Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has revealed he struggled to find a job and almost never made games if it wasn’t for advice from a Human Resources person. The veteran developer wrote in an essay for An-An Web (which has been automatically translated by Automaton Media) that because he went to a ‘second rate’ university, potential employers didn’t take him seriously.

“Endless phone calls, mails, roaming around until the soles on my shoes wore down – my job hunting made me feel like I was a Showa era detective trying to solve a murder case,” Kojima explained.

As the process dragged on, Kojima felt that many of the applicants were not being true to themselves, instead adapting and morphing themselves to the roles they would apply for. “Everybody was hiding their true selves; we could only act like chameleons trying to change our colors to adapt to each of the companies we were applying for. Those days of playing pretend felt far detached from job hunting one would do to chase their dreams.”

Kojima, who was trying to land a role in the pharmaceutical industry at the time, finally received an offer. However, by that time, the Death Stranding maestro ha realised he wanted a job that gave him room to stretch his creative mind more. He wrote a letter to the HR director explaining as much, and was shocked to get a response from them recommending that he pursue his dreams. “The HR director encouraged me: Kojima, I feel like you’re more fit for a creative job – so go for it.“

From then on, Kojima’s life changed. He focused on game development and finally landed a role at Konami. The rest is history.

“A place where lies meet lies, that’s what interviews actually are,” he wrote. “But I’m not somebody who lies. And it’s not because I’m the representative of my company. I sincerely face each of the students who come to me. I even give advice to those who aren’t suited for the job. Just like that HR director who changed my life, whose name I’ve already forgotten.”