A Beautiful Letter from Satoru Iwata to a Young Fan from 2013 Surfaces
The late Satoru Iwata was beloved by many and his love and passion for video games and making people happy shined through every aspect of his life. Just recently, @Kumozawa1203 tweeted out a letter that he had received from Satoru Iwata in 2013:
Hello. This is Iwata from Nintendo. Thank you for the letter. I’m very happy that you chose Nintendo for your “Hello Work at 12” project.
Translation by @Cheesemeister3k
In middle school, I developed an interest in computers, and before long I’d decided to study computers seriously in college. While I was a college student, I realized how fun it was to make video games, and chose that for my job.
Making video games is a job that requires a lot of energy, but for me it was even more fun than playing them. That and the fact that other people could also enjoy what I’d made gave me a sense of purpose.
Game development requires the drawing together of many different fields. You need people to think up game designs, people to draw pictures, people to make music and sound effects, people to program, people to test the game people to make sure that the whole team is working together well, and so on.
That’s why I don’t think there’s a right answer to the question of what you should study. I do think that you’ll be able to find what you’re good at by thinking deeply about all the things you’re interested in, not settling for spending your days without increasing your knowledge, making lots of discoveries, and repeating that process. While what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing might not necessarily be the same, I’ve had the experience of others recognizing things I’m good at, even if I didn’t actually like it at first. That’s one reason why you should continue studying and gaining experience without bias.
Please do your best.
The fan shares that this letter from Satoru Iwata is a “treasure of a lifetime” and that they currently keep it displayed in a picture frame.
I think this goes to show just how much love Satoru Iwata had for his fans and that it’s important to remember that no matter how busy you are, you can always take out some time to be there for the ones who care for and respect you.