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Had a widescreen TV last night all to myself, was sleeping downstairs for certain reasons but I won’t go into them now. I also had a Gamecube, Playstation 2 and Dreamcast all begging to be played under this beauty of a TV and to tell you the truth I was tempted to put in Rogue Leader and shoot down some ships. But, I resisted and in a way I’m glad.
You see, late night TV really doesn’t have that much to offer. Sure, you’ve got your Trisha re-runs and crappy Channel 5 stuff (worse at night I swear) but I didn’t really expect to be watching a documentary about video games so late at night or even on the TV in that case, whilst flipping through channels. I say this because they are very rare indeed. Shame, because this one was actually pretty good.
I don’t know if any of you saw it but it was about the way in which culture is reflected in games. It mainly focused on Japan but also went more worldwide looking at the differences between American and British games also and how they work in a different culture.
Now is it just me or do our TV sets need more programs like this? Ok, it won’t keep the whole nation gripped to their sets, but it was all very interesting. I even turned on the subtitles so I could read and listen at the same time so I could understand everything. That last sentence being backed up with it being late at night too.
They point this documentary was trying to make was that certain games work in some country’s but do not work in others, but also there are some games that work in worldwide and they are the ones that are the success for the company at hand. They called these kind of games ‘Global Games’ and said that they could come from anywhere in the world. For example, I’m sure you can think of a few global games…take Pokemon, made in Japan, popular there and then became a worldwide hit. How about the Resident Evil series? Made in Japan also but was created as a global game using Western characters, script and culture, appealing worldwide. The reason a maker of Resident Evil said this was – because the Japanese consider their characters talking in a Western manner ‘cool’. I can see where their coming from on that one but I’ll let discussion prove it’s ways.
Watching this program made me realize and think about the strategies the company’s that make our games use in order to make a profit. It made me wonder if they sit down, think up a game concept and then change the game so that it appeals almost everywhere around the world so that they will make money. I saw myself in my own mind, browsing through my game collection and picking out which games were designed global and which were not. It’s difficult to point out which ones were really made to be like that on purpose as I know I could be wrong, but it certainly got me thinking.
All of this thinking was backed up by a report they done on the Final Fantasy series. I haven’t played any Final Fantasy games myself but I’m sure many of you have. This program interviewed a designer of Final Fantasy and they found out that characters within the game were changed in order to give worldwide appeal. I’m talking about their appearance here, the way in which they look. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true or not so could so Final Fantasy fans give some feedback on that one.
Using what I learnt from the Final Fantasy story I came to think about one company in particular. A company which I love to play, a company which does appeal all around the world and has done for a long time, a company with many popular characters and they all are made to look Western though made in Japan. I’m talking about Nintendo, a company who surely if this concept is true have done a very good job as a games company. We all know Nintendo characters, if you can’t think of any think of Super Smash Bros. Melee, that game has all the stars.
I also learnt through the program that the Japanese love their RPG’s with storylines which involve co-operation and use of cute characters. I’m not looking at RPG’s in particular but in any genre it seems as though the Japanese like their characters cute and not realistic, though it is an exception. If we take that back to Nintendo and the way they’ve used it I don’t even need to speak about it. It’s been one long debate over the past few years that Nintendo make ‘kiddie’ games. Sure, they look like children’s games to us, but in Japan where profit is to be made, they are not.
So Nintendo have their cute characters which appeal to the Japanese and in a sense have that RPG feel to their games such as Super Mario Bros. But what have Nintendo done to reach out to the Western world? Well, they’ve created their characters with a Western look but also blended in the cute look so they appeal in every market. Think of as many Nintendo characters as you can – Mario, Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, Link…I could go on.
I find it interesting how Nintendo have done this. I can view old Nintendo characters via the trophies I have won on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here we have some Japanese exclusive characters and they do have a Japanese look. Beneath them it says that the game they feature din was only released in Japan. Looking back, I think we can see why this is. Nintendo knew these games weren’t going to appeal to a worldwide audience. But even though Nintendo use these cute looking, Westernized characters they still add appeal to the Japanese audience through audio also. Take Link for example, all of the sounds he makes sounds as if he was Japanese. The same goes for other characters but then again not for others such as Mario.
I’ll end this now and let you think and discuss what you feel on the subject. To me all this is very interesting, the way in which companies are creating video games for the whole world and how they manage to do it. It must be hard trying to appeal on a worldwide scale but it seems like some company’s have pulled it off and in the process made a lot of profit by doing so. You see, creating a video game isn’t just about making a good game itself, it’s all about tactics also.
MWA
You see, late night TV really doesn’t have that much to offer. Sure, you’ve got your Trisha re-runs and crappy Channel 5 stuff (worse at night I swear) but I didn’t really expect to be watching a documentary about video games so late at night or even on the TV in that case, whilst flipping through channels. I say this because they are very rare indeed. Shame, because this one was actually pretty good.
I don’t know if any of you saw it but it was about the way in which culture is reflected in games. It mainly focused on Japan but also went more worldwide looking at the differences between American and British games also and how they work in a different culture.
Now is it just me or do our TV sets need more programs like this? Ok, it won’t keep the whole nation gripped to their sets, but it was all very interesting. I even turned on the subtitles so I could read and listen at the same time so I could understand everything. That last sentence being backed up with it being late at night too.
They point this documentary was trying to make was that certain games work in some country’s but do not work in others, but also there are some games that work in worldwide and they are the ones that are the success for the company at hand. They called these kind of games ‘Global Games’ and said that they could come from anywhere in the world. For example, I’m sure you can think of a few global games…take Pokemon, made in Japan, popular there and then became a worldwide hit. How about the Resident Evil series? Made in Japan also but was created as a global game using Western characters, script and culture, appealing worldwide. The reason a maker of Resident Evil said this was – because the Japanese consider their characters talking in a Western manner ‘cool’. I can see where their coming from on that one but I’ll let discussion prove it’s ways.
Watching this program made me realize and think about the strategies the company’s that make our games use in order to make a profit. It made me wonder if they sit down, think up a game concept and then change the game so that it appeals almost everywhere around the world so that they will make money. I saw myself in my own mind, browsing through my game collection and picking out which games were designed global and which were not. It’s difficult to point out which ones were really made to be like that on purpose as I know I could be wrong, but it certainly got me thinking.
All of this thinking was backed up by a report they done on the Final Fantasy series. I haven’t played any Final Fantasy games myself but I’m sure many of you have. This program interviewed a designer of Final Fantasy and they found out that characters within the game were changed in order to give worldwide appeal. I’m talking about their appearance here, the way in which they look. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true or not so could so Final Fantasy fans give some feedback on that one.
Using what I learnt from the Final Fantasy story I came to think about one company in particular. A company which I love to play, a company which does appeal all around the world and has done for a long time, a company with many popular characters and they all are made to look Western though made in Japan. I’m talking about Nintendo, a company who surely if this concept is true have done a very good job as a games company. We all know Nintendo characters, if you can’t think of any think of Super Smash Bros. Melee, that game has all the stars.
I also learnt through the program that the Japanese love their RPG’s with storylines which involve co-operation and use of cute characters. I’m not looking at RPG’s in particular but in any genre it seems as though the Japanese like their characters cute and not realistic, though it is an exception. If we take that back to Nintendo and the way they’ve used it I don’t even need to speak about it. It’s been one long debate over the past few years that Nintendo make ‘kiddie’ games. Sure, they look like children’s games to us, but in Japan where profit is to be made, they are not.
So Nintendo have their cute characters which appeal to the Japanese and in a sense have that RPG feel to their games such as Super Mario Bros. But what have Nintendo done to reach out to the Western world? Well, they’ve created their characters with a Western look but also blended in the cute look so they appeal in every market. Think of as many Nintendo characters as you can – Mario, Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, Link…I could go on.
I find it interesting how Nintendo have done this. I can view old Nintendo characters via the trophies I have won on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here we have some Japanese exclusive characters and they do have a Japanese look. Beneath them it says that the game they feature din was only released in Japan. Looking back, I think we can see why this is. Nintendo knew these games weren’t going to appeal to a worldwide audience. But even though Nintendo use these cute looking, Westernized characters they still add appeal to the Japanese audience through audio also. Take Link for example, all of the sounds he makes sounds as if he was Japanese. The same goes for other characters but then again not for others such as Mario.
I’ll end this now and let you think and discuss what you feel on the subject. To me all this is very interesting, the way in which companies are creating video games for the whole world and how they manage to do it. It must be hard trying to appeal on a worldwide scale but it seems like some company’s have pulled it off and in the process made a lot of profit by doing so. You see, creating a video game isn’t just about making a good game itself, it’s all about tactics also.
MWA
Sibs wrote:
> I've seen that program before... I know because I remember the bit you
> said about Resi Evil and the developer saying that they spoke English
> in the cut-scenes with subtitles rather than just Japanese speech
> because it's seen as cool.
Oh you saw it too :-) It must of been a repeat or something then.
You porbably can't remember it, but I thought it was quite interesting.
> I've seen that program before... I know because I remember the bit you
> said about Resi Evil and the developer saying that they spoke English
> in the cut-scenes with subtitles rather than just Japanese speech
> because it's seen as cool.
Oh you saw it too :-) It must of been a repeat or something then.
You porbably can't remember it, but I thought it was quite interesting.
I've seen that program before... I know because I remember the bit you said about Resi Evil and the developer saying that they spoke English in the cut-scenes with subtitles rather than just Japanese speech because it's seen as cool. Final Fantasy probably did have character changes for different versions, I know in FF7 one of the party characters (Aeris) dies, and in the Jap version you can resurrect her, but not in any of the other versions...
Maybe Square hate Europe...
Maybe Square hate Europe...
They didn't feature on Nintendo at all in that program really. They had a bit about Pokemon but we all know about that. It was a good programme though. If I'm right in saying there's something funny on tonight which has to something to do with my tagline, kinda sponantous comedy which I love. But this is gaming time not comedy :-D
I thought my example in Nintendo was the best I could make, I feel it is the best example out there of this Globalised gaming scene. Also, after I wrote this and went away to get some breakfast I thought about something else Nintendo have done to appeal to the Japanese though having Western characters. Many of their characters do that peace sign gesture after they win or something. Surely a Japanese thing...
But tell me, if Nintendo didn't give a damn about Europe how comes they don't have Japanese characters?
I certainly wouldn't want to play as Japanese people all the time in my games. Why else would Nintendo, who are Japanese create Western characters? To me there seems to be no sort of logical anwser apart from the one I've already spoken about.
And they do give a damn about Europe...there's profit to be made here but less then America and Japan. So we are always last :-( I'm moving.
I thought my example in Nintendo was the best I could make, I feel it is the best example out there of this Globalised gaming scene. Also, after I wrote this and went away to get some breakfast I thought about something else Nintendo have done to appeal to the Japanese though having Western characters. Many of their characters do that peace sign gesture after they win or something. Surely a Japanese thing...
But tell me, if Nintendo didn't give a damn about Europe how comes they don't have Japanese characters?
I certainly wouldn't want to play as Japanese people all the time in my games. Why else would Nintendo, who are Japanese create Western characters? To me there seems to be no sort of logical anwser apart from the one I've already spoken about.
And they do give a damn about Europe...there's profit to be made here but less then America and Japan. So we are always last :-( I'm moving.
I am suprised that after the huge boost the video gaming market has had, there's still so little TV shows about it...
But yeah, we all know that FPSs don't traditionally go down to well in Japan, but they love their crazy games like Beatmania and Incredible Crisis.
It's just a case of working to the stereotype, but I think you've chosen a bad example in Nintendo (no offense), seeing as they couldn't give a damn about Europe =D
But yeah, we all know that FPSs don't traditionally go down to well in Japan, but they love their crazy games like Beatmania and Incredible Crisis.
It's just a case of working to the stereotype, but I think you've chosen a bad example in Nintendo (no offense), seeing as they couldn't give a damn about Europe =D
Had a widescreen TV last night all to myself, was sleeping downstairs for certain reasons but I won’t go into them now. I also had a Gamecube, Playstation 2 and Dreamcast all begging to be played under this beauty of a TV and to tell you the truth I was tempted to put in Rogue Leader and shoot down some ships. But, I resisted and in a way I’m glad.
You see, late night TV really doesn’t have that much to offer. Sure, you’ve got your Trisha re-runs and crappy Channel 5 stuff (worse at night I swear) but I didn’t really expect to be watching a documentary about video games so late at night or even on the TV in that case, whilst flipping through channels. I say this because they are very rare indeed. Shame, because this one was actually pretty good.
I don’t know if any of you saw it but it was about the way in which culture is reflected in games. It mainly focused on Japan but also went more worldwide looking at the differences between American and British games also and how they work in a different culture.
Now is it just me or do our TV sets need more programs like this? Ok, it won’t keep the whole nation gripped to their sets, but it was all very interesting. I even turned on the subtitles so I could read and listen at the same time so I could understand everything. That last sentence being backed up with it being late at night too.
They point this documentary was trying to make was that certain games work in some country’s but do not work in others, but also there are some games that work in worldwide and they are the ones that are the success for the company at hand. They called these kind of games ‘Global Games’ and said that they could come from anywhere in the world. For example, I’m sure you can think of a few global games…take Pokemon, made in Japan, popular there and then became a worldwide hit. How about the Resident Evil series? Made in Japan also but was created as a global game using Western characters, script and culture, appealing worldwide. The reason a maker of Resident Evil said this was – because the Japanese consider their characters talking in a Western manner ‘cool’. I can see where their coming from on that one but I’ll let discussion prove it’s ways.
Watching this program made me realize and think about the strategies the company’s that make our games use in order to make a profit. It made me wonder if they sit down, think up a game concept and then change the game so that it appeals almost everywhere around the world so that they will make money. I saw myself in my own mind, browsing through my game collection and picking out which games were designed global and which were not. It’s difficult to point out which ones were really made to be like that on purpose as I know I could be wrong, but it certainly got me thinking.
All of this thinking was backed up by a report they done on the Final Fantasy series. I haven’t played any Final Fantasy games myself but I’m sure many of you have. This program interviewed a designer of Final Fantasy and they found out that characters within the game were changed in order to give worldwide appeal. I’m talking about their appearance here, the way in which they look. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true or not so could so Final Fantasy fans give some feedback on that one.
Using what I learnt from the Final Fantasy story I came to think about one company in particular. A company which I love to play, a company which does appeal all around the world and has done for a long time, a company with many popular characters and they all are made to look Western though made in Japan. I’m talking about Nintendo, a company who surely if this concept is true have done a very good job as a games company. We all know Nintendo characters, if you can’t think of any think of Super Smash Bros. Melee, that game has all the stars.
I also learnt through the program that the Japanese love their RPG’s with storylines which involve co-operation and use of cute characters. I’m not looking at RPG’s in particular but in any genre it seems as though the Japanese like their characters cute and not realistic, though it is an exception. If we take that back to Nintendo and the way they’ve used it I don’t even need to speak about it. It’s been one long debate over the past few years that Nintendo make ‘kiddie’ games. Sure, they look like children’s games to us, but in Japan where profit is to be made, they are not.
So Nintendo have their cute characters which appeal to the Japanese and in a sense have that RPG feel to their games such as Super Mario Bros. But what have Nintendo done to reach out to the Western world? Well, they’ve created their characters with a Western look but also blended in the cute look so they appeal in every market. Think of as many Nintendo characters as you can – Mario, Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, Link…I could go on.
I find it interesting how Nintendo have done this. I can view old Nintendo characters via the trophies I have won on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here we have some Japanese exclusive characters and they do have a Japanese look. Beneath them it says that the game they feature din was only released in Japan. Looking back, I think we can see why this is. Nintendo knew these games weren’t going to appeal to a worldwide audience. But even though Nintendo use these cute looking, Westernized characters they still add appeal to the Japanese audience through audio also. Take Link for example, all of the sounds he makes sounds as if he was Japanese. The same goes for other characters but then again not for others such as Mario.
I’ll end this now and let you think and discuss what you feel on the subject. To me all this is very interesting, the way in which companies are creating video games for the whole world and how they manage to do it. It must be hard trying to appeal on a worldwide scale but it seems like some company’s have pulled it off and in the process made a lot of profit by doing so. You see, creating a video game isn’t just about making a good game itself, it’s all about tactics also.
MWA
You see, late night TV really doesn’t have that much to offer. Sure, you’ve got your Trisha re-runs and crappy Channel 5 stuff (worse at night I swear) but I didn’t really expect to be watching a documentary about video games so late at night or even on the TV in that case, whilst flipping through channels. I say this because they are very rare indeed. Shame, because this one was actually pretty good.
I don’t know if any of you saw it but it was about the way in which culture is reflected in games. It mainly focused on Japan but also went more worldwide looking at the differences between American and British games also and how they work in a different culture.
Now is it just me or do our TV sets need more programs like this? Ok, it won’t keep the whole nation gripped to their sets, but it was all very interesting. I even turned on the subtitles so I could read and listen at the same time so I could understand everything. That last sentence being backed up with it being late at night too.
They point this documentary was trying to make was that certain games work in some country’s but do not work in others, but also there are some games that work in worldwide and they are the ones that are the success for the company at hand. They called these kind of games ‘Global Games’ and said that they could come from anywhere in the world. For example, I’m sure you can think of a few global games…take Pokemon, made in Japan, popular there and then became a worldwide hit. How about the Resident Evil series? Made in Japan also but was created as a global game using Western characters, script and culture, appealing worldwide. The reason a maker of Resident Evil said this was – because the Japanese consider their characters talking in a Western manner ‘cool’. I can see where their coming from on that one but I’ll let discussion prove it’s ways.
Watching this program made me realize and think about the strategies the company’s that make our games use in order to make a profit. It made me wonder if they sit down, think up a game concept and then change the game so that it appeals almost everywhere around the world so that they will make money. I saw myself in my own mind, browsing through my game collection and picking out which games were designed global and which were not. It’s difficult to point out which ones were really made to be like that on purpose as I know I could be wrong, but it certainly got me thinking.
All of this thinking was backed up by a report they done on the Final Fantasy series. I haven’t played any Final Fantasy games myself but I’m sure many of you have. This program interviewed a designer of Final Fantasy and they found out that characters within the game were changed in order to give worldwide appeal. I’m talking about their appearance here, the way in which they look. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true or not so could so Final Fantasy fans give some feedback on that one.
Using what I learnt from the Final Fantasy story I came to think about one company in particular. A company which I love to play, a company which does appeal all around the world and has done for a long time, a company with many popular characters and they all are made to look Western though made in Japan. I’m talking about Nintendo, a company who surely if this concept is true have done a very good job as a games company. We all know Nintendo characters, if you can’t think of any think of Super Smash Bros. Melee, that game has all the stars.
I also learnt through the program that the Japanese love their RPG’s with storylines which involve co-operation and use of cute characters. I’m not looking at RPG’s in particular but in any genre it seems as though the Japanese like their characters cute and not realistic, though it is an exception. If we take that back to Nintendo and the way they’ve used it I don’t even need to speak about it. It’s been one long debate over the past few years that Nintendo make ‘kiddie’ games. Sure, they look like children’s games to us, but in Japan where profit is to be made, they are not.
So Nintendo have their cute characters which appeal to the Japanese and in a sense have that RPG feel to their games such as Super Mario Bros. But what have Nintendo done to reach out to the Western world? Well, they’ve created their characters with a Western look but also blended in the cute look so they appeal in every market. Think of as many Nintendo characters as you can – Mario, Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, Link…I could go on.
I find it interesting how Nintendo have done this. I can view old Nintendo characters via the trophies I have won on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here we have some Japanese exclusive characters and they do have a Japanese look. Beneath them it says that the game they feature din was only released in Japan. Looking back, I think we can see why this is. Nintendo knew these games weren’t going to appeal to a worldwide audience. But even though Nintendo use these cute looking, Westernized characters they still add appeal to the Japanese audience through audio also. Take Link for example, all of the sounds he makes sounds as if he was Japanese. The same goes for other characters but then again not for others such as Mario.
I’ll end this now and let you think and discuss what you feel on the subject. To me all this is very interesting, the way in which companies are creating video games for the whole world and how they manage to do it. It must be hard trying to appeal on a worldwide scale but it seems like some company’s have pulled it off and in the process made a lot of profit by doing so. You see, creating a video game isn’t just about making a good game itself, it’s all about tactics also.
MWA