The digital avatars that became as valuable to Nintendo as Mario
In short: What began as a discarded concept for the Family Computer Disk System evolved into a global phenomenon. These customizable avatars, known as Miis, have transitioned from simple facial drawings to essential social identities across multiple Nintendo consoles, becoming a cornerstone of the company's digital ecosystem.
The lineage of the Mii is rooted in decades of experimentation with digital identity. Shigeru Miyamoto originally envisioned a system where players could draw faces onto avatars, a concept intended for the Family Computer Disk System that was ultimately abandoned because it could not be integrated into a game. However, the seeds of personalization were planted much earlier. In the year 2000, the 64DD peripheral's title Mario Artist: Talent Studio allowed players to use the Game Boy Camera to map their own faces onto avatars, a foundational step for designers like Yamashita Takayuki.
The modern Mii, which debuted on the Wii in 2006, was heavily influenced by a mid-2000s Nintendo DS project. That project, a women's fortune-telling game inspired by the Game Boy Color title Tottoko Hamtaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu, featured avatars with interchangeable facial features and adjustable body metrics. This concept was adapted for the Wii, refining the system to include options for gender, hair, and head shapes. By the time the Nintendo 3DS arrived in 2011, the technology had advanced to include facial recognition, allowing users to generate a Mii from a photograph.
The impact of these avatars is significant enough that former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata once noted that the Mii trademark's licensing value was as vital to Miyamoto as the Mario brand itself. Today, Miis serve various roles: they act as player avatars in titles like Wii Sports and Mario Kart 8, as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and as social profiles in various apps. While some users attempt for accuracy, the limited selection of features often encourages players to create caricatures of real people instead.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Mii
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