I think many people miss Miyamoto's point... A shame, since most developers could take a page.
He's NOT saying "make kiddie games." Rather, he's cautioning against everyone making Modern Warfare and Halo clones. Because while sure, the frat-boy crowd may love 'em, the point of the fact is... There's only ONE Halo, and ONE Modern Warfare. If you make a clone, you're instantly resigning yourself to be in their shadow; you'll never out-sell them, you'll never be remembered.
Miyamoto's success in games has come from, as it appears, thinking not from the "winning formula" like the bulk of others' titles are, but starting with the gameplay itself; basically, he appears to decide on what sort of gameplay would be "fun," then thinks of a pretext to put it in later. So while dozens of companies are going, "I wanna make a futuristic Sci-fi shooter starring a grizzled ex-space-marine," he starts with something more like "I wanna try this cool new gameplay idea/mechanic."
All told, I'd say it's paid off for him. IIRC, Nintendo has an utter monopoly on the "top 10 best-selling games ever;" one has to go to #14 or so to reach the first non-Nintendo game. Coincidentally, while it contains violence and an M-rating, the theme is FAR less serious than a "gritty war," the graphics are downright colorful, and the game's main draw was its huge, open sandbox environment. (the game being GTA: San Andreas) In other words, Miyamoto's own ideas applied.
[citation][nom]jellico[/nom]A successful game is one that leaves you feeling like, "Wow, that was awesome game! I can't wait for the sequel!"[/citation]
No, that's a "successful game" according to the big-wig school of thought, which DOESN'T really pan out well. It results in the same cookie-cutter games that are forgotten 4 years after release.
Rather, a good game does NOT leave someone waiting for a sequel; they keep playing it, for years, even. In this respect, I'd say it goes beyond mere "entertainment," as that word has way too many connotations with themes like "shallow" and "empty." A good game is NOT something that'd be fit for renting over the weekend and never playing again, but rather, one that draws you back, be it with loads of content, modability, or simply new challenges.