American and Japanese gaming

K

kelbear

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 22, 2005
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This topic has been bandied about a bit on Hardforum, and I'm tossing this link in since it's looking at the topic closer, a bit more specific than the discussion thus far on Hardforum, so it should be good topic fuel.

Sticking it in console gaming since the topic primarily occurs regarding the Xbox360's dismal performance in Japan. Something the article notes is Japan's lack of relevance in the PC market.

Anyway...the link: http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3155815

(And ugh, I hate when articles are spread across way more pages than necessary like this)

Seems to me like he's making some pretty strong assumptions based on pretty thin hunches. But though the reasons provided seem pretty weak to me, the observations look pretty good regarding the different priorities on art and story, freedom and action. etc.
 
Great article! I'm Asian and I found many of what was said in the article very true about Asian culture vs American culture in terms of video games. Some however, weren't so agreeable, anyways enough about that. Great job!
 
I thought it was kind of lacking. They barely mention dating games. How sex is viewed in games isn't really mentioned. Hentai?

Where did he come up with this nonsense.
The first Westerners came to Japan back in 16th century to spread the word of God but were later kicked out by the emperor once the atrocities occurring in other parts of the globe came to light.
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Sounds like a political correct justification or Japanese propaganda version of history. It was more xenophobia, racism, and the political paranoia of the Shogunate. Many Buddhists institutions were also persecuted by Nobunaga. He built a temple were he could be worshiped. Foreign trade and technology were useful during civil war, but once there was unification, outside influences were seen as a political threat.
 
Articles like this are what create more misunderstanding among people, IMO.
 
Im glad the gap is there between American and Japanese games. I can get the best of both worlds.

Overall good article.

I wish more American games would start putting a larger emphasis on good storytelling. Something that I think is a real big gap between the two cultures games. But judging from these forums It seems like this is a very controversial thing.
 
i only read the first part about camera angles.. as of now i align with the American gaming culture... but i'll have to read the rest later
 
Japanese designers watched American action movies, added in some over-the-top craziness and came up with Metal Gear Solid. Americans saw 3D platformers like Super Mario 64 and created similar but darker games like Jak and Daxter.

New ideas are always being
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I stopped reading there because it sounds retarded.
 
Hm. A lot of misc, but I did agree that some of the more popular American games [not all] are more open-ended. GTA, Tony Hawk, NFL/NHL/NBA 200X for example.
 
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