{"id":1143286,"date":"2026-02-06T11:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=535933"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:15:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:15:15","slug":"the-coolest-game-developer-ever-put-to-film-appears-in-a-very-unexpected-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-coolest-game-developer-ever-put-to-film-appears-in-a-very-unexpected-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"The coolest game developer ever put to film appears in a very unexpected movie"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Game developers get pretty short shrift on screen, mostly by not being represented at all. Filmmakers generally love to make movies about driven, uncompromising artists just like themselves<\/em>, but for some reason \u2014 probably either snobbery, fear, or lack of understanding \u2014 they don\u2019t often choose people who make video games as subjects.<\/p>\n

On the rare occasions that they do, the devs usually fall into one of three categories: inane losers, like the stoner testers in Grandma\u2019s Boy<\/em>; sinister tech bros orchestrating some society-destroying corporate nightmare, like Michael C. Hall in Gamer<\/a><\/em> or Ben Mendelsohn in Ready Player One<\/a><\/em>; or kinky geniuses unwittingly opening a portal to a psychosexual hellscape in arthouse fare like Existenz<\/a><\/em> or Demonlover<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Imagine my shock, then, when I unexpectedly stumbled across a game developer character in a movie from a quarter-century ago who is poised, grounded, cool in an understated way, admired by his peers, and also a normal adult human. I am speaking of Mr. Ota, a Japanese game creator who appears in, of all things, the classic, three-hour Taiwanese family drama Yi Yi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Yi Yi<\/em>, which is a wonderful movie, is an expansive story about modern life in Taipei, centered on a computer engineer called NJ (Wu Nien-jen). After NJ\u2019s mother-in-law suffers a stroke, the film variously follows his depressive wife, introverted teenage daughter, inquisitive young son, and idiot brother-in-law through some melancholy yet life-affirming ups and downs. Meanwhile, NJ suffers a midlife crisis in both his professional and romantic lives. He bumps into an old flame, stirring unexpected feelings, while at work he\u2019s tasked with chasing down a contract with Ota, a famous game designer who causes him to question his purpose in life.<\/p>\n

Ota, played by Issey Ogata, is introduced pitching NJ and his business partners in a contemplative mood. He asks why games have to be about shooting and killing, and proposes they could create something different together, something beautiful. He\u2019s a little pretentious, like Hideo Kojima, but, in his sensible sweaters and wire-frame spectacles, he\u2019s also kind of wholesome, like Shigeru Miyamoto.<\/p>\n

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