You don’t create one of the biggest fighting games of all time without knowing how to get a whole lot of things done, and Sakurai has “the best and only solution.”
No one can accuse Masahiro Sakurai of being an unproductive person. He is, after all, the game designer/director who created Super Smash Bros., one of the most popular fighting franchises of all time, the latest installment of which has a massive roster of 89 characters players can choose from.
It turns out the 52-year-old Sakurai has a special technique that allows him to achieve so much. Or maybe we should call it a philosophy? Either way, he recently shared the secret through his YouTube channel, which he started last summer, in a new video.
“Sometimes when you have work or tasks to take care of, it can be a little difficult to find the motivation,” Sakurai starts. “I’ve got the best and only solution” he goes on to assert, which is:
![Just Do It Already! [Work Ethic]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IN-Uh2VfL8c/hqdefault.jpg)
As you can tell from the triple-dose in the above screen capture, Sakurai is serious about this “Just do it already” creed, going so far as to say that if you’re struggling to climb out of the pit of procrastination you should “pretend there’s a bomb in your room that’ll explode if you don’t start now!”
If you’ve got a report to write, start writing. If you’ve got an art project, start drawing. Even if you just need to go run errands, Sakurai recommends getting dressed and out of the house ASAP. As a creator of extremely thought-out and polished games, he’s not advocating doing things sloppily or half-efforted. Rather, he’s of the logical belief that you can’t create anything good if your output is zero. Doing something is going to get you closer to your goal than doing nothing, because even if that something isn’t perfect, it can serve as the first stepping stone towards what you’re trying to accomplish, even if you’re not sure exactly how right now. “Motivation will come later” he explains. “You can think about what it all means later.”
Sakurai understands that this is easier said than done, especially with all the distractions modern life affords, especially if you’re working from home or with a modicum of privacy at your office. “Social media, video sites, the Internet, and even games can be tempting,” he admits, “but cut yourself off and just do it.” He even acknowledges that some people, at this very instant, might be watching his video as a form of procrastination, and advises them to focus on what they really need to do instead.
Honestly, it’s a little encouraging to hear that even someone like Sakurai can understand what it feels like to have so many things to do that your brain rebels by trying to talk you into doing none of them at all. Next time you find yourself not sure how to get started, though, try taking Sakurai’s advice in that it really doesn’t matter how you start, as long as you do start.
Source: YouTube/Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games via Hachima Kiko
Images: YouTube/Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games
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