Shigeru Miyamoto Nominated For Time 100

Legendary Nintendo developer and current company executive Shigeru Miyamoto has been shortlisted for inclusion in the Time 100 list of the magazine’s most influential people of 2006, primarily for his influence on the success of the Wii. The often controversial Time 100 list, which is separate from Time’s Person of the Year award, has run annually since 1999 and is based on a person’s influence, for better or worse, on the year’s events. Nominees are organized into five groups: leaders and revolutionaries; builders and titans; artists and entertainers; scientists and thinkers; and heroes and icons. The current shortlist runs to 203 nominees with Shigeru Miyamoto described by the magazine’s website as being the “most successful game designer, creator of Super Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, whose new platform, the Wii, is currently the top-selling game console”. No mention is made of the Nintendo DS, specific software titles which Miyamoto has worked on in 2006, or his exact involvement in the creation of the Wii hardware. However, a list of features which could preclude his inclusion in the final list reads as follows: “His perfectionist tendencies often result in games being significantly delayed and, despite the Wii's gameplay innovation, its graphics are far behind the competition.” Readers of the website are allowed to vote for those they think should be included from the shortlist, with Miyamoto currently the second most popular nominee. Emmy-winning comedian Stephen Colbert is currently the number one choice amongst Internet voters, followed by Miyamoto, Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling, U2 frontman Bono and NHL hockey star Sidney Crosby.