Differences in Japanese and American gaming.

Azureth

Supreme [H]ardness
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So I was reading this article detailing why the GameCube failed and, as we can see from the Wii U, America and Japan seems to have quite a difference when it comes to culture when it comes to videogame tastes. I especially loved this quote:

“Someone, sadly I forget who, would later quote in one of those meetings that “Consumers don’t want fun anymore; they just want to kill people… in HD.” – Kyle Mercury recalls a Nintendo meeting
I think there is a fair bit of truth to that, sadly, just look at CoD. Now, I am not saying you can't like CoD or any other shoot 'em up game, but one thing I have noticed is that many Americans, unlike the Japanese get really turned off by anything that would be considered "cartoony" or "not mature". Even among my friends many won't even play the new Wind Waker HD because "they don't like the cartoony graphics" yet will play and buy the same shooter over and over. what I don't get is why the Japanese seem to be a lot more open to new things even if "cutesy" like unlike americans. Guys get made fun of for it here whereas men in Japan can be into anime/manga etc. and isn't seen as nerdy and some kind of "loser" like an American guy would.
 
That's true. One reason I wasn't attracted to WoW was because of the cartoon graphics.
 
Sadly for the casual gaming market out there in the US this is true. Those of us that have a finer taste for games don't move enough units in other genres to make a difference in that perception when looking at sales.
 
Graphics do not have much to do with it, but most of the games I play involve some sort of combat. Most games are like this. Mario Kart, Pokemon, RTS games, ect. I did like Pilot Wings 64 a lot although that did feature rockets and killing of a giant robot in a few missions.
 
Sadly for the casual gaming market out there in the US this is true. Those of us that have a finer taste for games don't move enough units in other genres to make a difference in that perception when looking at sales.

It's just ridiculous how a console like the Wii U that may not be as "mature" (whatever that means) as other consoles undoubtedly has more pure "fun" games than other systems yet many won't play it because it's "kiddy". Seems as if in Japan something being "kiddy" isn't as near a detriment.
 
It's just ridiculous how a console like the Wii U that may not be as "mature" (whatever that means) as other consoles undoubtedly has more pure "fun" games than other systems yet many won't play it because it's "kiddy". Seems as if in Japan something being "kiddy" isn't as near a detriment.
That's because Nintendo being the only original home console manufacturer around that still makes hardware, Nintendo is synonomous with "toy." Unfortunately this stigma will exist with the Nintendo brand no matter what they may decide to do with it in the future. The fact now that most of the younger generation did not grow up with Nintendo IP, so there is no emotional attachment to them like the older crowd who grew up with them have. I'll admit that the only real reason I bought a Gamecube was for Metroid and Zelda. I think I would buy a Wii in a heart beat if I could get the Metroid Prime Trilogy at a reasonable price...
 
So all Japanese games are "cartoony" does that not make them turned-off to "mature" graphical Western style games? I have yet to see a Japanese game that doesn't look like a bubble gum explosion on screen. If that is Japanese gaming I want no part of it.
 
At their most stereotypical, Eastern gaming is romancing cartoony schoolgirls and Western gaming is killing zombies. Combine the two and you get Lollypop Chainsaw.
 
Even among my friends many won't even play the new Wind Waker HD because "they don't like the cartoony graphics"

The answer: Get new friends

Guys get made fun of for it here whereas men in Japan can be into anime/manga etc.

There was a time where Japanese adults were looked down upon for gaming and had thinking it was only for children. Hence why many games out of japan are/where child-like. Japan has been slow to adapt to others likes. We westerner's have took matters into our own hands and shovel out what people buy. meaning DDR one year, COD the next five years and so on.


I could care less for games like COD, BF, Crysis. But the whole point why they sell the way they do something basic anyone can pickup, and they can be done with other people/friends at the same time.

Japanese still have this thing called a learning curve and effort. People run like hell from things like that! I will even say I'm guilty of staying in my bubble as I also don't care for most RPG/ RTS/ Tower defense/ sim building/ etc...



Anytime time you put worth into what others think of what "your" interest are is a sad day. Do what YOU like, don't follow the sheep!
 
So all Japanese games are "cartoony" does that not make them turned-off to "mature" graphical Western style games? I have yet to see a Japanese game that doesn't look like a bubble gum explosion on screen. If that is Japanese gaming I want no part of it.

Not always. The original Ace Combats certainly were not:

http://bestgamewallpapers.com/files/ace-combat-4/su37-2.jpg

The stories, while often a bit silly (as are 98% of all games) were much better than most western games. The latest Assault Horizon game went to a western stylization and flopped. Luckily it looks like they are going back to the original Japanese style with their next title, Infinity, although it is "free to play" and PS3 only.

There is also the MGS series.
 
It's just ridiculous how a console like the Wii U that may not be as "mature" (whatever that means) as other consoles undoubtedly has more pure "fun" games than other systems yet many won't play it because it's "kiddy". Seems as if in Japan something being "kiddy" isn't as near a detriment.

Or, something insane, the games just aren't as entertaining to many as shooters are? I like Mario, Pokemon and games like that, but not all the time. Shooters like CoD offer more fun to me and it doesn't have anything to do with one being kiddy. I know a lot of kids in high school and college who still get out their gameboys and play Pokemon, it's just not all the time.
 
So all Japanese games are "cartoony" does that not make them turned-off to "mature" graphical Western style games? I have yet to see a Japanese game that doesn't look like a bubble gum explosion on screen. If that is Japanese gaming I want no part of it.

kts.jpg


Konami Team Silent disagrees with you. ;)
 
Not all Japanese are into the cartoony junk. And not all Japanese go after things that push the limits on pedo material. But yeah, their culture has an obsessiveness with men trying to look like boys.

And not all Westerners are into COD killfests either.

Most Japanese stuff I wouldn't touch, just like most westerner stuff I don't care for either. But there are gems found here and there. Not all Japanese and Westerners are the same.
 
Today's American AAA games are all about instant gratification with zero effort required, they're not even games, but glorified good night stories for brain dead males.
 
Today's American AAA games are all about instant gratification with zero effort required, they're not even games, but glorified good night stories for brain dead males.

You have no idea what a video game is then. You always act like your some hotshot pro and everything that doesn't play like some old game (quake 2?) is shit. 90% of people who buy games don't care about how much skill a game takes, it's how much fun it is. Video games are a form of entertainment, everyone defines that differently.
 
I never said any of the things you assume about my "act".

Beating a helpless puppy isn't fun for me, but you're right - some people love it.
 
Today's American AAA games are all about instant gratification with zero effort required, they're not even games, but glorified good night stories for brain dead males.

You sound like you are a blast at parties.


I'm 32 years old and been gaming a LONG ass time... and between all the responsibilities of being an adult, owning a house, work, etc etc... there are a good deal of us that simply don't have the time to become the next WoW level 100 grand wizard, or memorize endless combos and strategies.

I remember back in the day memorizing countless useless video game stuff that made me a great player. Now? Who gives a crap? If it comes down to being able to pay my mortgage and keep a roof over my head vs going full nerd just too look cool to some random retard on the internet... I choose the mortgage.

It's a great stress reliever to be able to fire up some BF4 for 15 or 20 minutes and blow some shit up if that's all I have time for. Nobody ever said this stuff was Shakespeare, but not all of us won the lottery and can sit back playing video games for 10 hours a day just so we can cop an elitist attitude online.

Fun is fun -- sorry you can't realize that.
 
I'm 32 years old and been gaming a LONG ass time... and between all the responsibilities of being an adult, owning a house, work, etc etc... there are a good deal of us that simply don't have the time to become the next WoW level 100 grand wizard, or memorize endless combos and strategies.
Nobody ever said this stuff was Shakespeare, but not all of us won the lottery and can sit back playing video games for 10 hours a day just so we can cop an elitist attitude online.

And the "I'm too grown up for gaming, with my mortgage and responsibilities" attitude isn't elitist? And it's not like all those CoD players are 30+.
Speaking of Shakespeare, it's like that dumb trend for adults reading the Harry Potter books; it doesn't take any more time to read a book for adults than it does a children's book, but why be challenged in any way when you can be spoon-fed mass market media? Similarly, not all games which aren't military shooters require a 24/7 commitment, but they might require an open mind.
There was a clip I happened to watch yesterday of Louis CK on Conan, where he talked about how most people these days like to just cruise along in a sort of harmless middle ground of bland mediocrity, which is exactly what is feeding the Western media industries (and it's by no means limited to the US, nor to gaming). But, I suspect the same thing probably applies to Japanese games in their own way.
I've been playing video games longer than you've been alive. I used to play a lot of shooters, now I prefer to mix it up and experience new things.
 
You are still completely missing the point. Video games are about having fun, and how we define fun is different from each other. Is it really that hard to understand?

Oh, and basing people's intelligence off of the video games they play is hilarious.
 
It's about fun, but I like escapism. Give me a world that sucks me in. Addictive games can be fun for a while where you're goal is to chase the carrot dangling in front of you (item find games for example). But after a while too much time is required so they become a chore. I have enough responsibilities in real life. I don't need another job. Just immerse me and I'm happy.
 
Many moodern mainstream games are not about fun or interesting gameplay. They are about positive reinforcement. Often with an intertwined reward and feedback system.

There's a whole other conversation to get into, regarding graphics and presentation. Presentation often will support the reward and feedback system. But the graphics and directing for a game can take on some major juxtaposition with the "fun", "positive", "rewarding" vibe for the player.

easy example: the raw violence conducted on screen VS. the rewarding feelings from the player as they see numbers going up and other positive feedback.


As far as different cultures and their interests for gaming: There's a lot of misinformation in here, much of it due to GROSS generalization. But yes, Japanese culture and American culture is very different and nets different interests for gaming. There's also plenty of overlap. As evidenced by 15 years of Japanese console developer sales dominance in all markets. Yes, Americans love Japanese games. Your friend may not want to play Zelda now. But I guarantee you he loved the hell out of Link to The Past on gameboy 20 years ago.

It really wasn't until the mid-late PS2/Xbox era that western developers started taking a hold in the console market. and it really wasn't until the PS360 generation that western devs started taking real market share. But I think the huge focus shift in the industry has more to do with money, than it does anything else.

You see, somewhere along the way, someone decided that gaming should become a billions dollar industry with tight ass margins so that as much money as possible can be kept and clasped tightly (hint: investor/shareholder attitudes). We now live in a time that publishers complain, investors threaten to pull funding, and developers carve out major layoffs, because their recent game only sold 3.8 million.....

....wait what? You can't float a developer crew on 3.8 million copies sold?


So back to the point: I think the shift towards western development is because the western market is larger than the Japanese market. and while the western market will buy some Japanese games...there are other opportunities in this modern time and the western market is so much larger that the Japanese market can actually kind of be ignored, in terms of total money making potential from (insert western game here).

There's also a ton more overlap in the gameplay of games nowadays. So the choices are much less cut and dry. In the past, we went to specific games and/or game series, for specific, fairly unique gameplay. That isn't as much the case anymore, with all of the genre bending, tributary gameplay. So games are instead built around focus tested aesthetics to meet market demographics. and so we're right back to catering to the larger markets.
 
Japanese culture reflects its gaming habits and Japanese culture couldn't be more different from American culture frankly. I've been to Japan multiple times and seeing it first hand is astounding and very interesting. But one thing I've noticed is that Western influence is beginning to dominate versus traditional Japanese gaming segments. Japanese gamers still love their individual style and "cute" factor that is always apart of the formula but they have expanded palettes now to consider.

Frankly one of my favorite genre's is JRPG's. It would be a crime if Western RPG's became the dominate standard for good , I love a well crafted JRPG and grew up with them. Ni No Kuni was my second favorite game of 2013 and I hope quality Japanese games like that are still a mainstay of the future.
 
Japanese culture reflects its gaming habits and Japanese culture couldn't be more different from American culture frankly. I've been to Japan multiple times and seeing it first hand is astounding and very interesting. But one thing I've noticed is that Western influence is beginning to dominate versus traditional Japanese gaming segments. Japanese gamers still love their individual style and "cute" factor that is always apart of the formula but they have expanded palettes now to consider.

Frankly one of my favorite genre's is JRPG's. It would be a crime if Western RPG's became the dominate standard for good , I love a well crafted JRPG and grew up with them. Ni No Kuni was my second favorite game of 2013 and I hope quality Japanese games like that are still a mainstay of the future.
could not agree more
 
Fun is fun -- sorry you can't realize that.

I thought I made it clear my expectations for fun differ from what is offered in AAA games these days.

I don't mind you having fun being a cannon fodder in those huge BF maps if that's all the effort you can afford, being a grown up man with responsibilities and all. I know many people like you. Just try not to get too fat, man.

I find Litfod's response brilliant.
 
Except for fighting games and platformers I don't like Japanese games very much. I especially hate jprg, too much melodramatic, not enough real time. I think its the turn base aspect that turn me off the most.

I loved resident evil back then..
 
could not agree more
It's probably better to define culture on a per-city basis, but even then it's easy to find similarities, especially when you just look at people as individuals instead of trying to fit them into something pre-defind. For example, most people just want love and entertainment and the way they go about that is fundamentally very similar world-wide. There are some superficial stuff that makes it appear different, but if you dig just a little bit deeper it's all the pretty much the same.

It's also easy to just look at MEDIA POP CULTURE (tv, magazines, internet, etc...) and see differences, but if you've lived more than 13 years on this earth you should know that that hardly reflects the actual life-style and attitudes of 95% of population.

I've been to many different countries and am surprised at how SIMILAR they are, but that's because I like make meaningful connections and relate to all people... if you see a huge difference then you probably want to see them that way, maybe, I dunno... IMHO
 
Thanks for the article OP. Was a very interesting read. If I still gamed on consoles I would buy Nintendo ones over the Microsoft and Sony because most games I want on those are available on PC.
 
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