Gamasutra Article: Western Perspectives On Japanese Game Development

[Deepak]

Nice and informative article: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070425/winterhalter_01.shtml

To a fair number of people Japan is synonymous with games. “…without the Japanese contribution, the games industry might not be around today...†wrote Denis Dyack of Silicon Knights in his foreword on the Chris Kohler’s treatise of the Japanese games industry, “Power Upâ€. Perhaps no one has a better perspective on Japanese game development than those who come from outside of Japan to work in the Japanese side of the industry. We recently interviewed three such “gaikokujin (foreigner) developers.â€

JC Barnett is a pseudonym for an anonymous British national working in Tokyo at an unspecified company. His blog, Japanmanship, covers his perspective on the Japanese game industry as well as cultural observations about Japan. His insight into life, Japanese attitudes towards foreigners, and his strategies for dealing with them (a practice he refers to as “Gamesmanshipâ€) have made him a hit amongst other expatriates in Japan, and his concise and thoughtful evaluations of Japanese work practices in the industry and elsewhere have caught the eye of developers and gaming enthusiasts outside of Japan.

Greg Tavares is a twenty-year industry veteran. He has worked on titles like the original Sid Meier’s Pirates, Wild 9, Crash Team Racing, and Loco Roco. After seven years in Tokyo, he has recently moved back to the United States.

Finally, Dylan Cuthbert made his start in Amiga development in the UK. After catching Nintendo’s eye, he joined Gunpei Yokoi’s team at Nintendo before eventually going on to work on StarFox and put in stints at Sony in the United States and Japan. In 2001, he founded Q-Games in Kyoto and the studio recently revealed 'Pixel Junk', a series of casual titles for the PlayStation 3.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Japan had nothing whatsoever to do with the quite healthy home computer games industry that developed out of the 8 and 16 bitters of the 1980s and then matured into the PC gaming sector we have today.

If we assume the mega segadrives and whatnot never existed we can be quite sure someone here in the west would have developed a solution to conquer that part of the market. Especially after the relatively inexpensive Amigas and Atari STs got obsoleted by the considerably more expensive IBM PC compatibles.

Peace.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Would have.... But they didnt right? so it is because of Japan. Without the likes of nintendo, sega, sony and some 3rd party japanese devs we wouldnt be were we are now. Afterall gaming is alot more common in Japan than it is here, especially in the old days.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Would have.... But they didnt right? so it is because of Japan.

No that's making farfetched conclusions.

Without the likes of nintendo, sega, sony and some 3rd party japanese devs we wouldnt be were we are now.

I disagree.

I say we'd be pretty much where we are now except we wouldn't have Mario or MGS or DMC or Mega Man or FFXXVIII..etc

Except maybe the portable sector would be underdevelped had Nintendo never existed. The Gameboy series and now DS is pretty spectacular.

Some people say cellphones will make it big soon - and maybe they say had Nintendo not been there they'd cornered that market. I think that's a load of crap. I don't know of anyone who actually spends time to game on a cell. Do it for a while when bored yes maybe. But not pull out to actively game and have fun.

A cewllphone is completely unsuited to play games on. Maybe there would be a semi-crashed portable games market for cells without Nintendo and more likely there would have been a couple halfassed portable consoles a la Lynx who never made it.

But all Japan ever really did for stationary consoles was to give us the joypad - which DID have a big impact so I'm not downplaying the importance. That and a huge load of successful franchises. But had Atari not screwed up so bad in the early 80s then we'd had a load of great Atari franchises instead etc.

Shigs isn't the only guy in the world with a feel for making games!

Afterall gaming is alot more common in Japan than it is here, especially in the old days.

Hm. I dunno. Is it?

Portables maybe. Just lookat DS sales. 280k in one week that's totally crazy.

But stationary.. Seems to me sales are about th same nowadays.

In the past.. Yeah maybe. Seems to have been a bit of a cultural thing maybe. Gaming was for geek losers in the west for a long time. Japan embraced its geek losers in a way that never happened in the west. But nobody gets beaten up and have their lunch money taken from them for playing videogames anymore. We're well past that stage now..

Peace.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

I disagree.

I say we'd be pretty much where we are now except we wouldn't have Mario or MGS or DMC or Mega Man or FFXXVIII..etc

You think so? After the atari days it were only japanese companies that were able to make gaming consoles go forward. Seeing as how japan has a relative bigger market for electronics and games I dont think we would have gone forward as fast as we did now if it wernt for the japanese console manufactuers. I dont think western companies would have seen a market like the japanese did. Even after the succes of the NES and other consoles no western company jumped in. MS is the only that managed, and even they succeded only because they are essentially buying their way into the market willing to lose billions on it, something wich probably very little other companies can afford if at all.

And thats not even taking the games into account. I do think also some japanese franchise helped the succes. Can you imagen what would happen if the NES didnt have mario? that single game only probably pushed gaming forward alot.

If you look at history its pretty much alot of Japans games and hardware putting console gaming were it is today and I doubt Western companies would have filled in the gap of nintendo, sega and sony if they would have not existed.

But all Japan ever really did for stationary consoles was to give us the joypad - which DID have a big impact so I'm not downplaying the importance. That and a huge load of successful franchises. But had Atari not screwed up so bad in the early 80s then we'd had a load of great Atari franchises instead etc.

But atari did screw up and as far as im remembering there wasnt any western company trying to fill in the gap.

Thats kinda the ''problem'' im having with your view on things. Your talking alot if ''if's'' and ''would's'' but history shows us that after atari no western company tried to get consoles forward while Japanese companies did. Ofcourse if might have happend but seeing as how no western company (except for MS) ever tries to get out a decent product I have a hard time believing that they would have if nintendo and the others wernt around. Atari might have had another shot but I think its the competition between nintendo and sega, and later sony that was what made console gaming go forward.

 

[archie4oz]

Japan had nothing whatsoever to do with the quite healthy home computer games industry that developed out of the 8 and 16 bitters of the 1980s and then matured into the PC gaming sector we have today.

As far as the 8-bit and 16-bit era home computers, I'd disagree. A lot of those US and European studios that made software for those systems got their start porting Japanese arcade titles to them. That or were able to stay afloat porting (or porducing clones) during tough times. Even Atari, Coloeco, and Mattel were dependent on Taito, Konami, Nintendo, and Namco's titles (going so far as to point out who's version was closer to the arcade versions).

 

[poopypoo]

No that's making farfetched conclusions.

I don't often agree with t_o_c, but in this case I think you're the one making far-fetched conclusions. Although in every aspect of history it's easy to assume that everything would have occurred "almost" the same way (only different) if X force hadn't been present -- but to do so is a) a huge assumption and b) a total disrespect to the people who did, in fact, give their lives to make things the way they are. Although I do agree that people would have stepped up from other areas, and made important decisions (as they indeed did, only in this "no Japan videogames" imaginary world, perhaps they'd have gotten more recognition, due to less competition), the fact is that even the smallest decisions on the smallest aspects have larger impacts than we usually recognize. If anything, you're the one making a radical conlusion, even if you are just playing it safe with your assumptions...

 

[Rainbow Man]

in this case I think you're the one making far-fetched conclusions. Although in every aspect of history it's easy to assume that everything would have occurred "almost" the same way (only different) if X force hadn't been present -- but to do so is a) a huge assumption

Well you can argue that of course (although I believe in human creativity and market forces making more or less up for the lack of Japan), it's certainly no less of an assumption of mine than ASSUMING that without Japan we'd be nowhere near where we are now.

So it siwngs both ways really.

Since we can't know what would have happened without Japan we can't know that wihtout Japan we'd be screwed.

and b) a total disrespect to the people who did, in fact, give their lives to make things the way they are.

Bah! NONSENSE. Just..total nonsense.

Peace.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Since we can't know what would have happened without Japan we can't know that wihtout Japan we'd be screwed.

But its the same the other way around right? You assume a western company would have filled in the gap, but you have even less reason to assume that than I would have assuming western companies wouldnt have stepped in (as fast) as Japanese companies did because history shows that after atari no western company really took the effort to build a console (except for MS) so assuming that without nintendo and the likes they would suddenly jump in by the masses (without nintendo & co showing them the hugh potential market) seems a bit far fetched. I'm not saying they wouldnt jump in, but im sure it would have taken alot longer to get were we are now.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You think so? After the atari days it were only japanese companies that were able to make gaming consoles go forward.

But that's because western efforts were working on computers. Look at all the computers to come from the East...

Instead of looking at consoles, look at gaming. Look at the success of the C64 and BBC and the 8-bitters. Look at the huge diversity in titles that appeared with the 16 bit computers, while consoles were all about scrolling shooters and platformers. And furthermore the western approach was way more constructive, giving gamers a tool to learn to program, write up reports, etc.

Japan popularized the home console gaming device. But gaming was always growing with the western efforts. It's stupid to say any one region alone was essential; all have played their part. All have needed each other. Without the west, where would Japan be? Still platformers and scrolly shooters and 2D RPGs perhaps? Or without computers at all, given who developed them?! Probably without developers who cut their teeth on home computers.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

I though we were talking about consoles so I didnt mean to say western devs did nothing to gaming in general. I dont know much about that as the first pc in our house was in 1998 (well, I got some old thing before that but I only had a bunch of nameless floppy games for that).

 

[Rainbow Man]

You assume a western company would have filled in the gap, but you have even less reason to assume that than I would have assuming western companies wouldnt have stepped in (as fast)

As I have already said - and Shifty eloquently added to - we already HAD a great and varied gaming industry in the west which due to eastern consoles or whatever concentrated on 8 and 16 bit computers.

aybe you were too young to remember this era but I'm not.

There were a lot of game sback then that were as unique as say for instance Super Mario Bros. However since the platforms they ran on died out and the companies that made them went bust peopel just don't know of/remember them.

Nobody's making Paper Paradroid or Super Paradroid RPG or Paradroid Golf or Dr. Paradroid or Paradroid Party games these days. Maybe they would have ifhte british gaming industry hadn't more or less crashed and is but a mere shadow of its former self.

but im sure it would have taken alot longer to get were we are now.

Well like I've alreafdy explained I'm not sure of that at all.

There were an awful lot of talent back then and there still is. It's just not visible in the same manner anymore.



Peace.

 

[one]

Japan had nothing whatsoever to do with the quite healthy home computer games industry that developed out of the 8 and 16 bitters of the 1980s and then matured into the PC gaming sector we have today.

8/16-bit home computers were actually pretty mature in Japan. Look at MSX, X68000, PC-9801 supported by major electronics makers such as Sony, Matsushita, Sharp, and NEC. But they were commercially defeated by game consoles and finally in 1995 NEC PC-9801 died due to the cheaper IBM PC-AT architecture which is today's PC with Windows.

If you read this guy's interview he mentions that era.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070507/sheffield_01.shtml

 

[poopypoo]

Well you can argue that of course (although I believe in human creativity and market forces making more or less up for the lack of Japan), it's certainly no less of an assumption of mine than ASSUMING that without Japan we'd be nowhere near where we are now.

I'm not going to argue that gaming would be horribly reduced without Japan's influence -- I'm a PC gamer, through and through, who got his start slapping audio cassettes into a Commodore 64. I'm well aware of the liveliness of the "western" games market back then. However, Japnese developers did have a humongous impact, for better or worse, and in fact they're responsible for a lot of my more personal moments playing video games -- Earthbound still stands as quite touching, to me, honestly, so forgive me if I got a bit dramatic about it. I care little about "where would we be without the Japanese" and simply think it's fair to honor their contributions. There's not much point in belittling them, anymore than there's a point to saying, oh, well, without the West, the Japanese would have come up with video games just fine on their own. Sure, it's very possible, but who cares? ^^;

 

[archangelmorph]

I don't think its an issue of "Without the Japanese then gaming would be incredibly crippled/reduced today" but more of an issue of "Without the Japanese, the games industry would be a completely different monster to what it is today.."

I don't think anyone can argue the fact that the Japanese culture has played a huge part in defining/influencing alot of the traditions, themes, genres and content we see in games today (even on the PC side).. In fact its questionable whether or not the console market would have taken off at all if not for the Japanese market's interest (which shaped and evolved the console space for a long time) and having the knock on effects of seeing companies on both sides of the globe recognise the platform's potential for both local and global growth..

I think it's pretty fair to recognise that the cradle of the console games industry (and consequentally the handheld space), which cumulatively makes up the lion's share of the net worth of gaming, is in the Japanese makret with their strange, quirky love of video games based around super sonic hedgehogs and fat plummers in alternate worlds.. How can anyone say that the industry wouldn't be radically different, had it grown-up predominantly from a much more westernised heritage?

I think we owe it to those in the east to recognise their amazing contributions to the industry we know today, which has become much more "global market"-focused and yet still retains alot of those Japanese cultural and social elements which are still very much visible today and recur in many successful franchises and IP (JRPGs, mecha, anime, Nintendo IPs etc)...

And to look at it another way, it's pretty clear that if you remove all Japan-centric practice, content and history from gaming then your at a loss to try and interpolate what's left and fill a VERY big hole to envision what things would actually look like today..

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Exactly. It's ridiculous to try to downplay the Japanese contribution to gaming. That contribution is huge.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well like I've alreafdy explained I'm not sure of that at all.
There were an awful lot of talent back then and there still is. It's just not visible in the same manner anymore.

A lot of that talent moved on to work in consoles.
I'm inclined to agree with t_o_c on this point though - I think the games industry may have shrivelled up somewhat without the East and consoles. In the 16 bit era there was lots of originality, but when PCs finally dominated, it all came crashing in to 3D this and that. Publishers were unwilling to touch anything not 3D, which killed off a lot of ideas and genres (like LucasArts adventures), or forced them unsuitably into 3D. A lot of the more original ideas (and hardware) is coming from Japan at the moment, and without their presence, Western originality may have progressed even slower due to narrow-minded suits unwilling to invest in diversity or take risks.

 

[TheChefO]

There were a lot of game sback then that were as unique as say for instance Super Mario Bros.

True, but Japan gameplay as a general rule of thumb has always held an edge on western or euro games. This is even true today for the most part.

Something about j-dev games control just "feels" better. I'd put Euro games next, then Canadian, then US.

This opinion is strictly on character based games with third person view or 2d sidescroll games.



In short, you may be right in western devs filling the gaps, but I doubt console popularity would have grown to the level it did if under western direction for many reasons including "feel".