I've been having trouble narrowing down my exact essay subject, so I'm going to be researching as broadly as possible. From there I'll locate something that interests me and narrow down my scope a little. This entry encompasses my research and planning for my studio, and I write things down as I get them. Thus, it's a little bit cluttered and I'm guilty of going off on more than a few tangents/putting odd things in the middle of other things.
At the widest level, I'm going to be researching Japan's gaming industry. I'd like to also dabble into the differences between what appeals to Western players and Japanese players, and the efforts that have been made by game developers to breach those gaps.
Japan was a part of the game industry from as early as the 1970s, where companies like Sega, Namco and Nintendo produced arcade games. After the NA video game crash of 1983, Japan became the dominant country in the industry with the release of the NES.
This domination has waned in recent years with the rise of the Western industry, dropping 40% in eight years (2002 - 2010). This has been attributed to a multitude of causes, including differences between Western and Japanese audiences and also Japan's economic recession. However, certain Japanese game developers have spoken out about the Japanese games industry itself, citing it as 'xenophobic' and closed off to new ideas. One of the biggest dissenters is Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man and Mighty No. 9. Another is Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the Dead or Alive series and responsible for the revival of Ninja Gaiden in 2004.
Another developer, Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid fame), has spoken numerous times about Japan's 'obsession' with the west but their failure to change or market for the West, noting that office structure, practices, and video game tropes in Japan will not make for good sales in a Western market. From his interview with Famitsu (re-reported on 1UP);
Article quote, 1UP:
Another quote from Kojima;
Possible titles:
Should the Japanese games industry adapt to making games for the West?
or
Japan's Evolving Gaming Industry: is the "Westernization" of Japanese Games a Good Thing? Is it necessary?
or
From a financial standpoint, the West is incredibly profitable. However, many gamers have become jaded about the flood of formulaic games and smothered creativity in the Western industry. In many articles that feature Japanese developers speaking out about their views on the industry, many Western gamers have commented, either expressing their feelings that the Western industry isn't ideal, or disagreeing that the Japanese industry is in trouble. The latter would seem to be speculation on their part (as it is unrealistic that they would know the Japanese industry better than an industry dev), but the former is generally their opinion as a customer, and it is a common one.
Reasons why not;
The niche that Japanese games occupy provides a relief and indulgence for those prefer that kind of game. Many Japanese game developers speculate or give the opinion that appealing to the West means making games like Western developers; both in process and in content. Doing so would cut out the minority market that still prefers Japanese games -- minority market cutting is something that occurs far too often in the West already in an attempt to appeal to a 'broader audience'. (Thief, Dead Space 3).
Japanese games don't sell as well, but they're not marketed nearly as well as Western games are in the West. (Ace Attorney, Harvest Moon: AnB. One only got a digital release in the West, the other has a retail box but isn't available in-stores). Could it be speculated that this unwillingness to put money into 'less safe' games out of fear that they'll cause a loss in profits is the very reason they fail to sell, thus creating a loop? No marketing for fear of money loss/lack of audience -> No sales as audience is not made aware of the game -> Budgets cut, series are cancelled, etc. This loop of no marketing causing poor sales causing less marketing happens to games with female protagonists, as discussed here. Even as a long term fan of the Ace Attorney and Harvest Moon series (and having been aware of the upcoming games), I missed the actual date of both releases entirely.
There are also arguments that there's nothing wrong with the Japanese gaming industry at all; only that they are no longer making games for anyone outside of Japan. This is due to a divergence of audience interests between Japan and the West. Others still argue that the issue isn't that Japanese games are different from Western games, citing Western-mimic failures like Quantum Theory (Gears of War-esque) as examples of this. Instead, the issue is that many Japanese game developers refuse to examine Western games at all; thus they cannot learn about anything they have to offer.
A quote from 1UP's Ryan Winterhalter;
"Galapagos syndrome" is a term that originated in Japan and refers to the isolation of a branch of an otherwise globally available product. Ryan argues that Japanese games being dissimilar to western games isn't the issue -- instead, it is that they do not examine Western games at all and thus miss the opportunity to incorporate certain innovations/improvements. The "Monster Hunter Claw" technique that Ryan refers to is way players had to grip the PSP in order to control camera movement in Capcom's Monster Hunter series. This claw hand caused many gamers discomfort and was an issue when it came to series accessibility; Monster Hunter is notorious for being a Japanese best seller while being somewhat less popular/less focused on the West.
This problem has been alleviated slightly with the series' migration to Nintendo consoles and handhelds. The Wii and WiiU editions of Monster Hunter Tri and 3 Ultimate allowed for dual stick movement/camera control. With the addition of the circle pad pro accessory for the 3DS version of MH3U (and the built-in lock-on feature, something previously absent from the series), dual stick movement and easy navigation are also a handheld feature. The platform switch, camera control tweaks and inclusion of online play on console versions were, according to an interview with producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, all part of a conscious effort to bring the Monster Hunter series to the West.
Cieslak, Marc. (2010). Is the Japanese gaming industry in crisis? . Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9159905.stm. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Gifford, Kevin. (2011). Hideo Kojima and the Japanese Obsession with Overseas Success. Available: http://www.1up.com/news/hideo-kojima-japanese-obsession-overseas. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Winterhalter, Ryan. (2011). Why Japanese Games are Breaking up With the West. Available: http://www.1up.com/features/japanese-games-breaking-west. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Wesley, Yin-Poole. (2013). Capcom hopes Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will spark a "breakthrough" in the west . Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-01-capcom-hopes-monster-hunter-3-ultimate-will-spark-a-breakthrough-in-the-west. Last accessed 12/11/2013.
Greiner, John. (2012). The truth about Japan: a postcard from the Japanese games industry . Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-10-tokyo-story-a-postcard-from-the-japanese-games-industry. Last accessed 11/11/2013.
Kojima, Hideo. (2012). Kojima and Mikami speak out about the Japanese gaming industry. Available: http://www.gamingcapacity.com/kojima-and-mikami-speak-out-about-the-japanese-gaming-industry/. Last accessed 14/11/13.
http://kotaku.com/lack-of-pokemon-x-y-lefty-mode-set-to-bum-out-10-of-wo-1445153347
This domination has waned in recent years with the rise of the Western industry, dropping 40% in eight years (2002 - 2010). This has been attributed to a multitude of causes, including differences between Western and Japanese audiences and also Japan's economic recession. However, certain Japanese game developers have spoken out about the Japanese games industry itself, citing it as 'xenophobic' and closed off to new ideas. One of the biggest dissenters is Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man and Mighty No. 9. Another is Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the Dead or Alive series and responsible for the revival of Ninja Gaiden in 2004.
Another developer, Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid fame), has spoken numerous times about Japan's 'obsession' with the west but their failure to change or market for the West, noting that office structure, practices, and video game tropes in Japan will not make for good sales in a Western market. From his interview with Famitsu (re-reported on 1UP);
"Do we really need to succeed worldwide? That's what I'm really wondering about. Everyone talks about overseas, overseas, but nobody's really thinking about what needs to be done if we want to succeed. We get obsessed with thinking about worldwide because we've had previous success with games and anime worldwide, but none of those successes matter nowadays. When you're making a game, it doesn't matter what nationality the team is -- I think there was a lack of understanding among Japanese developers on that issue. It all comes down to the team you have. Even if I brought in the best developer in the world, it won't result in anything if nobody around him understands what he says."
"It's hard to feel this when you're in Japan, but there is a gap opening between the West in terms of pure quality. If you're trying to break out overseas, then I think the only way is to divide your development teams between the Japanese and global markets. It's impossible to encompass it in a single group -- everything needs to be separate, down to the office and pay structure. There are loads of talented developers overseas, but you can't get them unless you spend the money. If you base your calculations off the standard Japanese salary structure, nobody's going to come to you. It's the difference between what you pay a Hollywood star versus a Japanese film star."
Article quote, 1UP:
So it's a money issue, but Kojima also noted that it's a case of Japanese developers wanting their cake and eating it too -- in other words, striving for acceptance (and sales) in the US, but not really making the changes required to make that happen. "To put it in an extreme fashion, Americans like games where you have a gun and you're shooting at space aliens," he said. "If you don't understand why that's fun, then you shouldn't be making games for the world market; you don't need to. I mean, Japanese people might say 'Why space aliens?', but Americans will counter with 'What's with these games featuring these feminine-looking boys fighting in Japan with these huge swords?' It's no wonder the target audience for a lot of games is getting so compartmentalized." [Gifford, Kevin (quoting Hideo Kojima), 2011]
Another quote from Kojima;
"In the 8-bit days," Kojima noted, "you had to symbolize a lot of things and make gamers follow certain rules. In the West, that did a complete 180 starting with the PS2. It's no longer the game designer's job to think up the rules; his job is to dissect gamers' preferences and build a world they can get addicted to. That's why having FPSes dominate the US market into the future is absolutely fine by me." [Gifford, Kevin (quoting Hideo Kojima), 2011]
“One thing about Japan – and this isn’t just games – is that things that are made in Japan are very much targeted at Japan, whether it’s games, movies or novels. It’s the curse of Japan. My generation is now being exposed to a wide range of influences, that’s why what I want to make is a little bit more in tune with what the people in the west would like” [Hideo, Kojima, 2012].
Possible titles:
Should the Japanese games industry adapt to making games for the West?
or
Japan's Evolving Gaming Industry: is the "Westernization" of Japanese Games a Good Thing? Is it necessary?
or
From a financial standpoint, the West is incredibly profitable. However, many gamers have become jaded about the flood of formulaic games and smothered creativity in the Western industry. In many articles that feature Japanese developers speaking out about their views on the industry, many Western gamers have commented, either expressing their feelings that the Western industry isn't ideal, or disagreeing that the Japanese industry is in trouble. The latter would seem to be speculation on their part (as it is unrealistic that they would know the Japanese industry better than an industry dev), but the former is generally their opinion as a customer, and it is a common one.
Reasons why not;
The niche that Japanese games occupy provides a relief and indulgence for those prefer that kind of game. Many Japanese game developers speculate or give the opinion that appealing to the West means making games like Western developers; both in process and in content. Doing so would cut out the minority market that still prefers Japanese games -- minority market cutting is something that occurs far too often in the West already in an attempt to appeal to a 'broader audience'. (Thief, Dead Space 3).
Japanese games don't sell as well, but they're not marketed nearly as well as Western games are in the West. (Ace Attorney, Harvest Moon: AnB. One only got a digital release in the West, the other has a retail box but isn't available in-stores). Could it be speculated that this unwillingness to put money into 'less safe' games out of fear that they'll cause a loss in profits is the very reason they fail to sell, thus creating a loop? No marketing for fear of money loss/lack of audience -> No sales as audience is not made aware of the game -> Budgets cut, series are cancelled, etc. This loop of no marketing causing poor sales causing less marketing happens to games with female protagonists, as discussed here. Even as a long term fan of the Ace Attorney and Harvest Moon series (and having been aware of the upcoming games), I missed the actual date of both releases entirely.
There are also arguments that there's nothing wrong with the Japanese gaming industry at all; only that they are no longer making games for anyone outside of Japan. This is due to a divergence of audience interests between Japan and the West. Others still argue that the issue isn't that Japanese games are different from Western games, citing Western-mimic failures like Quantum Theory (Gears of War-esque) as examples of this. Instead, the issue is that many Japanese game developers refuse to examine Western games at all; thus they cannot learn about anything they have to offer.
A quote from 1UP's Ryan Winterhalter;
"This issue is that many (but by no means all) influential Japanese designers refuse to examine western games at all. The result is that the Japanese gaming industry is currently suffering from its own version of the Galapagos syndrome, and the famed "Monster Hunter Claw" is its own specialized adaptation. While the west was busy fine tuning dual analog control from movement in a 3D space, designers in Japan were experimenting on their own methods of control that had to work on the single analog PSP."
"Galapagos syndrome" is a term that originated in Japan and refers to the isolation of a branch of an otherwise globally available product. Ryan argues that Japanese games being dissimilar to western games isn't the issue -- instead, it is that they do not examine Western games at all and thus miss the opportunity to incorporate certain innovations/improvements. The "Monster Hunter Claw" technique that Ryan refers to is way players had to grip the PSP in order to control camera movement in Capcom's Monster Hunter series. This claw hand caused many gamers discomfort and was an issue when it came to series accessibility; Monster Hunter is notorious for being a Japanese best seller while being somewhat less popular/less focused on the West.
Monster Hunter claw
The circle pad pro, which adds a second stick to the 3DS.
This problem has been alleviated slightly with the series' migration to Nintendo consoles and handhelds. The Wii and WiiU editions of Monster Hunter Tri and 3 Ultimate allowed for dual stick movement/camera control. With the addition of the circle pad pro accessory for the 3DS version of MH3U (and the built-in lock-on feature, something previously absent from the series), dual stick movement and easy navigation are also a handheld feature. The platform switch, camera control tweaks and inclusion of online play on console versions were, according to an interview with producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, all part of a conscious effort to bring the Monster Hunter series to the West.
"It's all part of a concerted, deliberate effort on the part of Capcom to grow Monster Hunter's popularity in the west.
"You're right in terms of us intentionally doing this," Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told Eurogamer. "It's always been our wish to make a good start and we've always been saying we'll do this at one point." [Yin-Poole, Wesley (2013), quoting Ryozo Tsujimoto]
Despite Capcom's efforts to improve and integrate Western control schemes and innovations, some games and developers still exclude sections of their audiences. Released recently, Pokemon X/Y included target shooting minigames that the player could use to improve their Pokemon's stats. Due to the lack of a second stick on the 3DS and Nintendo's lack of first/second party game compatibility with the circle pad pro, this game can only comfortably be played using the stylus right handed.
One game, Nier, had two different versions: Nier Gestalt and Nier
Replicant. Nier Replicant was released in Japan on the PS3, and featured
a youthful main character. Nier Gestalt was released in Japan on the
360 and also overseas. This version featured an older protagonist, one
that the developers hoped would appeal to older gamers and the audience outside of Japan.
Topics/titles/things to discuss. Essay structure?
Japanamerica/Japan's past & previous influences on the West. Falling sales, mobile market?
Current state of affairs/Hideo Kojima & Keiji Inafune standpoint.
The bad. Possible loss of what makes Japanese games good. Silent Hill, challenges. Do they even need to 'Westernize'?
The good. Successes? Dragon's Dogma, Monster Hunter control adaptations.
Merging West and East without losing the essence of what makes Japanese games Japanese. Opinions.
Do Japanese games need to push the same numbers as the latest Western AAA?
Mobile gaming -- Japan's increased focus on mobile devices. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Japanese gaming industry isn't failing; it is merely evolving.
2012 TGS: Phones and tablets = 507 games, traditional consoles and handhelds = 210 titles.
2010 TGS: Consoles and handhelds = 423, smart phones and tablets =141.
2010 TGS: Consoles and handhelds = 423, smart phones and tablets =141.
In 2012, the mobile gaming market in Japan was worth $5.1 billion, while the console market was worth $4.6 billion. Figures retrieved from Serkan Toto's report translations.
"They were always really created for the Japanese market - it's only been recently that companies like Capcom and Konami have really focused on the world market, so because their console market is always supported by a certain percentage of a much smaller population, so as the market goes they need to expand overseas.
They've tried to do that, but traditionally Japan's always made games for its own market, but traditionally we've been infatuated with that style of development and their dedication to detail and the attention to that that made the games somewhat special. The balance and charm of Japanese games is something unique, but it was never meant to be global." [Greiner, John, (2012)]
Cieslak, Marc. (2010). Is the Japanese gaming industry in crisis? . Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9159905.stm. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Gifford, Kevin. (2011). Hideo Kojima and the Japanese Obsession with Overseas Success. Available: http://www.1up.com/news/hideo-kojima-japanese-obsession-overseas. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Winterhalter, Ryan. (2011). Why Japanese Games are Breaking up With the West. Available: http://www.1up.com/features/japanese-games-breaking-west. Last accessed 10/11/2013.
Wesley, Yin-Poole. (2013). Capcom hopes Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will spark a "breakthrough" in the west . Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-01-capcom-hopes-monster-hunter-3-ultimate-will-spark-a-breakthrough-in-the-west. Last accessed 12/11/2013.
Greiner, John. (2012). The truth about Japan: a postcard from the Japanese games industry . Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-10-tokyo-story-a-postcard-from-the-japanese-games-industry. Last accessed 11/11/2013.
Kojima, Hideo. (2012). Kojima and Mikami speak out about the Japanese gaming industry. Available: http://www.gamingcapacity.com/kojima-and-mikami-speak-out-about-the-japanese-gaming-industry/. Last accessed 14/11/13.
http://kotaku.com/lack-of-pokemon-x-y-lefty-mode-set-to-bum-out-10-of-wo-1445153347
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/09/05/digital/gunslinging-the-japanese-way/#.UnwlnOI6ZeA
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4780423/ns/technology_and_science-games/#.UnwkBuI6ZeA
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/06/29/life/local-heroes-take-japanese-video-games-to-the-world/#.UnwkFOI6ZeA
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/05/02/life/japans-gamers-are-starting-to-shoot-em-up/#.UnwkGOI6ZeA
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f80645a6-3343-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2k0kAH2df
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-16-kojima-japanese-developers-lack-global-outlook-technological-skills
http://www.1up.com/news/kojima-productions-shows-off-new-game-engine
http://www.gamingcapacity.com/kojima-and-mikami-speak-out-about-the-japanese-gaming-industry/
http://kotaku.com/5666353/final-fantasy-xiii-developers-couldnt-cater-to-a-western-audience
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChristianNutt/20130920/200739
/Whats_going_to_happen_to_Atlus_postSega.php?print=1
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013
/02/talking_point_the_emergence_of_niche_japanese_titles_into_the_nintendo_mainstream
http://www.1up.com/features/japanese-games-breaking-west?pager.offset=1
http://www.shacknews.com/article/77465/tales-producer-japan-going-back-to-roots-avoiding-westernization-of
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/129984/made_in_japan_western_.php?print=1
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/01/12/the-westernization-of-japanese-games
http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/01/adapt-or-die-do-japanese-developers-really-need-to-westernize-their-games/
http://www.edge-online.com/features/interview-tomonobu-itagaki/2/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/captivate-inafune-and-reeves-speeches-blog-entry
http://www.destructoid.com/inafune-japanese-game-industry-is-not-fine-250765.phtml
http://www.edge-online.com/features/tokyo-game-show-and-why-japan-isnt-ready-for-next-gen-home-consoles/
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f80645a6-3343-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2k0kAH2df
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-16-kojima-japanese-developers-lack-global-outlook-technological-skills
http://www.1up.com/news/kojima-productions-shows-off-new-game-engine
http://www.gamingcapacity.com/kojima-and-mikami-speak-out-about-the-japanese-gaming-industry/
http://kotaku.com/5666353/final-fantasy-xiii-developers-couldnt-cater-to-a-western-audience
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChristianNutt/20130920/200739
/Whats_going_to_happen_to_Atlus_postSega.php?print=1
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013
/02/talking_point_the_emergence_of_niche_japanese_titles_into_the_nintendo_mainstream
http://www.1up.com/features/japanese-games-breaking-west?pager.offset=1
http://www.shacknews.com/article/77465/tales-producer-japan-going-back-to-roots-avoiding-westernization-of
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/129984/made_in_japan_western_.php?print=1
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/01/12/the-westernization-of-japanese-games
http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/01/adapt-or-die-do-japanese-developers-really-need-to-westernize-their-games/
http://www.edge-online.com/features/interview-tomonobu-itagaki/2/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/captivate-inafune-and-reeves-speeches-blog-entry
http://www.destructoid.com/inafune-japanese-game-industry-is-not-fine-250765.phtml
http://www.edge-online.com/features/tokyo-game-show-and-why-japan-isnt-ready-for-next-gen-home-consoles/
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