Congratulations to Shinji Mikami-san @shinji_mikami on his induction into the DICE Awards Hall of Fame! I am so honoured to have been chosen as the presenter of his award; here is my full comment from the press release! ↓ It was during the unforgettable 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup that I first headed to CAPCOM’s headquarters in Osaka to meet Shinji Mikami. I was led inside a very serious meeting room, and I was so nervous that my heart was practically exploding out of my chest; then, lo and behold, Mikami-san walked in. He was wearing a black leather jacket and pitch-black sunglasses; his hand swiftly glides into his inner pocket and—whoa! This guy’s gonna blast me down like a zombie! At least, that’s what I thought, but he pistol-whipped his business card and said “I’m Mikami” very politely. At the time in Japan there was this pretty famous comedian who introduced himself in a very specific deadpan intonation, always saying “I’m Hiroshi,” and I immediately caught on that Mikami-san was imitating that tone of voice. If it was today, I’d immediately catch him in the act and say hey, you’re doing a Hiroshi bit! But I was so nervous I could barely think. In any case, Mikami-san made me feel at ease with endless bits like this throughout our meeting.   Which brings me to my main point: video game development is something that’s built upon trust between people; day after day, layer after layer, all in pursuit of the dream of a finished game. Mikami-san valued that relationship of trust with his staff more than anything else, and I’m sure his little gags and bits were his way of breaking down walls and stiffness so his team would never feel like they should hold back. I think that’s based on real kindness, and maybe a bit of bashfulness too. His staff-first approach is what matured his team’s strength, and it’s the soil from which Mikami’s many masterpieces grew.   I could go on forever, but what I want to say is this: it was from Mikami-san that I learned how to approach game development, both as a director and as a designer. Of all the many Padawans Mikami-san has mentored, I’m truly honoured that I was chosen to be his presenter for this induction into a kind of video game hall-of-fame.   As one such Padawan, please allow me to celebrate my Obi-Wan Kenobi Shinji Mikami through this honorable award. I’m sure Mikami-san’s innumerable fans and industry comrades are just as delighted as I am to see him receive such an amazing award.   Mikami-san, congratulations. Goichi Suda