Hideo Kojima is one of the greatest game developers of all time. He’s given us classics in the form of the Metal Gear franchise, been a producer on the Zone of the Enders games and of course is the creator of Death Stranding and its sequel. Modern gaming is likely not the same without him. And yet in this GQ interview, he openly ponders his mortality. Within this, he eventually comes to speaking about inspiration and it got me thinking about what it means to be inspired by something or someone.
Kojima’s “small fire”
At the end of the interview, Kojima is asked how he wants to be remembered. It’s a fairly standard question for anyone. Especially those who have had such a large cultural imprint the way he has. But his answer was very intriguing:
“I am not going to pass the baton to anyone. I will rather crush the baton… [Laughs.] I don’t need to give “Hideo Kojima” to anyone.“
When asked to clarify he continued:
“Every day, if I tweet something that I like, a director or an actor or a musician contacts me. They say, “I’m a creator because of your games.” But they didn’t receive the baton of Hideo Kojima. They received my small fire. They’re not copying me. They’re not trying to be me. They have this fire, and they light up their own. And they’ll probably give that to someone else. There were legendary comic book artists when I was a boy. I didn’t become a comic book artist – I was inspired by them, I was influenced.“
the importance of inspiration
I read that quote and was floored. It’s something I hadn’t given much thought to in that way. The idea that being inspired by something or someone is not about emulation. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized that Kojima is 100 percent correct. I can look at the numerous external influences in my life and say what I took from them to get to this point, but by that same token, I got here by being me. By lighting up my own fire.
Looking back on my life, knowing that I’ve wanted to write about video games early on, I was inspired mainly by Dan “Shoe” Hsu. His work at EGM made me realize this was possible in the first place. I’d stockpile magazines and read everything he wrote. I developed my own sense of humor, my own ideas, but his small fire helped me light mine on the path to games journalism.
I think about Kobe Bryant, my favorite basketball player. His competitiveness, curiosity and drive to be the best possible version of himself were all influences on how I went about getting here. This was not easy. I did this independently for 12 years before ever getting a paid job. I had a goal in mind, and I had a particular way I wanted to go about it. And the whole time, I knew what I was willing to do and what I wasn’t willing to compromise to get it.
The big one
And then I think about the biggest external influence of all, Michael Jackson. I listened to his music all the time growing up. I still do. Creatively, he’s the inspiration epicenter for me. Everything I’ve done stems from one quote from him: “Study the greats and become greater”. I remind myself of that quote every time I’m tired or when things start feeling tight. It reminds me that I want to be the best at everything I do.
And I couldn’t do that if I didn’t love what it is I do. That is the foundation on which I stand when it comes to writing, video editing or anything I do creatively. That is the thing all three of my inspirations have in common. These are the small fires that helped me light my own. And it’s not like I think I’m curing cancer or something macro level important. But writing about games is what I’m here to do. All I can do is attack it with all the enthusiasm and love that I have for it.
I’m glad I saw that interview. And I thank Hideo Kojima for framing things in that way. I hope as many people as possible read it and come away from it with a renewed passion for the things they love. Ideally, it makes you want to go even harder after whatever it is that drives you. Who knows how long we all have? Why waste another second not chasing the fire within you?
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