Hideo Kojima might be turning 63, but he's not slowing down anytime soon
The legendary video game auteur reflects on the passage of time as he reaches 63 years old.
As the old saying goes, if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. There are few people that embody that phrase as well as Hideo Kojima.
Today, August 24th, marks the 63rd birthday of Kojima, the mastermind behind legendary videos game franchises Metal Gear and Death Stranding, but don't let his age fool you — Kojima has no plans of slowing down.
In a Twitter post yesterday, Kojima discussed striking a meaningful balance between doing the things he wants to do and the things he finds himself needing to do, all wrapped up in the most precious commodity available in this life: time. Kojima's tweet reads:
I turned 63. As I get older, the things I “have to do” and the things I “want to do” continue to increase. At the same time, the time I “have to do them” continues to decrease. I constantly need to reassess how I use my time and how I live my life. That said, once you’ve taken something on, you can’t simply put it down and walk away. This year also marks 40 years since I first started creating games, and 10 years since I founded Kojima Productions. [...] While I continue to receive various opportunities and offers, I would like to remain focused on creating games.
Thank you for your continued support.
Beyond reflecting on his incredible 40-year-long career in the games industry, Kojima also announced plans for the "Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary Exhibition" at the Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo. The exhibit will be on display for the public to visit from October through the end of this year, but no solid launch date was provided. The Ludens mascot at the entrance to the studio was also updated to reflect the recent redesign from character designer Yoji Shinkawa.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from Kojima's post is that he plans to continue working on games despite offers for other projects. With multiple Death Stranding projects in the works, including two movies and a series, it's reassuring to see Kojima confirm that he's going to continue to make games as his primary focus for as long as he can. It never really bothers me when creatives want to branch out – like some of the Naughty Dog team did for The Last of Us on HBO – but it's nice to see video game developers continue to give their talents to the video game industry.
To celebrate Kojima's birthday, go recommend some cool music for him to listen to on social media. You never know who might end up in OD or the next Death Stranding game.
