You know, there’s few constants in the ever changing world we live in. However, we tend to remember the few “constants” we have, such as death, taxes, credit card bills, and Bill Cowher. Unfortunately, I’m starting to think we should add a new “universal constant” to our gaming lives. It started as a trend, then started to become more than a trend- it became a pervasive, ongoing thing….
And what is this thing I’m talking about, you ask?
It’s the terrible attitude that Japanese software/ hardware developers and designers have towards the American gamer, especially the SPORTS gamer.
Few trends are so easily tracked. For the past several years, E3 and other gaming expos have become a showcase for the blatant arrogance and ignorance of the game industry of the Far East. This poor attitude has been on display for some time, particularly on the part of Nintendo. Every E3 for the past decade has included speeches from people like Nintendo president Satoru Iwata that take shots at the types of games Americans like, while promoting the games NINTENDO thinks the world should be playing, such as “Nintendogs” and “Donkey Konga” that are less “adrenaline intensive” and “long”. Along those same lines, Nintendo’s legendary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto- (of Mario and Zelda fame) jumped into the fray as well with his recent comments HERE about long, immersive games (like many Americans like..)
Miyamoto: "There's not a lot I want to play now, A lot of the games out there are just too long. Of course, there are games, such as 'Halo' or 'Grand Theft Auto,' that are big and expansive. But if you're not interested in spending that time with them, you're not going to play… Rather than thinking we have a new console, let's make epic games, I want (developers) to make more unique products "
Well Shigeru, Nintendo has been trying “unique” for ten years now, and in most cases it hasn’t sold as well as the competition. Many of us remember “Virtual Boy”, the N64 cartridge media, Nintendo’s blatant ignorance to the American trend of online gaming, shoddy 1st party sports games, few games for the 18 and up crowd….
..and now they think long games are overrated?
Sorry Shigeru, but when I shell out fifty bones on a game, I expect to be it to be long and immersive (or at least I HOPE as much.) But folks, lets not be distracted from the core issue. Flat out- its not about online, or about “long games”, or about system specs, or even their attack on photo realistic graphics that their competition (such as XBOX 360 and PS3 is promoting.)
The real issue is that Nintendo and many Japanese game developers simply do not understand the gaming culture in the US, and they don’t understand why we aren’t more like them. Our cultures differ completely- especially when it comes to video games. Generally speaking, American gamers love their action games, as well as long, immersive-yet-realistic games that serve as an alternate reality. Quite often, that’s a very visceral gaming reality- such as “Grand Theft Auto San Andreas” and “Hitman”. We also like our games long- and in some cases- “never ending”- like World of Warcraft and Star Wars Galaxies. As the hardware has caught up to the American gaming culture, Nintendo and others from the Far East have failed to grasp these concepts. Quite simply, they sit back and are very ignorant to our gaming tastes. In Japan, “Cute, Cheery, and Fun” sells. In our culture, we pass on such things in favor of realism.
Nowhere is the culture gap more evident than with sports games. Even Sega- who was once one of the more open-minded publishers of sports games- got to the point where they couldn’t compete with EA, and rather than evolve, they pressured and harassed US-based Visual Concepts to the point where VC was ELATED to get out from under the Sega regime. Sega is effectively out of the sports game business, yet some would argue that Nintendo NEVER was in the sports game business. (Sorry folks, but Mario Golf and Mario Tennis isn’t going to have mass appeal here in the States.) Then, to add insult to injury, the Nintendo controllers haven’t been conducive to sports gaming since the SNES. The controllers since the SNES have gotten far too “gadgety” for their own good. Quite simply, if you are a big-time sports videogamer, you avoid Nintendo. I’m personally concerned that the super-secret Nintendo “Revolution” controller will also be too “gadgety” for its own good. (Personally, when talking controllers, I’d take ergonomics over “being deliberately different” any day.)
But it goes deeper than Nintendo, and deeper than sports games. Our two cultures are just very different. Last week, Gamespot posted an article titled “Japanese Developers Discuss, And Dis, The Next Gen Consoles.” It shows the comments and criticisms of the features of the XBOX 360 and the Sony PS3 that a panel of respected Japanese developers have. It’s a must read that will show just how far apart our cultures are, and how they just don’t get us. For example – here’s my favorite quote from Square-Enix’s Akitoshi Kawatsu- "Some PC users might take good advantage of those kinds of external connections (USB), but it's not something that's commonly practiced by people who come from the [console] gaming culture. For example, playing Famicom (NES) is as simple as just sticking in the game software."
Uh, sorry Akitoshi, but I think you are missing the fact that so many American households have current PCs in them, and many of them have current devices with USB connections. Perhaps I'm missing something? Is there something "intimidating" about plug and play USB device connectors that I don't recognize? The current XBOX has ALWAYS had USB controllers (though altered to make the connector proprietary) Its a simple matter of sticking the device connector in the proper hole... a toddler can figure it out in seconds. PCs have become far more integrated into American culture than they have in the orient. Online gaming is not quite the rage in Japan as it is here. This is especially evident in Nintendo's hardheadedness in regard to online games for the current GameCube.
(And a big factor in it being in a distant 3rd place in sales behind the PS2 and XBOX)
However, not all far-eastern developers are as hardheaded as many of those quoted in the article. Sony has always recognized the culture differences between those of the American gaming audience and the far-eastern one, and catered their catalogues accordingly, yet they surely seem to be a rarity amongst their far-eastern publishing partners. Perhaps Nintendo and those like them who keep trying to push games catered to far-eastern tastes would be wise to look at how Sony does business over here in the States, instead of criticizing the hardware and software that Americans like to purchase.
I simply don't see how alienating American gamers while constantly pushing the games they want us to play will help pull companies like Nintendo ahead of the more culturally-aware Sony and Microsoft. Both Sony and Microsoft also recognize the value of sports games and just how much those games sell their hardware.
Nintendo hasn't quite grasped that, along with many far-eastern developers who are still in denial about the differences between their's and the American Gaming culture.
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