Kojima and the Walkman

A deep dive into the role of the Walkman in Kojima’s games

Hideo Kojima often greets his followers in the morning with a familiar image.
The sharp display of a high-end Sony Walkman, showing the album art of the day’s song.

Sometimes it’s The Cure or Joy Division. Other times it’s an obscure artist with a sound so precise it feels handpicked for a film that doesn’t exist yet.

Kojima’s taste is always on point. Deep, cinematic, and endlessly curated.

To most, it’s just another cool snapshot from the daily life of the greatest video game creator alive. But to Kojima, it’s something else. A habit that began long before social media. A quiet ritual built around one of the many things that have shaped his work for over three decades.

The Sony Walkman has followed him through it all. Sometimes in the background. Sometimes at the center. But always there.