Iwata was born in 1959. His dad was a successful politician. From an early age he took an interest in computers and in gaming. When he was a teenager, he would play game-slot machines at the local train station. In 1974, he bought his first calculator the HP-65 that allowed him to program and create games for albeit very simple ones. Just like his father, Iwata demonstrated great leadership skills as he served in leadership positions while growing up. In 1978, Iwata acquired his first computer, a Commodore PET. Driven by curiosity, he dismantled it to understand its workings. That same year, he joined The Tokyo Institute of Technology where he studied Computer Science.
References
National Today. (n.d.). Satoru Iwata birthday – December 6, 1959. National Today. https://nationaltoday.com/birthday/satoru-iwata/
Gaming Historian. (2015, November 23). The life of Satoru Iwata [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4cJh2YgrKE&t=631s