Shinji Mikami, best known for Resident Evil, has stated his belief during an interview that game creators peak when they hit their 30s.
In the first part of an interview by YouTube channel Archipel caravan, Mikami shared his thoughts of his 30-year career. Therein he discusses getting into games, his first job at Capcom (despite failing the application test); and the development and inspirations for Resident Evil (1996), Dino Crisis, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, and Resident Evil 4.
He also discusses horror, horror as a genre in video games, the differences between a director and producer (and arguments between the two), and the Resident Evil brand as a whole. You can find the entire video below.
At 13:49, Mikami shares his thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages on younger game creators compared to older ones. While younger ones have more stamina and pitch wilder ideas, they lack experience. Likewise, older developers have the experience, but tend to be perfectionists, have less stamina, and pitch ideas with less risks.
Overall, Mikami says a developer in their 30s is when a creator is at their “peak.” He considers this true for himself, when he was director on Resident Evil 4 at 39 years of age.
“You change depending on the experience that you acquire. When you’re young, you have a good sense of making things, your energy, your hear and your stamina are better when you’re young. However, you lack in experience so even if you have a good sense, you’re not mature enough to compile things or show things simply to players.
On the other hand, when you gain experience, you become more effective in satisfying players. However, your taste starts to fade away. Making a game also requires a lot of energy, you spend a lot of time, so it takes a harder toll on your stamina.
Overall, I believe game creators peak during their thirties, if you combine all skills. I made Resident Evil 4 when I was 39, I believe I fit in that peak. I could state some examples for some other creators besides me, but generally I think that you see a lot of creators who make their best game during their thirties.
After 40, you realize how much energy is required when making a game, honestly it becomes tougher. You get a wider perspective on things with experience. However, the more you want a game to be perfect, the less you’re able to approve on things. You always find flaws.
For younger people with less experience, they trust their instincts and tend to easily think that they’re doing great. From a veteran perspective, you would see risks on multiple ends, but you get short-sighted. So it’s usually tough to get crazy ideas and deploy them onto a project, it’s full of holes. But once you get over that, you can ship out a whole new title.
Alternatively, seniors overthink and ultimately start later on. They spend time into building something perfect in order to make decisions. In the end, things may start quicker when you don’t have experience.”
Mikami is best known as the director for Resident Evil (1996 and the 2002 remake); acting as a producer, director, or advisor for the series up to Resident Evil 4. Mikami was also the director of Dino Crisis, P.N.03 (and after Resident Evil 4), God Hand, Vanquish, and The Evil Within. Mikami’s next work will be the upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Can you think of creators who fit into or defy what Mikami proposes? Shout out in the comments below!
