My Favourite Game Mike Shinoda

The Linkin Park frontman on his love of Nintendo, obsession with drawing Mega Man and tour-bus Halo sessions

Mike Shinoda is a founding member of Linkin Park, and was one of the band’s vocalists as well as its primary songwriter, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and producer. A lifelong videogame fan, he has contributed to game soundtracks and even featured in an 8bit game with his band. When quarantine began earlier this year, Mike began creating music and art live on Twitch in collaboration with his fans, and has recently released the resulting tracks on an album, Dropped Frames, Vol. 1. Here, he talks epic Linkin Park tour-bus Halo sessions, composing with chiptunes, and connecting with fans in the time of Covid.

What were your first memories of getting into videogames?

My parents were in a bowling league. They would meet with their friends and bring the kids and we could go play the arcade games. Once I got the NES, my friends and I, we’d play games and swap them, and we’d beat all of them immediately. Other than drawing, playing videogames was the only thing I did. I drew those characters non-stop. I would draw my own Mega Man enemy characters and levels, take multiple pieces of paper and tape them together and draw out a full level.

Was designing videogames ever a possibility for you?