Elden Ring recently got its much-anticipated DLC in the form of Shadow of the Erdtree which has already garnered massive popularity amongst the Soulslike players, or at least, we have the trailer for it anyway.
However, Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the game, is not as proud of his work as anyone else would be.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Isn’t Proud of Elden Ring? Seriously?
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, he explains that he doesn’t allow his games to be played in his own household. Apparently, he is embarrassed that his family would see an unsavory side of him, the side that he uses to create his supremely difficult video games.
The famously camera-shy director explained his ’embarrassment’ in an up close and personal interview where he speaks about a number of things, including death being an integral part of his Soulslikgameses.
Any game director worth their salt would automatically be proud of the game that they have created. Especially if the game is a globe-trotting juggernaut like Elden Ring.
However, Miyazaki has shown us time and again that his variance from the common norm is what makes him such a genius. And, quite fittingly, in a way only he can, he explains his ’embarrassment’ for the Soulslike games and their future.
When asked whether his family enjoys playing his games, he laughingly said, “Not quite old enough” reiterating his daughter being only three years of age. However, he further explains that it isn’t the only reason.
I don’t want to let my family play my games, because I feel like they’d see a bad part of me, something that’s almost unsavory. I don’t know. I’d feel embarrassed. So I say: no Dark Souls in the house.
Showing his human side, he explains why he wishes to keep his professional side different from his personal life. Explaining that he has to tap into the deepest, darkest corners of his psyche to come up with critically-acclaimed games like Dark Souls 2, Demon’s Souls, and Elden Ring, he says that he doesn’t want his family to see him the way that fans do.
And that is quite understandable. Fans worship him as a hero for revolutionizing the gaming industry and gifting the community with some of the most difficult games to have ever existed. However, his games are famous for their dark undertones. Especially because of them being rooted in the human experience through shame, failure, and even death.
Drawing Inspiration From Personal Calamities
A feature of Miayzaki’s games when connected to the internet is that players can call upon other players to help them during particularly taxing levels and boss fights. Players cannot talk to these phantoms of other players, so the difficulty is leavened by trust. Once the mission is over, these other players dissipate in a shower of light.
The idea behind this feature came from a harrowing personal experience when his car got stuck in snow on a mountainside some years back.
He recalls the experience as a group of strangers banded together to push his car to the top after silently disappearing into the night.
What do you think of Miyazaki’s statements? Would you have been proud of yourself in front of your family if you were in Hidetaka Miyazaki’s shoes? Do you think he should be proud of his creation?
