Super Mario Bros. | ­including Duck Hunt | RPG | Luigi''s Mansion

Over the next 25 years, Miyamoto's design philosophy led to a string of breakthrough hits, including 1985's Super Mario Bros., the most successful video game ever (and one that set the archetype for countless platform-hopping romps to come); 1987's The Legend of Zelda, stemming from Miyamoto's youthful ventures into the pitch-black caves near his home and which sees players exploring forests, mountains, and dungeons while fighting fearsome beasts; and, of course, 1996's seminal Super Mario 64, heralded by critics and consumers alike as the first game in which 3-D gaming showed its true potential. Even his less historically renowned outings, ­including Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, PilotWings 64, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, F-Zero, and Luigi's Mansion, still rank among the biz's best.

Miyamoto attributes his ongoing triumphs to a simple design philosophy. "Most important is that a game be fun to play and that its environment be used to effectively capture an audience's attention," he says. "Players can't be forced into activity … they have to voluntarily want to enter the interactive space and explore. Flashy graphics and fancy sound effects aren't the answer - interactivity is. Encouraging players to immerse themselves within virtual universes is crucial."

HENCE THE THINKING behind the just-released Wii, which aims to speak to the entire family, not just to tech-savvy teens and 20-somethings, as its chief competitors PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are prone to doing. "[Microsoft and Sony] have done little to expand their core market," explains Miyamoto. "They continue to play to the same general users. At Nintendo, we believe in speaking to people of all ages and interests, whether you're five years old or 95. There's a new, ever-growing audience for video games out there. We're leading by example and hope to inspire generations of developers to come."