--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we were making games in the early…" description: "\"When we were making games in the early '90s for the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, popular games didn't have any real story.\" — Michael Morhaime" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/michael-morhaime-7542_early_when-we-were-making-games-in-the-early-9_542426.jpg" --- # When we were making games in the early '90s for the Super… ![“When we were making games in the early '90s for the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, popular games didn't have any real story.” quote by Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/michael-morhaime-7542_early_when-we-were-making-games-in-the-early-9_542426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/michael-morhaime-7542_early_when-we-were-making-games-in-the-early-9_542426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/michael-morhaime-7542_early_when-we-were-making-games-in-the-early-9_542426.jpg) > “When we were making games in the early '90s for the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, popular games didn't have any real story.” [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early console games often lacked deep narratives, focusing on gameplay mechanics and fun **In simple terms:** Early games prioritized gameplay over story Key Takeaway Balance story and gameplay in design Themes gaming history design philosophy storytelling Mood nostalgic analytical Type historical industry When to use this quote - designing modern games - revisiting classic mechanics Key Concepts retro gaming narrative evolution Questions to Reflect On - How can narrative enhance gameplay? - When is pure gameplay preferable? A Different Perspective Modern gamers may expect richer stories ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Early 90S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-90s/) [Games Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games-didn-448436/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Making Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-games-796757/) [Nintendo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nintendo/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-story/) [Sega Genesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sega-genesis-2180632/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Super Nintendo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/super-nintendo-1815357/) [Video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video/) ## Related quotes > [Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis. When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/super-nintendo-sega-genesis-when-i-was-dead-broke-man-i-couldn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, When I Was That Broke Man I couldn't Picture This.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biggie-smalls/super-nintendo-sega-genesis-when-i-was-that-broke-man-i-couldn-t/) [Biggie Smalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biggie-smalls/) > [I grew up playing the Super Nintendo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-fils-aime/i-grew-up-playing-the-super-nintendo/) [Reggie Fils-Aime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-fils-aime/) > [Games have fascinated me my whole life, starting with 'PacMan' on my uncle's PC. I moved up to classic Super Nintendo and then on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/games-have-fascinated-me-my-whole-life-starting-with-pacman-on-my/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I grew up and went from Nintendo to Super Nintendo to N64 to GameCube to Nintendo Wii to Xbox - I've always enjoyed playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-dempsey/i-grew-up-and-went-from-nintendo-to-super-nintendo-to-n64-to-gamecube/) [Clint Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-dempsey/) > [When I was super young, I had an Atari and used to play 'Space Invaders.' Then I fell in love with 'Mario Bros.,' 'Sonic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rose/when-i-was-super-young-i-had-an-atari-and-used-to-play-space-invaders/) [Amber Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rose/) > [Some people will say Nintendo's games are for children. But our goal is to boost the population of gamers by making games for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/some-people-will-say-nintendo-s-games-are-for-children-but-our-goal/) [Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/) > [Focus is so important when you're making games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/focus-is-so-important-when-you-re-making-games/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [When I look back, I didn't enjoy any of the big games. I didn't enjoy any of the finals. You enjoy lifting the trophy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lampard/when-i-look-back-i-didn-t-enjoy-any-of-the-big-games-i-didn-t-enjoy/) [Frank Lampard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lampard/) > [“I personally killed the girl, Glimmer, and the boy from district 1. 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Those ended up being a lot more informative for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masahiro-sakurai/i-went-out-of-my-way-to-play-games-i-didn-t-like-or-find-interesting/) [Masahiro Sakurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masahiro-sakurai/) > [That's another thing, we made up games. We didn't have equipment. When it snowed, we would play slow motion tackle football. We would play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/that-s-another-thing-we-made-up-games-we-didn-t-have-equipment-when/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [I grew up playing the games, man, back when it was just Nintendos and Sega Genesis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-gotti/i-grew-up-playing-the-games-man-back-when-it-was-just-nintendos-and/) [Yo Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-gotti/) ## More by Michael Morhaime > [Well, the team that created 'Starcraft 2' is probably the most experienced real-time strategy team in the industry - there are members of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/well-the-team-that-created-starcraft-2-is-probably-the-most/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > ['StarCraft II' is a really great game. It appeals to players on multiple different levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/starcraft-ii-is-a-really-great-game-it-appeals-to-players-on-multiple/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [A lot of games that preceded 'Warcraft' made the assumption that this type of game wouldn't appeal outside the hard-core audience, so that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/a-lot-of-games-that-preceded-warcraft-made-the-assumption-that-this/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [Our original mission and values consisted of four simple words that formed our foundation: 'We make great games.' We crafted that statement before we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/our-original-mission-and-values-consisted-of-four-simple-words-that/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [The great thing about 'World Of Warcraft' is that you can sit down in your lunch hour and do a couple of quests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/the-great-thing-about-world-of-warcraft-is-that-you-can-sit-down-in/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [As you start to see more respected advertisers coming in and looking at esports, you're going to find that there's a lot of interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/as-you-start-to-see-more-respected-advertisers-coming-in-and-looking/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > ['Diablo 3' was never really designed to be an eSport, and not every game necessarily needs to be an eSport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/diablo-3-was-never-really-designed-to-be-an-esport-and-not-every-game/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [I don't think consoles are necessarily our best opportunity for 'World of Warcraft.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/i-don-t-think-consoles-are-necessarily-our-best-opportunity-for-world/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [If we can help to make the interactions between folks online safer and more friendly, that would make it all more fun and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/if-we-can-help-to-make-the-interactions-between-folks-online-safer/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [I'd been with Blizzard for almost 28 years when I stepped down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/i-d-been-with-blizzard-for-almost-28-years-when-i-stepped-down/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [The development of gaming in Asia usually serves as the marker for how their company predicts the development of gaming will go globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/the-development-of-gaming-in-asia-usually-serves-as-the-marker-for/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [A lot of the successful Blizzard games that you know actually grew out of failed projects. That was the case with 'World of Warcraft.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/a-lot-of-the-successful-blizzard-games-that-you-know-actually-grew/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [We're always trying to improve and to make our games better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/we-re-always-trying-to-improve-and-to-make-our-games-better/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [We felt it was very likely the fee would be a deterrent for people, and that 'WoW' would not sell as quickly as some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/we-felt-it-was-very-likely-the-fee-would-be-a-deterrent-for-people/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [There is definitely a trend of broadening the idea of who a gamer is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/there-is-definitely-a-trend-of-broadening-the-idea-of-who-a-gamer-is/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) [Explore all 90 Michael Morhaime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) ## More Early quotes > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/with-aurangzeb-i-just-knew-that-the-film-wasn-t-going-to-work-though/) [Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/) > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [The early days were really difficult because it was constant no's, I didn't have an agent. I always knew that I had something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madelyn-cline/the-early-days-were-really-difficult-because-it-was-constant-no-s-i/) [Madelyn Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madelyn-cline/) > [The latest I like to be to meeting is 15 minutes early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-latest-i-like-to-be-to-meeting-is-15-minutes-early/) [David O. 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