It’s entirely possible that Shigeru Miyamoto has influenced how we spend our free time more than any other person in the world. His video game creations made us spend countless hours parked in front of a screen and breathed new life into gaming that has grown into a multi-million dollar industry. What’s truly impressive is how his designs (and one red-jumpsuited guy in particular) are still able to capture an audience to this day.

A recent video on the Vox YouTube channel gives us an closer look at how Miyamoto’s game designs transformed a failing industry into a flourishing one, and did so by usually marching to the beat of the creator’s own drum, never succumbing to fads and trends. In an interview with Miyamoto, he explains that his approach to game design is thinking about how he can convey to the player what it is they’re supposed to do. This is evident in both Mario and Donkey Kong, as he explains “In Mario you keep moving to the right to reach the end goal. In Donkey Kong you keep climbing up…”

That general simplicity of what the player’s goals are makes up a major part of Miyamoto’s lasting impression on the gaming world. Even with the latest iteration of Super Mario Run for mobile devices, the goal is still the same and universally understood: move to the right to reach your goal. The Vox video even goes so far as to explain the genius behind the first screens of Super Mario Bros. and how it teaches you how to play the game without a single word, instruction book, or walk through (something modern gaming often fails at).

What are some of your favorite Mario games? Let’s discuss in the comments below!