Nobuo Uematsu is perhaps the most widely known
composer of video game-related
music alive. Sometimes referred to as the
John Williams of the
video game world, Uematsu does not take such a comparison lightly--even though he has admitted to wanting to be
Elton John as a younger man. He was born in
Kouchi City,
Japan on
March 21,
1959. He began playing
piano at twelve years old, and has never had a formal lesson. He currently lives in
Tokyo,
Japan with his
wife Reiko, and his dog, Pao.
A graduate of the University of Kanagawa, he began to play in small, local bands as a keyboard player, but quickly found that he enjoyed writing music much moreso than actually playing it. In fact, he needs very little to warm him up, saying, "All I need is a piano." In 1985, a friend pointed him to a small video game firm called Square Co. LTD., and they hired him almost immediately. He enjoys Irish music, making beer and playing the fiddle, and most of all, his love is creating the music so many Final Fantasy fans known him for. Surprisingly, he dislikes RPGs like Final Fantasy, saying that roleplaying games "take too much time". But he even recognizes the limitations and gifts of his chosen profession. He recognizes that the video game genre gets shipped quickly from place to place, where many people can hear his music. He doubts that he would have had as much fame had he chosen a life as a simple composer somewhere in Japan. At the same time, he says: "What we are looking to create is not the perfect musical composition, but a superb video game as a whole," rather than focussing strictly on the music by itself.
Sources: http://www.nobuouematsu.com, various places I can't seem to remember at this time.