BLOG (PERSONAL) -- My Thank You / Good-Bye to Satoru Iwata

I didn't think I'd write an entry this week. But then I found out last night about Satoru Iwata's passing... and I just had to do something.

Last night, I was browsing around Facebook and then I saw that one of my friend's shared this posting from Kotaku with the header "Today, There Was a Rainbow Over Nintendo's Kyoto Headquarters". My friend's comment to the posting was "*sigh* Something in my eye..." All at once, I knew something happened to Nintendo, and it didn't take long for me to find out just what...

Satoru Iwata... I honestly didn't know that much about him. But what little I did know about him, I had high respect. When I read about Nintendo deciding NOT to layoff employees to improve profits and about Satoru Iwata taking a 50% paycut, I thought, this is a really good guy. I think it's rare nowadays for somebody to stand firmly behind his employees and sacrifice his own gain for the company. It's very admirable. After reading up more about what he's done and his general nature, I am so much more saddened.

Thank you, Iwata-san. Thank you for all the lovely games. Thank you for being a gamer at heart. Thank you for being you. I think the future of gaming already misses you.


Well... here is my small tribute to Iwata-san. In reference to the rainbow over Nintendo's Kyoto headquarters, which is now supposedly dubbed the "Rainbow Road to heaven" (Mario Kart reference), here is me singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" a cappella with some slightly re-jigged lyrics. I just kinda thought that singing something would suit as my kind of send-off (since I love to sing), and I think "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" really does fit.

If you think it sucks I apologize. But this is my way of expressing my good-bye and thanks to Iwata-san. You'll probably need to turn up your volume. Also, just like with all my other videos with me singing, it is just audio, so you can press "play" and do something else.

Me singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with slightly re-jigged lyrics.

Here's my "worksheet" if you wanted to see my thought processes (click to enlarge if you want):

Re-Jigged Lyrics
Note: Whatever is highlighted are the re-jigged lyrics. All the original lyrics are by E.Y. Harburg.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And all that I can do is give you my gratitude

Today I look up at the clouds
And wish that you were still around... still earthbound
To bring more joy with awesome games
Nintendo just won't be the same
If Time could be re-wound

Somewhere over the rainbow
He resides
I stand... my head bowed down to give you my deep good-bye

But...
Even though his soul is high beyond the rainbow
Let's keep his dreams alive

To anybody who read this, thank you. Please take care.