High-definition is the next-gen killer app - Mizuguchi

Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has told GamesIndustry.biz that the arrival of high definition visuals could have an impact comparable to that of the first 3D graphics.

Speaking in an exclusive interview at the recent Develop Conference in Brighton, Mizuguchi said: "I can't predict the future, but the one thing I can say is the resolution games use will deliver a very high emotional impact."

He also believes that networking could drive sales of videogames upwards over the next decade. "Maybe in ten years later kids will be mocking their dads for having gone to shops to buy games at all," he suggested.

Mizuguchi's thoughts embody a relatively unglamorous stance, especially from such a relentlessly creative developer (his other projects include Space Channel 5 and Meteos). However, they make more sense when considered within the context of his goal as a developer - to play with "media aesthetics".

"You can watch a movie three or four times, but when you watch the same movie in high def you feel something new. The resolution does something to us," he insisted.

"I also expect everyone will be using hard disk in future, so that downloading something, buying or recording something will be very normal - people may even experience their first music downloaded. The human desire and instinct for this technology is moving forward."

Elsewhere in the interview, Mizuguchi explained his role as producer on Phantagram's Ninety-Nine Nights, and talked about his early days as a game developer plus the lessons he learned working on projects like SEGA Rally. The full interview will appear on GamesIndustry.biz later this week.