Miyamoto thanks colleagues for BAFTA

Shigeru Miyamoto has thanked his friends and colleagues over the past 30 years for his BAFTA Fellowship award.

The famed designer, who created many of Nintendo's iconic franchises such as Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong, received a standing ovation when he picked up the gong at tonight's 2010 Video Game BAFTAs.

"It is a great honour to receive this award here in London in front of so many fellow developers and industry professionals," he said.

"When I started my career at Nintendo there was no such thing as video game making at the company. My only wish was to make something to surprise or entertain many people. I was lucky enough to get the job making video games from the dawn of the industry.

"I am humbled because I cannot develop a video game by myself. Therefore I am receiving the award on behalf of everyone who has worked with me over the past 30 years, and I'd like to thank every single person for their hard work."

Miyamoto joins fellow video game designers Nolan Bushnell and Will Wright into the Fellowship, and is the first Japanese recipient of any industry to receive the honour.