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Eurogamer meets Sonic's Dad

Let's all go round Naka's yard.

Ellie Gibson avatar
Interview by Ellie Gibson Contributor
Updated on
25 comments
EurogamerI don't know if you're familiar, but there's a website over here called UK Resistance. It's sort of a funny website, and they're big fans of Sonic and SEGA. They run a campaign called Blue Sky in Games which is all about having more happy, fun things in games and less guns and drug dealers. Does that sound like something you could give your backing to?
Yuji Naka

I totally agree with that perspective. I feel that games these days are really quite violent, unlike the games I've always been involved in. So if there is a way that I could help, in any capacity, I would be happy to do so. They could contact me via SEGA.

EurogamerI'll let them know.
Yuji Naka

UK Resistance, you say? So it's run by gamers?

EurogamerIt's run by someone who grew up with Sonic and is obsessed with SEGA, ah, in an amusing way. There are lots of jokes about SEGA and photos of the Dreamcast logo on carpets. Um, it's a bit hard to explain.
Yuji Naka

I find it difficult to understand, this whole notion of killing people and shedding blood, and that being fun. I don't really agree with it.

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. Rubbish. But better than the Mario and Zelda ones.
Another JournalistWhat is your current vision for gaming? Is it fun or is it developing skills, which you needed for the Sonic games? And does age have anything to do with it?
Yuji Naka

I think it's okay that there are some really violent games, if there are people who want to play them. But I think 18 is still too young - the age rating should be higher.

There are too many different distinctions between age groups. The ideal would be to have just two categories. Most games would fit into the category of titles that can be played by people of all ages. They might include maybe slightly sexual content, but just things that might insinuate sex - which isn't really going to harm children. Then you would just have these super-violent games as the exception.

At present, having all these age ratings really limits games developers in terms of what they can do, and makes them quite timid. It does put a brake on games development. Things like cigarettes, alcohol, maybe a little bit of wind and a girl's dress fluttering up - these kind of things, in the right context, I don't feel are really that bad.

Swords: not part of the original blueprint.

Say you have a scene in a pub and there's alcohol, or there's a villain smoking a cigarette - I feel that's totally acceptable, because people's parents might smoke and I'm sure they've seen alcohol being drunk. So in the right context, showing these things should not be a problem.

EurogamerYou've previously been quoted as saying Let's Tap is the first game even a penguin can play. How do you know this? Have you tested it out under laboratory conditions?
Yuji Naka

There's a mini-game in Let's Tap called Gem Game, and I'm convinced a penguin could play it. I'd love to do laboratory tests with a penguin, but I haven't had the opportunity. However, there have been tests done with pets - dogs and cats. I'm sure everyone can get their pets to join in with Let's Tap.

Yuji Naka is the head of Prope Ltd. Let's Tap is out in Europe this summer.

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