“In my generation, we didn't have good role models; no one taught us anything. [...] That's why we ended up learning a lot from movies and manga. For the current generation, I think games are fulfilling a similar role. [...] People tell me all the time that my games are too "preachy", but I don't like games that have nothing to teach. (laughs)”
In 2003 Kojima said he likes his games to contain something special that players might not notice while playing but which stays with them over time; he cited the manga Tiger Mask as an example, saying that as a child he did not see its depth and later learned a lot from it. He explained that in his generation they did not have good role models, nobody taught them anything, nor was there someone in their neighborhood to play that role, so they ended up learning a lot from movies and manga. He said he thinks games are fulfilling a similar role for the current generation, and added that although people tell him his games are too moralizing, he does not like games that have nothing to teach.
“But I also learned a lot from works like Tiger Mask.”