When it comes to the gaming industry, there’s really no figure more recognizable than Hideo Kojima. You can debate all you want about his status as one of the great video game auteurs of all time, but even then, it’s hard to deny that the medium just wouldn’t be the same without his eccentric genius.
That eccentricity does come with its own unusual qualities, though, as Kojima now ponders a future where his work may end up in the hands of some otherworldly beings, specifically the extraterrestrial kind, who’ll look back on it and be the man’s ultimate “critics from beyond.”
Hideo Kojima Wants Aliens to One Day Be the Witness to His Works of Art
If we were to ever set a goal for the method behind Kojima’s meticulously crafted madness, it would be to simply push gaming to places it’s never been with his works of art.
But perhaps growing dissatisfied with humanity’s countless generic retrospectives (read: Plot summaries) on his video games, recently, he casually and hilariously raised the idea of aliens eventually discovering his work, as though such cosmic appreciation is the final frontier of his artistic journey.
Sharing his thoughts on the way art is evaluated and the kind of legacy an artist leaves behind with his work in a recent interview, he said:
“For starters, the way art is evaluated changes with the times. Just as paintings are appraised 100 or 200 years after the artist’s death, games and films also remain as objects to be passed down through generations after their creators pass away. If I make something I’m satisfied with, centuries later, aliens may come and say, ‘That’s awesome.’ I think that’s what it means to leave something behind.”
For Kojima, who sees games as nothing less than modern art, craving this level of timelessness tracks well when you think about it. Much like the more conventional art forms, he envisions his games to carry humanity’s creative essence into the distant future, long past his own time.
Kojima’s Work Deserves to Be Appreciated Till the End of Time
Diving a little deeper into what makes his games tick, it isn’t the simple fact that they basically rewrite the rules of gaming as the years have gone by, but also how Hideo Kojima’s works let people experience something that can only be considered deeply and distinctly human.
The Metal Gear series, for example, isn’t just a run-of-the-mill stealth-espionage thriller; it’s a commentary on warfare, the military-industrial complex, surveillance, artificial intelligence, and the very nature of violence, wrapped in narratives that dig deep into the vulnerabilities of the self.
Not only did it set a gold standard for storytelling in games, but it also left players reflecting on the nature of their own world long after they’d put down the controller.
Then there’s Death Stranding, a game about connecting with others—a theme that resonates even more deeply today in our post-pandemic world.
The simple act of helping a stranger through dangerous and perilous journeys without ever coming into direct contact feels unexpectedly profound, making Death Stranding one of those rare experiences that seem both intimate and grand in scope.
Even Kojima’s earlier games, Snatcher and Policenauts, are praise-worthy just for merging social critique with immersive storytelling. After all, they let people know even back then that games could convey real-world issues without losing their entertainment value.
All that is to say, if aliens were to ever find these games, they’d receive a crash course on who we were, our strengths and flaws, what we managed to accomplish, our creativity, and the things we once held dear.
But with all that said, what are your thoughts on Kojima’s latest musings? Are you looking forward to KojiPro’s upcoming projects? Let us know in the comments below!
