Women in Gaming- Rieko Kodama

 Today we continue Women in Gaming Month with a brief discussion on the Queen of RPGs herself, Rieko Kodama!

May 1963- May 9 2022

Kodama Rieko (Japanese name order means family name comes before personal name) was born in the Japanese town of Yokosuka in the Kanagawa Prefecture. From an early age, she enjoyed playing arcade games, in spite of the fact she rarely went to them. Though she tried getting into Archaeology, she failed her classes due to her conflicting interest in taking Art. In one of those ironic moments in life, Rieko Kodama chose a career in Advertising due to a teenage interest in the field, a decision that would soon lead her to a life she could never have imagined.

In the year 1984, Rieko Kodama was hired by Sega to do some advertising work for their game cabinets. However, she soon discovered a passion for game development, considering it "fun." She began work as an art designer and programmer for Sega games, beginning with 1984's Flicky. As Sega was understaffed at the time, Rieko would soon find herself working on five to six games at once.

Then came the BIG break. Kodama was chosen to be the lead artist for Sega's new upcoming project, Phantasy Star. Because of the popularity of the Dragon Quest series, Sega was craving a piece of the RPG pie. But Kodama had criticisms of Dragon Quest, feeling that the world of the series was too Fantasy focused. She wanted to be different, so she made Phantasy Star a sci-fi/fantasy title. Instead of a male hero, she chose to have a female hero instead. Instead of customizable or blank slate characters, the characters of Phantasy Star would each have their own unique personalities. The story would also have personal stakes for the characters, instead of being the usual Save-the-World fare of RPG's at the time.

All these elements helped differentiate Phantasy Star from the competition, and would prove to be key to the game's success. Further, the Phantasy Star franchise would go on to become one of Sega's most popular and profitable franchises.

Rieko Kodama did not stop with just art design. She was eventually chosen to direct the fourth game in the Phantasy Star series, arguably the best RPG in the Genesis' library, and one of the absolute best RPG's of the 16-bit era.

During the leap to 3D, Kodama directed Skies of Arcadia, widely regarded as the BEST RPG for the Sega Dreamcast. Her philosophy during the game's development was simple: rely on good gameplay instead of pretty graphics or CGI cutscenes. The end result? A beautiful RPG that rewards players for exploring the world, with a wonderful cast of characters.

That was Rieko Kodama's Modus Operandi: make great characters that EVERYONE can love. She wanted to make games that appealed to both boys and girls, instead of just focusing one one particular target audience. This is why she designed characters like Alis, the main heroine of the first Phantasy Star game: she's a female, but her story is one of revenge and justice.

What makes Kodama's games so good are that they focus on the right elements (gameplay and enjoyment) but they don't skimp out on the eye candy. Phantasy Star games are visually striking and beautiful to look at, and the same can be said for all the games that Rieko Kodama did art design for. They include:

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Altered Beast
• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Rieko Kodama would spend her whole life as a director for Sega. Unfortunately, she passed away on 9 May 2022, leaving behind one hell of a legacy.

If there's a lesson to be learned from her life, it's this: take chances. Don't be afraid to do something new. Do everything with gusto. And finally, don't hesitate to follow your passion, and take your passion with you wherever you go.

I salute Rieko Kodama, the QUEEN of RPG!