Hideo Kojima Says That An Aspect Of Video Games Is For Lonely People

Death Stranding was released by Kojima Productions in November 2019 and has sold millions of copies since then. Over the years, the game has been nominated for and won many awards. Upon its release on PC in July 2020, Death Stranding won the PC Game of the Year Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020. Behind this masterpiece that’s cherished by the gaming community is one person, Hideo Kojima!

Hideo Kojima has been the talk of the town for a while now. In a recent interview, Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind Death Stranding, sat down with the Japanese lifestyle magazine, An An, to talk about the future of his company and what sort of games he would like to make. During the interview, Hideo Kojima mentioned how video games make players feel, particularly stating that certain video game aspects are played by lonely people.

“This game [Death Stranding] is designed to create a strong sense of desolation, and when the player thinks, ‘I’ve gone through all this trouble to connect the world, but I can’t hug anyone, why is that?’ Then they find footprints, ladder marks, and other traces in the game. Then you realize that there are people just like you and that you are indirectly connected to them,” he said (translated through DeepL).

Hideo Kojima mentions his own creation, Death Stranding, and how it’s designed to make the player feel a sense of isolation. He further states that players feel related to others through video games. Even if they’ve never met them, they realise that there are other people like them and this creates an indirect connection between them.

“I think there is an aspect of games that lonely people play. People who can’t get along in this world (reality) can become the protagonist in an imaginary world, and can even connect with others. Death Stranding is a game that includes that kind of message. However, I think some people will quit the game before they get to that point because they don’t understand the structure at first,” he said.

Personally, we completely agree with Hideo Kojima’s statement. Video games provide players with a sense of belongingness. For many people, they are an escape from reality. Here, Hideo Kojima talks about introverts that prefer isolation over social interaction. Video games provide them with a way to connect with others without abandoning their comfort zones. This explains why more people are playing video games now than ever before.

What do you think about this? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below!

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