Hideo Kojima is mostly associated with his cinematic storytelling and his obsession with film, though he revealed what made him pursue a career in gaming is one of its biggest franchises: Super Mario.

In a new interview covering a wide variety of topics to Kojima’s influences, the future of gaming from his perspective, and more – Kojima was asked a simple question: what game have you played the most? To which he happily proclaimed: “Super Mario Bros. definitely!”

“Played it for a year. I was a college student. I skipped school to play at home. Without Super Mario Bros., I probably wouldn’t be in this industry…” Kojima said.

He added, “I can’t really play it now, though. It’s a side-scrolling action game. Mario just goes left to right. Basically just jumping. But there’s a dash button. Using that and jump subtly changes the jump trajectory to attack or dodge.”

With Kojima’s focus on storytelling in all his games, he naturally had to comment on the original Super Mario Bros. and its lack thereof.

“It had almost no story, but it felt like you were on an adventure,” Kojima said. “When I saw that, although it was pixel art with no story, I felt this medium would one day surpass movies. That conviction brought me to the game industry.”

The entire interview is definitely worth a watch/listen, it’s hosted over on WIRED’s YouTube Channel.

Hideo Kojima’s latest game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, has been available since June 2025 for PlayStation 5. Get our review here!