Jul 24th 1-2-3: Hideo Kojima - Becoming Solid
Welcome back to the Compendium!
As I sit and porter packages across these lands within Death Stranding 2, I find a deep sense of relaxation, intrigue, and inspiration.
With my rewarding treks across these treacherous plains of beautiful vistas, I’m reminded of my deep admiration, and kindred affectations towards their creator.
With this reminder, comes a reminder of where my admiration first began, the Metal Gear Solid franchise. So I figure, lets begin going through this whole franchise.
So what’s the story behind Metal Gear Solid.
1: Becoming 'Solid' ( 4 minute read )
It’s 1986, and junior planner Hideo Kojima is handed the opportunity to lead direct a project titled MSX2 for Konami.
Hideo had grown up with his biggest influences being the plethora of films, books, and music he grew up consuming. So when being handed this project, his first inclination was to pull from films like The Great Escape and Escape From New York as primary influences to the themes, aesthetic, and gameplay of this project.
The big difference from most games of this time was Kojima’s reimagining of the common combat-focused gameplay, to a more stealth-focused form of gameplay. His philosophy in creating this type of gameplay experience was “if the enemy is too strong, the only option is to hide”.
With all the pieces in place, Kojima titled this project, ‘Metal Gear’. A stealth game that explored the topics of world espionage, and advanced bipedal nuclear armaments called ‘Metal Gear’.
Upon release, the game marked Hideo’s first major success, and was followed by a (Japan Only) sequel titled ‘Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake’ which allowed him to further develop this new stealth-focused gameplay.
It also allowed him to refine his approach to character driven storytelling, as well as lay the groundwork for the themes of nuclear deterrence that would persist into the future of this franchise.
In ‘Metal Gear’, Becoming ‘Solid’
It’s now around 1994-95.
Sometime after ‘Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake’, he began conceptualizing what a ‘Metal Gear 3’ would be like. During this time he saw a newly released 3D fighter called, ‘Virtua Fighter’, and was instantly entranced by the concept of a 3D Metal Gear.
This fascination quickly became an obsession the more he thought about how he could inject more of his film influences to create a more cinematic form of gameplay.
“It made me realize that the era of 3D games had truly begun. I thought, ‘This is it. This is how I can finally make the game I always wanted."
Kojima threw together his proof of concept, which contained conceptual sketches and story notes. Initially imagining this ‘3D Metal Gear’ as a full remake of the first Metal Gear but with 3D models, voice acting, immersive gameplay and storytelling, as well as unique camera angles that pulled from his deep love of film.
He then pitched the idea to Konami, got greenlit, and moved full steam ahead. With only a small team at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, and a newly added lead artist named Yoji Shinkawa, he chose to title the game ‘Metal Gear Solid’.
“I added ‘Solid’ not just for Solid Snake, but to signify that the game was finally in 3D – a ‘solid’ world."
The Perfection of ‘Metal Gear Solid’
By 1997, Kojima was deep in development focused on refining his approach to developing the stealth gameplay he had become known for, and in particular, reimagining it for a 3D space. He imagined a 3D Metal Gear as being more immersive in its gameplay through the use of cones of vision, noise mechanics, and context-sensitive dialogue.
He was also deep in further deepening the characters, world, and philosophies he had been building for a number of years at this point.
Kojima approached the development of MGS much more so like how he’d wanted to approach directing a movie, and with that he also approached the casting for both the Japanese and English voice acting as such.
He personally oversaw the casting process focusing heavily on naturalistic delivery from the actors.
“I didn’t want ‘game voices’—I wanted film performances.”
By late 1997, the game was formally revealed with it’s first trailer at Tokyo Game Show. Filled with the particular anxiety that comes from this kind of event, Kojima was also overwhelmed by the public response.
People were VERY interested to say the least.
The Final Push, Release, and Reflection
In the final stretch of MGS development, Hideo resorted to sleeping in the office as an effort to chase, and eventually achieve, the desires of the perfectionist within him.
“It was mentally and physically exhausting. But I believed in it. I had to see it through.”
The last stretch of the development cycle was brutal on the team, but by release, it was all worth it.
In August of 1998, Metal Gear Solid is released to an almost instant critical acclaim in Japan. The following U.S. release cementing MGS as a global phenomenon.
As Kojima reflects on the game, he considers it to be a grand personal victory, proving to himself that video games can be sophisticated, emotionally moving works of art just like the films that informed himself and his creative act.
“Metal Gear Solid was about more than war. It was about the human soul, about isolation, about choosing your own path in a world of orders.”
I believe that Hideo, and his resilience, creativity, and influences have clearly changed the Video Game industry forever.
He paved the way, and showed the whole world what video games could be and has, since the release of MGS, been way ahead of the pack in terms of immersion, storytelling, and creating fully realized worlds.
Much like the common thread within most of my entries, Hideo was always creating for himself first.
MGS was born from his love for various arts, as well as his drive to emulate what had inspired him in his formative years as a creative.
Hideo maintained his creative drive throughout his life by consuming, creating, and throwing away a lot of art. He wanted to create, and so he did. He wanted to be a filmmaker, but was provided the opportunity to create within the medium of video games, and so he didn’t let the medium restrict his creativity.
He let it fuel his art, and changed the industry forever.
2: Creative Prompts From Us (ex. Write a short story, a poem, a song, or draw a quick illustration of these! Let your imagination run free.)
I. Think of one of your favorite films—especially something grounded in tension, escape, or espionage—and imagine it as if it were a video game concept being pitched today. What would the core gameplay mechanics be? Would it be stealth-based, dialogue-driven, or cinematic in tone—and how would the player feel while playing it?
II. Take a scene you've written (or write a new one) and challenge yourself to remove violence or direct confrontation as a problem-solving method. Instead, have your character use stealth, trickery, persuasion, or escape. See how much more creative tension you can generate when force is no longer an option.
3: Inspirational Quotes From Others
I. “My parents were huge fans of westerns, European cinema, and horror in particular. They wouldn’t just show me kids’ films.”
II. “I don’t think of my games as dark. Fiction can also be a tool at the forefront of the fight to correct the problems of reality.”
III. “Games shouldn’t only be fun. They should teach or spark an interest in other things.”
Thank you so much for reading!