East vs. West -- Game Design and Culture

[KagePrototype]

Intriguing, delicious readage: http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3155815

 

[63]

"If you tell a Japanese person they are free to go anywhere, often times they will choose to go nowhere"

USA USA USA

 

[B_MAN]

USA USA USA

wtf..?

anyways, why didnt they just call it japan vs america rather than east vs west cause thats really what it is
other than that, some interesting observations
i especially like the parallels between pretty boy pop-rock music stars and lead character creation in games like final fantasy
makes sense

 

[pvtbones]

very interesting to say the least.

 

[Adabiviak]

Neat. I initially thought they were going to include european and other cultures besides Japanese, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[Stigmata]

Very interesting. Makes perfect sense, too.

 

[Shamrock]

"If you tell a Japanese person they are free to go anywhere, often times they will choose to go nowhere"

USA USA USA

Vancouver!

 

[smwScott]

Good article. That pretty much outlines the reason why I hate almost all Japanese games. I understand that some people like them, but I would prefer something practical and believable rather than fanciful or full of whiny teenage boys that look like girls.

There are some exceptions though, most notably Metal Gear Solid - the only Japanese game I can think of that has great gameplay and story (although the story is very flawed, partially due to translation and partially to the Japaneseness of it). Resident Evil 4 was also a very good game, but once again highlights the general inability of the Japanese to create a storyline that isn't retarded.

The thing I found most interesting was how Japanese gamers prefer for everything to be neatly organized and for the developers to guide them down a very controlled path, while westerners want as much freedom as possible. Where this is most evident is in RPGs where you're forced to level, essentially repeating the same task over and over again for the purpose of making a number higher on a stat screen - and people enjoy this (western designers like Bioware generally manage to avoid this). I think this is indicative of a large portion of Japanese games, showing a general lack of creativity. They pretty much all rip each other off with the same character archetypes and "anime" style.

 

[Jintor]

But the innovative stuff comes out of Japan. Nintendogs, Ouendan, Katamari Damaki... I can't see a Western Company going "Hey, I know, let's make a Lawyer game! Everyone will buy Phoneix Wright: Ace Attorney off us!"

 

[Beerdude26]

Ooh, lovely read

 

[Zephos]

<3 1up.

 

[[RnL]Stefan]

interesting read...

but the computer (the first one came from GB, the first personal computer was built in the usa though), car (or engine mainly: nikolaus otto (ger)) and the television (John Logie Baird - london) were not invented in the usa :angel: but spread there first.

nice to know though where fixed cameras and limited save games come from though ;D

 

[Sparta]

The thing I found most interesting was how Japanese gamers prefer for everything to be neatly organized and for the developers to guide them down a very controlled path, while westerners want as much freedom as possible. Where this is most evident is in RPGs where you're forced to level, essentially repeating the same task over and over again for the purpose of making a number higher on a stat screen - and people enjoy this (western designers like Bioware generally manage to avoid this). I think this is indicative of a large portion of Japanese games, showing a general lack of creativity. They pretty much all rip each other off with the same character archetypes and "anime" style.

Yeah very true.

It was an interesting read, as soon as i clicked the link i thought "This better have something on the Japanese and their obsession with whiny heroes", and sure enough it did. Still, i fail to see how anyone can find a feminine whining kid to be an admirable hero. Especially given that in Japan its looked down on to talk about one's emotions and in America there are hundred's of thousands of people who pay psychiatrists weekly for that sorta thing. Just seems kinda odd.

Just goes to show the massive cultural differences between the West and the East. Or, the West and Japan, rather. You don't get anything whiny from countries like South Korea or China.

 

[AiM]

Yeah very true.

It was an interesting read, as soon as i clicked the link i thought "This better have something on the Japanese and their obsession with whiny heroes", and sure enough it did. Still, i fail to see how anyone can find a feminine whining kid to be an admirable hero. Especially given that in Japan its looked down on to talk about one's emotions and in America there are hundred's of thousands of people who pay psychiatrists weekly for that sorta thing. Just seems kinda odd.

Just goes to show the massive cultural differences between the West and the East. Or, the West and Japan, rather. You don't get anything whiny from countries like South Korea or China.

I doubt they find the androgynous-looking heroes as admirable, it's just they accept it better there compared to the West. The article says the reason why characters are more emotion is because of the Japanese tendency to withhold emotions, hence video games become their outlet.

Although personally, I think the they choose to make androgynous-looking characters is to satisfy the female gamers. In Asia, girls that play video games are commonplace and I'd imagine Japan would probably have one of the highest percentages for female gamers. The overly-masculine / ass kicking characters (Gears of War) would very likely alienate all the casual female gamers, so maybe this could be a big factor?

As for the lack of whiny games from China and Korea, well to be honest, all they ever produce are pretty much MMO's there...

 

[Ome_Vince]

Very interesting read

 

[jondy]

Good read, interesting how they describe how the 360, epitomizing the western market, didn't do so well in japan

 

[kupocake]

Is it me, the tea drinking old-worlder, or is not enough lip service paid to European developers, and is 'Western' not being used as a synonym for 'American'. In fact, one of two times they do mention Europe by name, they mention it in conjunction with Adventure games, a surviving linear production. And the other time, they betray their bias by talking about how America was formed out of principles of exploration by oppressed Europeans.

The US doesn't have a monopoly on non-linearity. What about Rockstar North? Or Lionhead? Surely aren't these UK developers at the forefront of non-linearity? Also, how are the Final Fantasy games strictly linear when there are optional sidequests which extend the playtime by several hours? It's an interesting article, but I can't help but feel that it's a little naive and reductive. The reality of the US games-market is one where creativity in development and gameplay is reduced in the pursuit of the biggest profits, where anything genuinely new will be measured in terms of how financially successful it is, and thereafter ripped off by every second game in the genre out to do the same thing. Not that this aspect is any different whether your in the 'east' or 'west'. Both hemispheres gobble Final Fantasy games down like nothing else...

 

[Jintor]

The US doesn't have a monopoly on non-linearity. What about Rockstar North? Or Lionhead? Surely aren't these UK developers at the forefront of non-linearity? Also, how are the Final Fantasy games strictly linear when there are optional sidequests which extend the playtime by several hours?

FF Side Quests are... well, yes, they're side quests, but you've got to advance in the story. Most of the fun is reading the stories (or, rather, progressing through the stories) rather than the playing the game.