:
Kojima began his gaming career with Konami in 1986, with his first scrolling MSX game project Penguin Adventuree, although he really made waves with his directorial debut in 1987 metal gear. Working within the technical limitations of the MSX personal computer, he designed a game in which the key to success is avoiding detection by guards. The Metal Gear formula was born and gave rise to a series of successes until 2015 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Along the way, he was also impressed with sci-fi detective games like Thief and policemen. He further teased his potential in the horror genre with the incredible PT. demo. Unfortunately, the mid-2010s saw his long relationship with Konami crumble as they shifted away from console gaming to focus on gaming and fitness.
Kojima soon separated to form his independent studio Kojima Productions. Their first release was critically acclaimed in 2019 death stranding, who was singled out by the Minister’s Selection Committee for his praise when it was decided to award him the Minister of Education Award.
Right now, the future looks bright. Kojima is said to have two titles in development, and his company has opened an office in Los Angeles to turn the properties he created into movies and TV shows. Expect these new titles to be announced this year.
If you want our full list of its best games, check out our full ranking of Kojima’s titles here.
