I received the 72nd Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts from…

“I am very happy that the immature medium of games has been highly evaluated as a cultural art form of "expression". I will continue to devote myself to the creation of digital entertainment.”

“Unlike last year, like I was traveling all over the world, this year will be about staying grounded and laying solid foundations. [...] This year also marks my 40th anniversary in the game industry from 1986 and began my journey in game creation.”

Kojima recalled that twenty-five years earlier he had incorporated a story and a message into video games when both were regarded as unnecessary. With the rise of mobile games used to kill time, he saw Minagawa’s literary activity at age eighty-two as the baton to receive. He promised to continue as he is even after turning eighty and to instill his memes into video games.

“I thought that I could never recover. I felt like I might not ever be able to create a game again.”

“I will not retire. I will continue to create games as long as I live.”