The Question No One Asks Shigeru Miyamoto

In this video, I unpack the meaning behind Shigeru Miyamoto's 'Miniature Garden' phrase.

[GoodBloodGames]

We're finally back with another Hyrule Journals. For those confused about the episode 3 business, episode 2, which is on Majora's Mask, is still on its way. I just needed to get this out first. I hope you enjoy the video!

[RealPixels]

I think Javed's goal on YouTube (in addition to his incredible work at Second Wind) is just to show up every two or three years to make the rest of us look bad 👀

[brendensmith]

I love this video so much! But how was there not a single shot of Tears of the Kingdom's literal Zen gardens (inside the Zonai shrines)?

[lucasbrumjumpman]

You're the greatest.
Awesome video.

[vianabdullah]

I think that A Link Between Worlds is underrated in this regard. It has the right amount of interesting "theme park attractions" to compliment creative expression. Players are not bottlenecked into the same path since every dungeon in Lorule can be tackled in any order and they can choose which items will be used to tackle the challenges.

[bbkintanar]

"Tears of the Kingdom gives players further freedom"

Players: Creates 999 different ways to torture Koroks

[Feesh]

After watching this video, I think I finally understand Nintendo's frustrating ambivalence with the series' lore and timelines, especially with the last few entries. They feel like they finally 'made it' and have realized what their game design goals were all along and as such, have become careless about the parts that didn't matter to them.

[ethicsxc]

I literally purged my YouTube subscriptions last night, saw you hadn't uploaded in years, but kept you around. By the time I was done here you are

[NicholasWhiteIronic]

I've been racking my brain over how to incorporate the wonder of a Zelda Game into the landscape of my homestead, starting with the triangle theory, going on to map out zones as "regions, " Incorporating puzzles and small places of spiritual power, and even coming up with little puzzles that would make even your spare time engaging with the land outside of functional chores, and I kept feeling there was some philosophical element that I was missing entirely. I see it now. Thank you. Excellent video, and what a serious dedication to finding all of the mentions of the Mini Garden in various interviews across two languages. Bravo.

[wizawhat]

At the top of my gaming history wishlist is "Javed interviews Miyamoto" so we can get answers to the real questions. I love the way you think man. Excellent work as always.

[Rubberman]

Huh... This is actually the first time I ever heard of this "miniature garden" thing... Maybe that's just because a lot of the more modern Zelda-related interviews that I pay attention to are with Eiji Aonuma, who I felt was a lot more hands-on with the direction of the Zelda series than Miyamoto has been. Still, that's an interesting way to describe the Zelda series, creating a "miniature garden"... What he means by that is certainly going to take some unpacking. Great video for doing just that!

[Charmolution]

The question he's never asked: "Are all copies of Mario 64 really personalized?"

[HenryMadsen]

Man I’m sorry but unrelated to this video but you a master class in subtext video is truly the greatest video on all of YouTube, I’ve recommend it to all my friends and siblings who all grew up with ocarina of time. The first time I watched it by the time the cedits rolled I was in tears. It’s the point I’ve Reyes’s to see and a fasting I struggled with and it’s why ocarina of time spoken to me so much and your video helped me understand why

[Michafrar]

Every couple of months you find that one video that's so good it sticks with you.
This one of those. ♥

[jerkofalltrades]

So my understanding is, they create hakoniwa and the player gets to experience it. The problem became they would create the hakoniwa and say, "This is how you experience it.". You want to get out of this room? Defeat all of these enemies. You want to get past this barrier? Use this macguffin here. You want to get to the end boss? Collect all of these macguffins, but do it in this order.

It's not so much that the player is creating the hakoniwa. It's about giving the player a scenario to play in, and the player's creativity comes out through how they do that.

[ericmay]

I finally understand BOTW now. I like many people were frustrated with the design philosophy of the game, as well as the elements that make it feel not like a Zelda title. As a 90’s kid I cling and hold dear the personal stories told in OOT, MM, and TP. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing Breath of the Wild, but it’s never felt like “Zelda” to me. We want the old formula back, but I now realize with this that it’s never coming back, because those games were never the target formula for Zelda. BOTW mimicking and improving upon the original in 1986 is what makes it in Nintendo’s eyes, the perfect Zelda. I can now accept and have a much bigger appreciation for this title and the philosophy Miyamoto strives for. I think videos like this that really give context to the minds behind games are so important, and you’ve done an excellent job once again. You’ve truly changed my mind on this era of games, even if I still hold dear the past titles. Looking forward to more of your work soon!

[SpadGame]

After three decades of The Legend of Zelda, I would have thought that everything related to the games and their design philosophies would have been said in abundance already. But here Javed is with a 35-minute BANGER of a video talking about a major philosophy of the Zelda team from the very beginning that few have talked about in detail!

What an incredible video!

[roxas_xii]

He comes out of nowhere and just drops masterpieces 😂, love the music and ambience of the video. Keep up the good work 👍

[mysteryguyiscool]

So what you're trying to tell me is that Minecraft is the perfect videogame according to Myamoto's principles?

[TheBreadPirate]

Oh my word, this summed up everything I've been feeling recently. I can't believe you were able to articulate so much into a single video.

Zelda worlds are like playgrounds (this is something I always knew), but they are also like a garden you can imagine stuff in.