Japanese Game Developers Go West 84
donniebaseball23 writes "More and more Japanese game studios and publishers are looking toward the West. But as the industry becomes more global, is this really such a bad thing? From the article: 'Gameplay is an art that transcends borders, and it simply makes good business sense to keep your eyes open for opportunities no matter where they present themselves, as Zenimax, EA and THQ clearly have. Far from ruining the Japanese gaming industry, it may in fact save some of the best Japanese developers from considering retirement or a career change. They'll be able to make games on their own terms with their own original IP, and shouldn't it ultimately be about these creative types being able to realize their visions?""
A dose of different reduces the boredom (Score:2, Insightful)
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80s gameplay is wasted on AAA titles (Score:2, Insightful)
Japanese franchises barely evolved. Final Fantasy ran into that trap.
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FFXIII is neither good as a movie, nor as a game, nor is particularly fun as much else. Which is kind of sad, because I like FF.
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FFX and X-2 don't count. Jem and the Holograms' Misfits [youtube.com] would totally whoop those bitches' asses.
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FFX and X-2 don't count. Jem and the Holograms' Misfits [youtube.com] would totally whoop those bitches' asses.
How could a straight man not like X-2? You get to watch hot chicks undress at least 10 times every battle. This game even has 0 emo. Honestly, it's the perfect FF.
"Original IP" (Score:2)
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Sometimes it isn't setting, or even characters. The Final Fantasy franchise has had the same monsters and a few recurring characters, but often enough there's nothing in "the setting" that's really the same.
If you consider "property" in the same way land is property--as in, something to build upon--"intellectual property" almost makes sense as a term.
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Because "original IP" is technically correct, where as, if "original setting" were to be used, then to obtain the same scope of statement, one would also have to include a great deal of other concepts, such as, characters, monsters, plot devices, powers and items. You could create a long sentence just naming the things you're referring to, or you can just use a term which accurately identifies the entire logical group, i.e., "original IP". It also contrasts to the development of games identifying with first
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Original Ideas... done.
IP (Intellectual Property AKA Imaginary Property) is a made up term that muddles your meanings.
Copyright & Patent laws both exist, are very different despite both being made of ideas. Lumping them together is stupid. Copyrights covers a single verbatim work and allows for "fair use", patents cover any derivative work and have no fair use. Copyrights lasts for 70 years beyond the creators lifetime, patents are limited to around 18 years from granting. Copyrights are granted aut
And "SKU" (Score:2)
In time you'll see that phrase disappear, hopefully along with the overuse of the term "content".
RMS agrees with you about "content" and "intellectual property" [gnu.org].
Along with "SKU", these always make me grind my teeth.
Perhaps I'm biased because I work for an e-tailer, but what's wrong with "stock keeping unit" to refer to a particular, distinctly sold variant of a product?
Intellectual property or intellectual commons (Score:2)
Because "original IP" is technically correct
VortexCortex made a good point that "intellectual property" conflates the distinct purposes and scopes of copyrights and patents. To that, I wanted to add another defect of the term:
"Original intellectual property" overemphasizes the fact that it is property, or something to which exclusive rights are attached, not commons, or something for all to use in moderation. Furthermore, the abbreviation of "intellectual property" as "IP" carries an implication that people should already know that the best way to
All things considered... (Score:2)
Mandatory Randall Munroe Mention (Score:1, Redundant)
http://xkcd.com/503/ [xkcd.com]
I don't like the condecending tone (Score:2)
mmmmm.... "these creative types"
Hacking code for a living is an art and is a creative endeavor... but calling me a type... sheesh.
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I gather you are a dynamic languages guy.
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Awesome! (Score:2)
I find it funny that I, as an American game developer, want to go work in Japan.
I wonder if I can trade apartments and jobs with one of them or something?
Re:Awesome! (Score:4, Funny)
My friend worked as a translator for one of the big Gaming companies for a good while. He left because of the endless long hours, I asked him about the devs. "Oh, them? I've never seen any of them entering or leaving their office".
Sweet, the devs never have to show up for work at all? That rocks, Sign me up!
And end up in..... (Score:2, Funny)
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Obligatory XKCD [xkcd.com]
Times like these... (Score:1)
Go West? (Score:1)
Is that something like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NZ04BG7TfA [youtube.com]
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Here's [youtube.com] the link you want.
Give thanks with a grateful heart (Score:2)
It's a bad thing (Score:1)
Having a Japanese developer making a Western game actually is a stupid thing... it's like if we would be trying to make a porn game... wait we have done some like 7 sins and playboy mansion, witch SUCKED HARD!
The thing that they should be doing is:make your own games... if you make good games, export them, don't try to clone the games we've been doing for 10 years straight and hope to make something that will outsell everything!
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Having a Japanese developer making a Western game actually is a stupid thing...
Citation needed. You obviously didn't play console games in the 70's, 80's, 90's, etc.
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I'm replying to AC, so I know it's very likely a waste of time, but in case anybody comes across this comment, I must say that jokes aside, China does have a pretty vibrant game dev scene.
Unfortunately it is extreme bias - lingual mostly - that means no one in the "West" sees Chinese games. Just go to any Popular Bookstore [popular.com.sg] in Singapore, head to the games section, and you'll see a dozen or so Mandarin language games that include a 3 Kingdoms clone, an MMO called Granado Espada [iahgames.com] that is exclusively Far East
Yeah, right... (Score:4, Interesting)
"...major Japanese game publishers have become much more conservative and sequel driven". Uh... and this is a recent trend? Square has been milking Final Fantasy like a cow since the 1990s. Westerners didn't know because they skipped on releasing a whole bunch of games in the series. Same deal with Capcom and Rockman on the NES, except we actually received Mega Man game after Mega Man game outside of Japan. Heck, Konami released a good number of Akumajo Dracula/Castlevania games, some of which were just different versions of the first game.
As for the globalization that the whole article is about. Um... we've had that for years. Sega was founded by an American guy for goodness sake. Namco worked with Bally/Midway to release Pac-Man games (which was supposedly a tumultuous relationship). Japanese companies have founded American divisions who've screwed up countless localization jobs. Action games like some of the ones in the Mario and Sonic series have been developed with Western audiences in mind, because, well, you can make lots of money catering to the West.
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I find the "sequel driven" claim a bit strange. I mean it's not exactly like the western market is sequel-free. How many Halo sequels have we had recently? I'm not event talking about Need for Speed or all the EA sport games (I remember playing FIFA'94, we are in 2010, and I don't think they skipped a single year). Oh well I have to go play Fable 3 (while waiting for Mass Effect 3) so I can't really elaborate on such a list.
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Eh, not too many people seem to mind. And any gamer lost due to the "gayness" is replaced by a female gamer who's more than happy about it. Not to mention, we have games like Gears of War which is gay by Western standards, but practically flaming by Japanese standards (the character design lean towards the stereotypical image of a homosexual in Japanese media).
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Not to mention, we have games like Gears of War which is gay by Western standards, but practically flaming by Japanese standards (the character design lean towards the stereotypical image of a homosexual in Japanese media).
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
So THIS looks "gay" by their standards:
http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Marcus-Fenix-Fig.jpg [starstore.com]
Yet THIS is supposed to be some badass villain?
http://dissidia.rhapsodos.org/images/art/portraits/kuja.png [rhapsodos.org]
I'm sorry, that ain't something that is just tossed up to cultural differences. The gayness and non-gayness of these characters is something that should transcend cultures.
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But, to get back on topic, there's certainly gay erotica [wikipedia.org] with effeminate men. However these tend to be created by women, and marketed for women who enjoy such things. Media created by gay men is know as "bara" [wikipedia.org], and goes for muscular men. Because of this, both examples you shown can be considered gay if done
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Essentially it goes like this:
Someone who is "overly masculine" to the point of bodybuilding, etc., is obviously obsessed with masculinity. They are obsessed with masculinity because they don't value femininity at all -- because they're gay. ESPECIALLY if they are constantly around men who have a similar physique. In Japan nothing is gayer than a bodybuilder's gym.
If you really want to get the girls, you have a boyish charm, and focus on a softer form of male beauty.
Also, if you like to wear pink frilly dre
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Interestingly enough, this makes WAY more sense than our Western concept of what is gay or not.
Going West? (Score:1)
Like into China? Or West as in the Western world? The title, at least, is a bit confusing, and we certainly can't expect everyone to read the article. :p
I think it's great that Japanese game developers are working with Western publishers (western as in American). Anything to provide cross-pollination of ideas and styles is always a good thing. I'm not a big fan of the art style or the grinding that seems to be in vogue for a lot of the Japanese games, but there's plenty there to love, as well.
Not a big fan. (Score:4, Insightful)
To be honest I hate it when these Japanese company purposely tweak their game to try and make it more "Western friendly." I enjoy Japanese games, I like Nintendo, I like Squaresoft, and I like Western games for what they are.
Studios need to focus on what they are good at. A lot of American gamers like Japanese games, I'd much prefer if Western games and Japanese games stayed good at their own thing instead of trying to copy each other.
What's better, one great Japanese game, and one great Western game. Or a single sub-standard Japanese/Western game?
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I'm sorry, why does a melting pot of ideas ultimately mean an inferior game in any way? I think you're jumping to subjective conclusions.
You can say that many or all of the great action movies of the last 20 years were all inspired by Asian martial arts and more specifically the high amount of skill and talent that Hong Kong and other such centers fostered. The fusion of these people with western developments, writers, etc.. have made for great movies by using good aspects from all cultures involved in the
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Two words: Teriyaki Chicken
It's the most popular Japanese food tailored to Americans, other than sushi, but it's nowhere nearly as tasty as lots of Japanese food that Japanese people actually consume themselves.
Wait (Score:2)
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From Final Fantasy to Zelda, most Japanese games have always been very "western" in almost every way...
It's the Japanism that makes the games interesting to me. I can't think of any particular cultural examples at the moment but the difference comes right through and makes it seem more alien, which is fantastic for Alien-oriented Sci-Fi :) I mean, I can't think of any differences because everything is different, facial expressions even to some degree, hand signals completely, everything. Mind you, everything is more similar than it's different in absolute terms, we're all bipedal humanoids after all. I stron
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Especially since Perfect Storm was an awful film.
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I love using actually. Actually, I think that's the greatest word in the English language; Though I agree with perfect storm. Perfect storm is to Intelligent Design as Destiny is to Creationism.
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While I understand the history, I've always found the terms "East", "West", "Middle East" and similar non-geographic geographic/cultural nomenclature to be arrogant at best. West of Japan is China, and they may end up being the new west if the arrogant USA doesn't get it's intellectual act together.
The world is not some flat map that some idiot in the 1800s drew on paper. I agree that using the pacific was probably a pretty good idea for a separator there on paper, but the general terms of "East" and "West" as used by most talking heads is just shallow-thinking.
Sort of like the words/terms "perfect storm", "actually", and "blog" really annoy me.
Now get off my lawn.
If you are using the English language then the terms East West etc. are valid. These terms have their origins in Graeco-Roman culture, i.e. the occident [wikipedia.org] and the orient [wikipedia.org] which identify regions that had cultural similarites and connections. Of course with such generalisations there will inevitably be some blurred lines and inaccuracies. With the advent of colonialisation and globalisation the geographic/directional connotations of West and East have lost some of their importance.
In Japanese you may use wha
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It's also common in Japan to say "the west" (seiyou (characters won't render on slashdot--why?)), to refer to what we also mean by 'the west,' meaning specifically europe instead of asia, but also referring to the U.S., and culturally, yes, it's fairly ambiguous. For example, in Murakami Haruki's 'All God's Children Can Dance', in the first vignette Omura is brought to a love hotel that looked like a "seiyou no shiro" (a western castle).
The Japanese word for west itself, nishi is commonly used for referrin
Wait, what? (Score:1)
More and more Japanese game studios and publishers are looking toward the West. But as the industry becomes more global, is this really such a bad thing?
Are we supposed to assume that's a bad thing? What's the connection between the first sentence here and the second? I'm so confused...
Change in slashdot or broken or defective by desig (Score:2)
The Japanese don't really need the west (Score:2)
The only area where Japan may be weak is catering to the Xbox crowd which is also the ex-PC crowded and insecure teenager crowd. I don't want to see Japan knocking boring shit like Halo year after year. If they feel they're not doing as well it will because they're getting less imaginative and lowering standards just like western developers.
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Huh? (Score:2, Insightful)