Clyde32 said:
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I already have. It's pretty easy to interpret.
"[These are] the sort of people who, for example, might want to watch a movie. They might want to go to Disneyland," he said.
The key is to accept that Miyamoto is not taking a jab at people who bought and played games he himself had a hand in making (Wii Sports, Wii Music, Nintendogs, etc). He is not biting the hand that feeds him. That interpretation doesn't make any sense. Wii Sports is not a "passive" game for people who "want to watch a movie."
He did not use the word casual, and putting that word in his mouth only confuses the message here. He is not talking about typical "casual" gamers who play Madden or Kinect Sports or Mario or whatever it is people think this single all-encompassing phrase for an imaginary demographic implies. He is talking about "passive" gamers who prefer to watch games play themselves while they succeed without making an effort.
Take a look at a game like Clash of Clans. There is no end goal, but let's suppose the objective is to upgrade your base as much as possible. You cannot lose. The only question is how long it will take, as if you are patient enough you will never have to actually play the game. You can have setbacks where you will lose some resources, but you will recover them if you wait a while. Of course if you don't want to wait, you can just throw hundreds of dollars at Supercell and buy your way to completion instantly.
Compare this to Miyamoto's most recent game: Pikmin 3, which is very accessible to "casual" gamers. It's really not very difficult, but even so the game won't play itself. This is a game for active gamers who want to be engaged in the games they play. Miyamoto does not want to play games while people watch, he wants to watch others play the games he makes.
Granted, he is not explicitly discussing games, but playstyles. There may be some gamers who play his games "passively," and I think he's acknowledging that. But he is saying he doesn't want to cater to that style of play, and for the most part I don't think he ever has. Wii Music may have been pretty close, but I don't think Miyamoto sees it that way.
So, Miyamoto is not explaining any kind of shift in any direction, certainly not "away from casuals." I guarantee Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, and Mario Party will continue. Miyamoto does not exclusively discuss his own projects. He likes to talk about his views on the state of the industry in general. He is offering his opinion on certain games and playstyles, and essentially doubling down on Nintendo's position that they aren't interested in making freemium or $1.99 mobile games. He wants to continue to make high-quality experiences that engage players.
