What do you mean there’s not an insurmountable, undeniable difference between Japanese games and Western games? But game websites won’t shut up about it! Surely all these people talking endlessly about the Many True And Real Differences between Japanese Games and Western games aren’t…wrong? And they’re certainly not ultra pedantic and tiring in their arguments?
Hmm. Well, Platinum Games’ director Atushi Inaba isn’t so sure according to a write-up on Edge. “I don’t like it when people lump Japanese game developers all together in one group.
Frankly, I think it’s a joke. What do these people know?”
Harsh words, but I completely agree! He goes on to state:
“Think about Western developers. There are many western developers making terrible games, and then you see one like Infinity Ward making a game that sells 20 million and everyone goes, ‘Hey, western developers are amazing!’ There are tons of terrible western developers, just like there’s tons of terrible Japanese developers. To lump studios together in great masses misses the point”.
Nuance lost in making stupid generalizations? Say it isn’t so; that can’t be true! But seriously though: it’ll be too soon when we stop arguing about:
- What games actually are
- Why game x isn’t genre y
- Games are becoming too easy, curse you, casual-ization of games!
- JPN GAMES AN WESTURN GAMES R DIFFERNT
Edge goes into more detail regarding the last bullet point here–do check it out!