Wednesday 25 September 2013

WK3 - Game Centers & Pachinko


Pachinko Nation - I had no idea  that Japan's gambling problem was so substantial. I had seen a short expose on gambling that focused on fixed sumo matches, but the part on pachinko parlours talked mainly about the noise. This article brings to light the enormity of the problem, but the way the author sometimes generalizes the whole population is worrisome with statements like " Japanese gambling...is like most of Japanese society: low-stakes, low-risk." Or "propping up a nuclear weasel like North Korea". Interesting was how the gambling industry is linked to philanthropy: the Nippon Foundation which donates for many good charities, is funded by gambling losses. Also of note is how 3/4 of parlours are run by Japanese-Koreans, many of whom have ties to North Korea, are sympathetic to that countries regime, and send their profits home. In essence, pachinko in part funds the North Korean military machine, to Japan's embarrassment. Hence they have introduced card-readers on the machines in order to curb this problem of money laundering. The key element I found was the fact that Japan gives little regard to issues of morality, and treat issues such as gambling, prostitution and drinking as practical matters with no intention of banning.

Print Club Photography in Japan - this is an exploration on the lasting effects that a very specific machine has on a culture. Print Club (or Purikura) essentially consists of instant photo-booths that print off small sticker images of yourself and friends in multiples (over 16), and installed in a public place for sharing. They place the stickers on their bags, clothing, notebooks, instruments, vehicles, etc. The Print Club provides a place for people to gather, express themselves, and share their creations with their peers. This is analogous to the rise of the arcade in the United States in the 1970s, and the camaraderie surrounding competing to attain the game's high score. There are also offshoot industries centered around them, for instance image sets that feature popular media stars like movie celebrities, singers, politicians and cartoon characters. Also printed are calendars, cards, puzzle boards etc. This has all become a very social activity, and many young Japanese cannot imagine having a social life that doesn't revolve in some way around Purikura.

Works Cited:

Chalfen and Marui, "Print club photography in Japan", Print Club

Plotz, "Pachinko Nation", Pachinko Nation

Wednesday 18 September 2013

WK2 - Atari Shock & Early History of the Japanese Game Industry

The History of Videogames (Herman et. al.) provides a rich primer to the history of the industry. A sequential list of the important milestones fill in the blanks for people interested in how video games came about. It encompasses 19th century card gaming, to fledging electronics companies to arcade cabinets to home consoles and beyond. From the first tennis-game on oscilloscope, to Atari, Gameboy, to eventually the Dreamcast at the turn of the century, this timeline helps track the development of classic gaming.

The Wiki's on Nintendo (translated as 'leave luck to heaven) and the history of Nintendo, illuminate the background of this company from its humble beginning. They started out making playing cards, moving on to a wide variety of unsuccessful ventures, to making toy products, electronics and finally to its success in creating the video games I grew up with.

Shigeru Miyamoto's interview is a fascinating look into the design process of Japan's most ubiquitous and widely recognized characters, Mario. I had known some of these facts (detailed in a future blog post) but I didn't know how playful Miyamoto was. He describes the joys of discovery, creating games he would himself play and he just sounds like a fun guy to hang around with. One thing the jumped out at me was his decision to make the Mario character appear on numerous games, similar to how Hitchcock makes a cameo in all his movies. This confirms a fan theory positing that all the Mario stable of characters are simply actors performing roles, whether the game involves racing, platform action, party melee fighting or role-playing.1 The interview was conducted by Satoru Iwata, a partner of Miyamoto. It links to another brilliant discussion of theirs regarding the definition of an idea.2

The Short Guide to Japan Bashing offers an honest, objective look at the unfortunate practise of deriding another nation. From pre to post WWII, Japan has been a whipping boy for the West's tendency to fear and mock what it doesn't understand. It doesn't shy away from Japan's own history of colonial atrocities. It touches on economics and the manufacturing powerhouse Japan had become, and their importing habits. "The gap between what Japan consumers wanted and what American industries wanted Japan to want continued."

Chapter 2 in Newman's Videogames focuses on defining what a video game is, and notes that we cannot see them as simply extension of other mediums such as books, plays or film. There is complexity even in the mode of delivery, how and where a game is played i.e. arcade cabinets vs home consoles. He discusses types of games, rules & limitations, and levels of interactivity. Chapter 3 discusses design and development practices, from gameplay types necessitated by hardware limitations (i.e. the side scroller) to development studio and the roles team members perform. It ends with an obligatory section addressing the business aspects of selling videogames, from QA (quality assurance), financing and managing risk.

Works Cited

1 6 Insane Video Game Fan Theories that make total sense #5

2 Iwata - Defining the Idea

Herman et. al. "The History of Video Games", The History of Videogames

Iwata, "Iwata Asks", Interview with Miyamoto, Interview with Miyamoto

Newman. Videogames. Chapters 2 & 3.

Wikipedia, "Nintendo" and "History of Nintendo", Wiki - Nintendo and Wiki - History_of_nintendo

Wednesday 11 September 2013

WK1 - Cross Cultural Game Studies

Readings Analysis

The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict is an essential study of WWII Japan, with an emphasis of understanding the Japanese through their lens, as opposed to an American one. Commissioned in 1944, it is a sympathetic study of 'the enemy' that humanizes the nation while ignoring Japan's own history of conquest. A critique of the book by Sonya Ryang points out this fact, and refered to other critiques, and critiques of those critiques. Some reactions are positive because Benedict's book revolutionized anthropological methodology and it is quoted to this day. Others are critical of its 'new form of racism', seeing the text as only American propaganda disguised as benevolence.

Videogames by James Newman, begins with a chapter that basically tries to defend videogames as something worthy of being taken seriously. I understand the need for that from a scholarly stand point, but as a gamer, it is superfluous. It reminds me of when the late movie critic Roger Ebert decried that videogames can never be considered art (and subsequently recanted that position, having never played them). As he put it, Okay kids, play on my lawn!

Modern Japan: Origins of the Mind - Japanese Traditions and Approaches to Contemporary Life by Aleksandr Prasol is very beneficial to understand the origins of the cultural behavior of modern Japanese. A 1500 year history of the Imperial House of Japan highlights the relationship between leadership and the divine, the loyalties of aristocratic and warrior clans, and the principles of ceremony carried into the modern world. It looks at Japan's mandate to imitate, adapt and innovate, which can perhaps explain the meteoric rise of Nintendo and Sega that took gaming out of the arcades and into your living room.

Note: while creating this post, I messed up and lost my notes. So I kinda had to just wing it.

References:

Benedict, Ruth. The chrysanthemum and the sword N.p.: Marnier, 1946. Print.

Ryang, Sonya. “JPRI Occasional Paper No. 32.” JPRI Occasional Paper No. 32. N.p., July 2004.

Newman, James. Videogames [second edition] N.p.,: Routledge, January 2013. Print.

Prasol, A. F. Modern Japan: Origins of the Mind: Japanese Traditions and Approaches to Contemporary Life. http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00362a&AN=neos.5

HUCO 617 Introduction

Visiting Japan is on my bucket list. I want to see the beautiful garden in Hiroshima that marks the spot of ground zero. I want to go there to see for myself this nation of people who pulled themselves up after a huge defeat and came back stronger than ever. Whose creativity has affected the wider world in surprising ways. Whose adherence to the ceremonial practices of old cements their image as a people who admire respect, loyalty, privacy, innovation and determination.

What do I really know about Japan? Not a whole bunch. I know there some 'extreme' practices over there that have spawned countless internet memes, perhaps even the concept of internet memes itself (the Japanese image board '2chan' inspired '4chan', which then led to funny aggregate sites such as Ebaums and the Chive). I know they have boundary-pushing game shows and commercials that would never air on mainstream American television (MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, tame compared to other shows, became Wipeout on this continent). I know that a large part of their population regularly read mangas on the way to work, a practice looked down on in North America, more often than not. Most importantly, I know that when Japan jumped into the video game market, the whole world felt the effect and we owe them our gratitude.

In this course I aim to learn all I can about the Japanese to better understand how they raced to the forefront of technological advance to give the world such amazing video games. The first task is to analyse readings relevant to the topic, which I will do in subsequent posts. It is my homework, frankly. That doesn't mean I won't try to make it an entertaining read, seeing as the topic is video games. I am by no means an authority but I know what games I like and why. If that interests you, enjoy!

-btw this is my first blog