Western and Japanese Game Development
Szczomak 1
Jaeson Szczomak
Professor J. H. Davis, Jr
Anthropology 418
4 May 2009
Japanese Game
Modern Japanese culture is the result of over one thousand years of development and evolution. With such a strong and rooted background, Japanese traditions and values have remained imbued in Japanese society despite rapid modernization and westernization during the last century. As the world has become smaller and entertainment has gone from being confined to its country of origin to being available across the globe, Japan continues to display its unique identity by producing distinct experiences within the same mediums as Western countries. From movies and books to music and video games, entertainment developed in Japan is different than that of their Western counterparts. To illustrate this point I have chosen to focus solely on the video game industry. Due to the lack of scholarly research on this subject, I will primarily draw my personal knowledge and quotes from respected game designers in this paper. The video game is still a relatively young industry, dating back to the 1972 launch of the first home console created by the American company Magnavox, called the Odyssey. In just under four decades the industry has blossomed across the globe. It wasn’t an easy road though, as the industry experienced a collapse in 1983, but was given life again thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System created by Japan based company Nintendo. Today the video game industry has become a worldwide entertainment Szczomak 2 force, eclipsing the yearly sales of DVD/Blu-ray in 2008 (Magiera). The majority of games released are developed in either Japan or America, and examining the differences between the two region’s products reveals distinct cultural contrasts and preferences between the two countries. Before the specifics of game design can be discussed, it is important to understand what makes video games different from
Jaeson Szczomak
Professor J. H. Davis, Jr
Anthropology 418
4 May 2009
Japanese Game
Modern Japanese culture is the result of over one thousand years of development and evolution. With such a strong and rooted background, Japanese traditions and values have remained imbued in Japanese society despite rapid modernization and westernization during the last century. As the world has become smaller and entertainment has gone from being confined to its country of origin to being available across the globe, Japan continues to display its unique identity by producing distinct experiences within the same mediums as Western countries. From movies and books to music and video games, entertainment developed in Japan is different than that of their Western counterparts. To illustrate this point I have chosen to focus solely on the video game industry. Due to the lack of scholarly research on this subject, I will primarily draw my personal knowledge and quotes from respected game designers in this paper. The video game is still a relatively young industry, dating back to the 1972 launch of the first home console created by the American company Magnavox, called the Odyssey. In just under four decades the industry has blossomed across the globe. It wasn’t an easy road though, as the industry experienced a collapse in 1983, but was given life again thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System created by Japan based company Nintendo. Today the video game industry has become a worldwide entertainment Szczomak 2 force, eclipsing the yearly sales of DVD/Blu-ray in 2008 (Magiera). The majority of games released are developed in either Japan or America, and examining the differences between the two region’s products reveals distinct cultural contrasts and preferences between the two countries. Before the specifics of game design can be discussed, it is important to understand what makes video games different from
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