Masaya Matsuura

If you're being held responsible for inventing on of gaming's most popular genres, you must be an influential game designer indeed. Widely regarded now as the father of music games, Masaya Matsuura, the studio he heads is certainly not just about music games. Like a fresh breeze spreading originality and fun, NanaOn-Sha has employed music, images and games as a means to bring smiles to the world since 1993. Beginning with the seminal 'Parappa the Rapper' and more recently with the hit series 'Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop', the Japanese games studio is perhaps better described as an entertainment studio with a multidisciplinary head, as it is now also delving into making music for Sony's AIBO pet and animations for TV shows whilst always exploring the fine line between making music and playing games in general, all with one goal, to make us smile.