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Watch Nintendo President's Moving 'Heart of a Gamer' Speech

The Nintendo president, who passed away Saturday, talks about his early days in the gaming industry.
Rachel Pick
New York, US

The world of gaming is in mourning after the death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata on Saturday. Iwata was president during some successful product launches from the company, but more than that, he was a likeable man who cared deeply about his industry. In his keynote address at the 2005 Game Developers Conference, he spoke about his early days as a developer, and how he felt pulled towards computers and gaming from a young age.

"On my business card, I am a corporate president," Iwata begins. "In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."

Iwata recounts speeding off on his motorcycle after classes at the Tokyo Institute of Technology to the city's first and only department store with a section for personal computers. He made friends with the other programmers who gathered there, and they went on to found HAL Laboratory, a game developing company named after 2001: A Space Odyssey.

HAL Laboratory went on to be contracted by Nintendo to fix NES Pinball, one of their games that was behind schedule, and thus began a standing collaborative relationship that resulted in Iwata eventually joining Nintendo.

This video is only part one of Iwata's speech, but the whole thing is recommended viewing. It's a great way to remember the man, as well as the mark he left on the gaming industry.