“Then It Was Only That Good of a Game,” Shinji Mikami Weighs in on Players Who Prefer Watching Over Playing

The rise of game streaming and playthroughs has become a double-edged sword for the industry. While these broadcasts can propel a title to viral fame, they also risk cannibalizing sales, as many viewers opt to watch rather than buy. This divide has sparked intense debate among developers, but for Shinji Mikami, the legendary mind behind Resident Evil, if a player is satisfied simply watching a game, it likely wasn’t worth playing in the first place.

As video platforms surged in popularity around the turn of the millennium, gamers eagerly began sharing their sessions both live and recorded offering followers a front-row seat to their gameplay. Some publishers, particularly in Japan, have gone so far as to restrict video uploads and streams for days after a game’s launch, fearing that early exposure might diminish audience interest and discourage purchases.

Shinji Mikami Believes a Good Game Will Result in Players Wanting to Play It for Themselves

Eiko Kano, a YouTuber and comedian, had the chance to put this very question to Mikami himself. Kano had long wrestled with his own guilt when posting Resident Evil content, since his videos often revealed pivotal story beats and puzzle solutions, core elements of the survival-horror experience. Even with Capcom’s official blessing, he wondered how creators truly felt about their work being consumed secondhand.

Mikami’s response, Kano recalls, was unexpectedly straightforward. If viewers watch a playthrough of a game all the way to the end and are satisfied with just that, then it was only that good of a game,” Mikami told him, as reported by Nikkan Sports. “Our job is to make games that leave people wanting to clear them with their own hands, even if they’ve watched someone else do it, so keep streaming.”

Streaming undeniably expands a game’s reach, but it also threatens to reduce narrative-driven genres like visual novels and RPGs to passive viewing experiences. This challenge is particularly acute for story-heavy franchises; the lead creative behind Final Fantasy recently admitted that such content posed a real dilemma for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, prompting the team to devise new ways to tempt players into experiencing the game firsthand.

What’s your take on Mikami’s stance? Do you agree with him? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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