Hideo Kojima Has A Crazy Idea For a “Forgetting Game”

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Summary

  • Kojima’s game ideas involve innovative concepts about life and aging as mechanics.
  • Players age in-game and gradually lose abilities, requiring continuous play.
  • Kojima also proposed a “forgetting game” where character abilities deteriorate with time away.

Acclaimed video game designer Hideo Kojima garnered much recognition through the Metal Gear Solid series, yet he’s also renowned for proposing game concepts that range from seemingly insane to undeniably brilliant.

As we eagerly await Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is currently under development, Kojima has shared some intriguing concepts for the game. These insights into his creative process will only serve to deepen your admiration for Kojima’s genius.

Kojima Has Game Ideas Based On Concepts About Life

In his most recent KOJI10 podcast, Kojima shared with listeners some thoughts about how he approaches game design.

In Kojima’s concept, the progression of time serves as a fundamental gameplay element. The player begins as a newborn and matures over the course of the game, transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and eventually reaching old age if the game is continuously played. As you age within the game, your character’s strength decreases, and vision becomes weaker. Conversely, when you are a teenager, your character can run faster, but by the time you reach 60, there’s a slight decrease in speed, as shared by Kojima via IGN.

In simpler terms, Kojima points out that although a character may be more physically fit when they’re younger, they’ll gain wisdom and expertise as they age. This additional know-how could influence your approach to combat situations. Interestingly, while Kojima doubts this type of game would sell, listeners on his podcast seemed genuinely intrigued by it.

One game idea he proposes involves players crafting items that need time to develop, like wine or cheese. This means the player must consistently engage with the game over an extended period.

The final suggestion might be the most compelling, revolving around a “forgetting gameplay” where the participant needs to progress swiftly. In this concept, the main character starts to lose crucial details and skills if the player takes extended pauses from the game. To illustrate, if you don’t play the game regularly, the main character will gradually forget essential abilities like knowing how to shoot a gun or even remembering their job. This deterioration would escalate until the player is eventually unable to advance any further. In jest, Kojima commented, “You might need to take a week off work or school to play it.

Admittedly, those games catch my attention, particularly the one centered around aging. However, it’s essential to note that Hideo Kojima should launch Death Stranding 2 before he could possibly work on turning those ideas into real games.

Since Kojima has expressed interest in passing the next Death Stranding game to another creator, he might find some time to work on other projects. He still needs to complete a feature film, a horror game for Xbox, and an espionage game for Sony first, but maybe afterwards? It’s possible that we could see these ideas incorporated into one of his future games instead.

Regarding Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, its launch is scheduled for June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5. It was recently announced that the game will offer various graphic settings.

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2025-05-15 04:38