Peeking into the Mind of a Creative

I just turned the final page on Hideo Kojima’s The Creative Gene. If you’ve spent any time playing video games, you know Kojima as the legendary mastermind behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding. I have a massive amount of respect for his work, so I was eager to dive into this one. Going into it, I expected a traditional, chronological autobiography about his life in the gaming industry. It turns out I was a bit mistaken, but what the book actually offers is something entirely unique. What is “The Creative Gene” Actually About? Rather than a standard memoir, this book is a deeply personal collection of essays focusing on the books, movies, and music that shaped Kojima’s life. He frames these influences as “memes”: not the funny pictures we share on social media, but the original definition: cultural ideas, habits, and genes passed down from one generation to the next. While it wasn’t the life story I expected, it was fascinating to see how deeply these cultural milestones…