May 1st 1-2-3: An Appreciator, Before A Creator
1: The Art of Appreciation ( 3 minute read )
Hideo Kojima is the creator and director of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, as well as Death Stranding.
With the sequel to Death Stranding right around the corner, I find myself delving into the history of how he came to be this “industry pioneering figure” that we all know him to be today. I also find myself endlessly curious about his personal upbringing, his influences, as well as his creative process.
Kojima grew up as a latchkey kid in Japan during the 60s, and was armed with an absurd level of creativity as well as childlike curiosity which fueled his overindulgent approach to consuming art and media.
As an avid reader, part of him wanted to be a writer.
But as an obsessive consumer of movies, he also wanted to be a filmmaker.
Being alone most of the time, his parents would provide him with an allowance so he could go to the movies by himself. They would even allow him to watch essentially whatever movie he wanted with only one caveat, he would be required to have a critical conversation about what he thought about the movie afterwards with them.
With this rather unrestricted ability to consume whatever caught his eye, alongside his parents rule which had enforced within him the ability to look at art through a rather critical lens, he began his journey as an artist.
This journey that would later see him paving the way for the stealth genre within the interactive artform of Video Games, and creating a series that is very near and dear to my heart called Metal Gear Solid.
Now there is much more to his story, and I’m more that 100% confident that I’ll be covering these parts of his story with more detail in the future, however as I sit here writing these words you’re currently reading I find it very difficult to describe what a profound effect this man and his works have had on me as an artist.
Metal Gear Solid was something I knew of from a very young age due to my older brother and a close friend of his playing, and talking about it with such amazed reverence that it always piqued my interests.
Once I was a bit older and ready to experience this game for myself this close friend had explained to me all the reasons why MGS kicked ass. He even gave me access to his old Xbox account to play the HD Collection version of MGS 2,3, and Peace Walker.
After playing the games,….. I was utterly taken by these games.
The characters and art direction were just so damn cool.
The framing and writing of cutscenes were spectacularly filmic.
The philosophies the story was exploring were endlessly thought provoking from a small intimate scale, to a large world impacting scale.
As I began to research more into the mind behind these masterpieces, I began to fall into an even deeper love and appreciation for his works.
Over the years I’ve always just adored everything that came out of this man’s mind, and the question of ‘how could one man think to create so much amazing stuff?’ never ceased plaguing my mind. Until one day I was doing some more fun research in excited anticipation for Death Stranding 2, it finally clicked with me.
It all begins with a strong passion, and appreciation for what first inspired you.
Kojima had always wanted to be a filmmaker and a writer, but before any of that, he was a watcher of films and a reader of books.
He was an appreciator before he became a creator, and he’s never forgotten that.
In this particular sense, I realize that this fact is why I’ve always felt so damn kindred with this man.
I’ve been world building for a trilogy of books that may not ever see the light of day, and Kojima’s works have always been one of the leading inspirations for everything I’ve created thus far for this story. It’s almost nothing like MGS or Death Stranding, but that doesn’t change the fact the I just want it to effect the reader in a similar light.
If I could write something that gave me an even slightly similar emotional reaction as what I’ve experienced from Kojima’s works, then I’m a very happy camper.
Now, yeah sure, I’d love to release it to have others experience this world that I’ve built out of pure enjoyment of the process, but I also think it’s important to be okay with that never happening.
Why?
Well because it keeps the art authentic.
Kojima never forgot what made him want to create, and so he now creates for an audience of one. For himself first, others second, and that makes his art endlessly authentic as well as rich in emotion.
So why did you first want to create?
Who’s works have had this effect on you as an artist?
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. Make a small list of works that have inspired you most in the past, whether it be a Movie, and album of Music, a Video Game, whatever it is add it to the list.
II. Begin re-experiencing these works to fuel your inspirations!
3: Inspirational Quotes From Hideo Kojima
I. “I am a consumer of media before I am a creator.”
II. “Books kept the feelings of isolation and loneliness from crushing me. My father’s early death contributed to a lack of role models in my life. But inside books, I was able to find adults and teachers to guide me along.”
III. “Humanity needs more than merely information. We express original ideas, humor, and our personal wills. We express passions and emotions. A person’s point of view conveys all of these aspects of identity.”
Thank you so much for reading!