Hideo Kojima

Known for: Acting

Born: August 23, 1963 in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Hideo Kojima is the creator, writer, director and producer of a number of hugely successful video games and is recognized as one of the most influential game designers in the industry. He began designing video games during a time when the medium was still relatively new, and many of his friends and colleagues discouraged him from exploring these untested waters. Although his early career was filled with rejected game ideas, he persevered against the naysayers and rose to become the Vice President of one of the largest game publishing companies in the world. He started his game design career with Konami and made his first breakthrough when he modified a combat title called ‘Metal Gear’ into a more stealth oriented game, marking the beginning of an entire new genre of game that focuses on planning, tactics and subterfuge rather than sheer force. Before his video game career took off, he was interested in writing and directing films, and this cinematic influence helped his games to inspire the next generation of designers in the relatively new world of video games. The cinematic cut scenes and intricate storytelling of his games encouraged many other designers to follow in his creative footsteps, and today the ‘Metal Gear’ series of games is one of the most financially successful video game franchises ever created.