The Origins Of Press Start; A Reaction To Stupidity

There are many things we have accepted as normal in the video game world. The A button typically means jump, the start button usually pauses the game, and select usually brings up a menu or a map. What may be less known about these things are where it started and why. Thanks to an interview with Play4Real, Hideo Yoshizawa - the director for the original Ninja Gaiden - sheds some light on the origins of the "press start" prompt on most title screens.

Hideo speaks to what led them to even think of creating such a simple instruction. He says In a test version of the game, we had a very nice looking title screen without those words. Unfortunately, most of the players were confused when the introduction repeatedly played. I think many of them forgot they had a controller in their hands." He then continues to explain the remedy for such an odd reaction.



This resulted in the addition of the "press start" prompt "...still, it was very frustrating to see players pressing the A button and then giving up," explained Yoshizawa. He does note why the mobile platform is so popular, Hideo says it's for "players who were unable to understand the concept of a controller when they were a child and just kept touching the screen in the hopes that it would do something.

Hideo Yoshizawa's, Ninja Gaiden is hailed as one of the hardest games to play. With such a reputation to uphold, it's no wonder why he holds such a high standard for his audience. To end the interview on a high note, he jokingly said "...instruction manuals are worthless with todays games." He elaborates with "...it is very presumptuous of designers to expect their players to know how to read."

@Coatedpolecat