Satoru Iwata’s Achievements And Impact On Gamers And Nintendo

Most of you have been made aware of the passing of Nintendo's corporate president, Satoru Iwata this past Saturday (July 11). Mr. Iwata died due to a form of cancer at the age of 55.

Mr. Iwata lived on the other side of the world, but for the past decade, the creations he inspired have been a huge part of my life. I have owned every rendition of the Nintendo Entertainment System since the original, and I've purchased over 14 different handheld consoles of the Nintendo DS, including the DSi, the 3DS, and the XL versions of each. I still have my original Wii, and I also have a Wii U.

As an individual who makes game videos for YouTube, I have found Nintendo's views on their copyrighted images quite frustrating in the past, but as a gamer I have never been able to keep my wallet in my pocket. Needless to say, I'm hooked, and Nintendo will always have a special place in my heart.

When the news broke that Satoru Iwata had passed away, a friend of mine flat out asked me if I was okay, and honestly it hadn't hit me yet. I guess as a gamer, you don't think about the impact a corporate president really has on a certain game company, even though Mr. Iwata made many appearances to unveil Nintendo's latest creations.

It wasn't until I saw this video that Gamespot put together for their website, that it really hit me. The last bit of the video at the 4:04 mark, Satoru Iwata delivers a touching saying that caused me to force back tears. The man behind Nintendo's latest achievements wasn't just a man in a suit looking at the stock numbers of his business ... he was a gamer at heart and he had all of us in his best interests.

This weekend, the gaming group, The Permakids, will be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Wii U Tournament, and are dedicating it to the late Satoru Iwata. If you can't make it to Geeks, Games, and Gadgets this weekend, then take a moment to go back indoors to cool off from the Summer heat, dust off your Nintendo if you have to, and spend a moment playing games in the memory of Mr. Iwata.