Legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of "Mario" and "Zelda", recently revealed that the creation of early Nintendo games was deeply inspired by old-fashioned cartoons, calling them "vital inspirational fuel." In a 1989 interview that was recently translated into English, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that ideas from comic anime helped build the unrealistic yet believable game worlds.
Shigeru Miyamoto emphasized that the key to early games was not to follow the laws of physics, but to create distinct and memorable experiences for players. He cited Mario's jumping in "Donkey Kong" and "Mario Brothers" as examples: "If Mario could only jump as high as his own height, that would be okay. But when he can jump three or four times as high, the world becomes unrealistic, and that's what makes it interesting."
In Miyamoto's view, programmers are the gods of the world they create. In order for players to want to immerse themselves in them, these worlds must be convincing, but they don't necessarily have to be realistic. That's why the Nintendo team drew inspiration from comedy films and cartoons, including Chaplin films and Tom and Jerry. These materials help build an "unrealistic daily life" in which absurd but interesting events occur, thus creating a unique gaming experience.
Miyamoto concluded that combining unrealistic action with the logic of the world was the key to creating compelling games, and it was this philosophy that helped Nintendo create its iconic franchise.