3. Solitary Thoughts

Itoi:

You tend to make lots of discoveries on the weekend because you’re alone, but you also run across unpleasant things, like your flaws.

Miyamoto:

Yeah.

Iwata:

That’s right.

Itoi:

Such as, “I wonder if what I’ve been doing is totally wrong.” You think such negative thoughts on the weekend.

Miyamoto:

Yes, that’s right.

Itoi:

I’m talking about myself, you know.

Iwata:

(laughs)

Itoi:

When I get down, it tends to be on the weekend. And the response on Twitter makes me think, “How can you say that?”

Iwata:

Oh, is that so?

Itoi:

Yeah. People who are usually at work find themselves alone on the weekend, so their emotions begin to stir. Usually when there’s a problem, they have co-workers to talk to, so they can get over one thing after the next, saying, “This is like this so we should do this.” If they talk to someone, they figure it out.

Iwata:

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Itoi:

But on weekends, I can only run across people who can’t figure out what I have to talk about. Of course, that isn’t an entirely bad thing, but the dog I’m taking out for a walk and my family members can’t. Weekends are the time when each of us is caught up in some kind of natural phenomenon as an individual.

Iwata:

Hmm.

Itoi:

On weekend nights, I think all sorts of stuff, like how alone I am. (laughs) Like, “I don’t have any friends...”

Miyamoto:

(laughs)

Iwata:

(laughs)

Itoi:

I do have family and friends, but in the end, it’s about what you yourself are going to do. It’s like in the Mother2 (EarthBound) game when you run out of health and collapse, then light hits you from above. 2Mother (EarthBound): An RPG that Shigesato Itoi helped design. Three instalments have appeared. The first one was named Mother and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in July 1989 in Japan.

Iwata:

You start thinking.

Itoi:

Yes. It is surprisingly enjoyable to be in that kind of situation, though.

Iwata:

Yes, that’s right.

Itoi:

You think, make some notes, tidy your thoughts, read a book, and as the result of that evasion, you discover something. Again...I’m talking about myself.

Everyone:

(laughs)

Itoi:

I assume the same is true for you two as well. In other words, you when you’re alone - what you think in an independent state - is incredibly important.

Iwata:

Yes.

Itoi:

If we had to be at work every single day, it would be no good for anyone.

Miyamoto:

Mm-hm.

Iwata:

You need different states.

Itoi:

Right. Talking to others alone isn’t enough. You have to be in a natural state. Companies and teams are man-made.