Overview

• Multiple outlets this week are highlighting an Automaton translation of Kojima’s reflective An-an Web piece first published earlier this year.
• Kojima recounts job hunting in 1985–86 as stacked against a liberal-arts graduate from a lesser-known university, pushing applicants to perform and hide their true selves.
• He likens the process to being a “Showa-era detective,” roaming from interview to interview until his shoes wore down.
• During an interview at a medical equipment company, an HR director encouraged him to pursue creative work, prompting a change in direction.
• He then focused on games and toys, joined Konami in 1986 and created Metal Gear, and he now says he strives to meet student interviewees with honesty even as he believes both sides often lie.