TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka was banned from Gaming
Today I learned a fact that completely reframes modern game design: TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka, the creator of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, was banned from playing video games by his parents until he entered university. This revelation isn’t just internet trivia—it’s the Rosetta Stone for understanding why his games feel fundamentally different from everything else on the market.
Furthermore, this single constraint explains the deliberate difficulty, the environmental storytelling, and the patient world-building that define FromSoftware’s signature style. While other designers grew up button-mashing through power fantasies, Miyazaki developed his creative muscles through books, tabletop games, and pure imagination. Consequently, he approached game design not as a native speaker, but as a careful translator of experiences he’d only dreamed about.
TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka, the creator of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, was banned from playing video games: The Cultural Context
Japan in the 1980s and 90s was experiencing a gaming revolution. However, many parents viewed video games as expensive distractions from academic success. Miyazaki’s family embodied this educational philosophy perfectly. Instead of allowing weekend arcade trips, they prioritized textbooks and test scores.
This ban wasn’t cruel—it was strategic. Japanese culture emphasizes delayed gratification and disciplined study habits. Moreover, home consoles represented significant financial investments for middle-class families. Many parents chose pragmatism over entertainment, believing their children would thank them later.
Miyazaki watched game culture from the outside, observing friends swap cartridges and discuss boss strategies. Notably, this distance fostered a different relationship with interactive media. Rather than consuming games casually, he approached them as mysterious artifacts worthy of deep study.
Meanwhile, he filled the void with alternative creative pursuits. Books taught him narrative patience and world-building techniques. Tabletop games developed his understanding of rules systems and player psychology. Additionally, sketching honed his visual imagination and attention to environmental detail.
These substitute activities weren’t consolation prizes—they were superior training grounds. Reading demands active interpretation of incomplete information. Drawing requires you to communicate complex ideas through minimal visual cues. Both skills later became hallmarks of his design philosophy.
How Gaming Prohibition Shaped Revolutionary Design Philosophy
When Miyazaki finally encountered video games in university, he brought an outsider’s analytical eye to the medium. Consequently, he noticed design elements that native players took for granted. Why did certain jump arcs feel trustworthy? How did enemy placement create emotional tension without dialogue?
Scarcity had trained him to play attentively rather than casually. Instead of grinding through content, he studied each mechanic like a scholar examining ancient texts. This methodical approach revealed the underlying grammar of interactive design.
Furthermore, late exposure created an emotional charge around gaming that most designers never experience. Games became mythic objects rather than casual entertainment. This reverence explains why his worlds feel like half-remembered legends rather than power fantasies.
The ban also instilled a deep appreciation for environmental storytelling. Books had taught him that the most powerful narratives emerge through inference and interpretation. Similarly, his games trust players to decode meaning from visual fragments rather than explicit exposition.
Critics argue that this romanticizes childhood restriction, but the evidence speaks for itself. TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka, the creator of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, was banned from playing video games by his parents until he entered university—and this constraint produced some of gaming’s most innovative design philosophies.
Design DNA: How Restriction Echoes in Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring
First, consider how these games prioritize exploration over instruction. Dark Souls refuses to hold your hand because Miyazaki learned through patient observation rather than guided tutorials. Consequently, players must develop genuine curiosity about the world’s interconnected secrets.
This design philosophy extends to difficulty systems. Sekiro’s posture mechanics demand presence and precision—you cannot mindlessly grind your way to victory. Instead, success requires the same focused attention that Miyazaki brought to his late gaming encounters.
Moreover, Elden Ring’s open world maintains this disciplined approach. While the map offers generous exploration options, the game still requires players to “do the reading.” Waypoints exist, but understanding emerges through careful observation of environmental clues.
The fragmented storytelling technique directly reflects his literary background. Important lore hides in item descriptions and architectural details rather than cutscenes. This approach rewards the interpretive skills he developed through books and tabletop gaming.
Additionally, the multiplayer philosophy emphasizes isolation within community. Messages and summoning create a choir of strangers, but you remain fundamentally alone with your choices. This mirrors the experience of someone who observed gaming culture from the outside before participating.
Even UI decisions reflect restraint and respect for player intelligence. Minimal quest logs force you to remember important details. Sparse HUD elements ensure that environmental storytelling remains uncluttered. These choices demonstrate trust in player attention spans—a rare commodity in modern game design.
The kindness in these systems is real but hidden. Bonfires and Sites of Grace provide mercy for disciplined players rather than shortcuts for impatient ones. They function as study halls where reflection enhances understanding.
TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka, the creator of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, was banned from playing video games: Lessons for Modern Creators
For aspiring game designers, this story offers profound encouragement. An atypical background can become a competitive advantage rather than a liability. Late exposure to your chosen medium might actually sharpen your critical perspective.
Study broadly before building narrowly. Borrow pacing techniques from literature and composition principles from visual art. Then return to your primary medium with a more refined aesthetic compass. Cross-pollination often produces the most innovative results.
Parents and educators should consider structured scarcity rather than blanket restrictions. Limit screen time while simultaneously opening doors to books, art, and collaborative play. Subsequently, observe which creative outlets naturally attract your child’s attention.
However, restriction alone is insufficient—it must be paired with rich alternatives. Miyazaki’s parents didn’t just remove games; they cultivated environments where other creative skills could flourish. The ban worked because it redirected energy rather than simply suppressing it.
For players and critics, this context offers interpretive power without descending into hagiography. Personal history can inform our understanding of artistic choices while still allowing room for legitimate criticism. We can appreciate the craft without romanticizing every design decision.
The most valuable lesson transcends gaming entirely. Constraint can point toward originality if you embrace it strategically. Rather than viewing limitations as punishments, treat them as creative scaffolding that forces innovation within defined parameters.
Finally, remember that TIL that Miyazaki Hidetaka, the creator of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, was banned from playing video games by his parents until he entered university. This fact sounds like internet trivia, but it reveals fundamental truths about attention, patience, and the power of delayed gratification in creative development.
The games stand because the craft stands, not because of biographical mythology. Nevertheless, understanding the blueprint helps us recognize why these worlds demand such active participation from players. Miyazaki designs for attention because attention was his pathway into the medium.
Sometimes viral facts point toward deeper truths about creativity and constraint. In this case, the hook is also the thesis: limitation, properly channeled, can forge revolutionary artistic vision.
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