Kojima: Better Technology Widens Cultural Gap
See Full ImageHideo Kojima is a perfectionist. We all know that. But he also thinks that better technology highlights cultural gaps, which is an interesting position.
In speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Kojima spoke about how technology increases the expression of culture in video games:
"We are able to put in more cultural differences from each country, racial differences. So we're facing a similar situation to that which faced Charlie Chaplin. He didn't need words to express himself in his movies but suddenly he had to include words in order to stay relevant. With this increased capability of expression through games, I think it's a matter of learning how to use it."
Kojima went on to talk about game settings: in the past, there really wasn't a cultural barrier because the older technology meant we couldn't really tell where we were. Is this Tokyo or Chicago? Tough to tell. But we can always tell now and Kojima said due to this advancement, "games have to become more Hollywood." But doesn't that new technology also mean Kojima and other developers can create exactly what they want these days?
Well, not quite.
"First of all, I've never created something that completely satisfies me. I don't think that, even as technology continues to improve, I will ever be able to create something that completely satisfies me.
Creating something is about turning impossible things into possible things, things you want to be able to do. If it gets to the point were I'm able to create anything I want, I'll probably stop making videogames."
Gotta love this guy. But if he's right, it means the better technology really has highlighted the cultural gap, which is why the Japanese gaming industry is flailing right now. So what can be done to combat it?
Tags: hideo kojima, gaming, japanese games, gaming culture
9/5/2011 8:37:58 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (43 posts)
kokoro
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 9:50:18 PM
Last edited by kokoro on 9/5/2011 9:55:20 PM
3 up, 0 down
Killa Tequilla
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:43:41 PM
6 up, 0 down
shadowpal2
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:18:21 AM
Actually I remember reading an article saying that his kid stated that "METAL GEAR IS A S**TY GAME"
But his kid liked it a lot better when Peace Walker for the PSP came out.
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ZenChichiri
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 9:37:59 PM
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5 up, 0 down
godsman
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:05:32 PM
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4 up, 1 down
StubbornScorpio
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:32:06 PM
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All joking aside, this man is a genius, a true progressive thinker. The enterprise of technology grows faster than people can seem to get a grasp of.
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Clamedeus
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:47:16 PM
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StubbornScorpio
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:59:43 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:46:25 PM
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Games should bring people together with their awesomeness, not force them to conform (into shooters) like they are lately.
I think a bigger problem is cost of production, which means devs have to appeal to more people. A good Japanese game with the sales it got in previous generations was good enough, now without blockbuster sales it won't be considered a success.
I say use the increased ability for expression to create new worlds instead of ones we are already in.
And why doesn't Kojima make RPGs?
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FM23
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 1:29:13 AM
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Highlander
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:03:13 AM
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FatherSun
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 10:58:25 PM
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That step Charlie took from silent to words.. The gaming industry is in the process of taking it. And so are we...
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 11:37:42 PM
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ZenChichiri
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 2:24:22 AM
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Clamedeus
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 2:28:04 AM
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Clamedeus
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:33:35 AM
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ZenChichiri
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 6:49:26 PM
Just give me one sec...errrkkk...I think it's coming soon....
"Westernizing the Final Fantasy series."
Oh wait that's a terrible idea! You'll have to wait for the apple...
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JackDillinger89
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 12:19:31 AM
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1 up, 3 down
Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 2:22:46 AM
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 2:24:57 AM
4 up, 2 down
Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 5:00:48 AM
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 5:03:28 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 9:45:10 AM
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Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 2:18:01 AM
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The japanese developers are lagging behind. Only the hardcore fans are able to see past that fact. That's why they sell less.
That is the simple, harsh reality and the sooner they realize this, the better it is both for them and their fans.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 2:21:32 AM
2 up, 1 down
Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 6:34:07 AM
What I try to say is that does it really matter for average Joe if the setting is located in Chicago or Tokyo? That's what mr Kojima claims, and I just don't buy that.
But it does matter to average Joe if the Tokyo themed game looks, feels and plays like a former-gen game while the Chicago themed game looks and feels more like next-gen game. Now *that* matters.
What I try to say is that if a Japanese game that display Japanese culture set in a Japanese location was of the same quality as RDR - not a carbon copy but on the same objective technical level - then I say it *will* sell.
Or to put it the other way around: I seriously doubt that WKC would be rated that much higher had the setting been a western savannah and the characters dressed in western outfits while talking with southern accents.
That's just not where the problem lies.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 6:44:12 AM
3 up, 0 down
Highlander
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:10:08 AM
Japanese developers do not, and are not lagging behind, but with the frequency that particular accusation it thrown around, they really must wonder what they have done to earn such disrespect. Such comments stem from chauvinistic western gamers, developers and reviewers who somehow feel that John Carmack is the second coming. It's a sentiment that's often been applied to console gaming as a whole, and JRPGs in particular. but it's frequently expressed through such developers bemoaning the console hardware's lack of sophistication.
PC devs with a problem, should pack up their bags and go back to supporting PCs with video cards that cost as much as PS3. They're not needed in this market, nor is their 'influence'.
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Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:22:37 AM
Quite the contrary, what I think is that I doubt many gamers would have anything against a Tokyo setting, and most would actually prefer to clearly tell the difference between Tokyo and Chicago. That's the entire point!
There's even gamers talking about how awesome it would be if the next GTA indeed was located in Tokyo! Not that that's essentially my point here, but there's no sign that any major share of the gamers have anything against a Tokyo setting or japanese culture *at all* - quite the contrary!
So there is *no* reason to mask that difference, I believe Kojima is straight out *wrong* in assuming this has anything to do with their current crisis.
The problem is not that we now all of a sudden can spot the cultural or visual differences. That's simply not it - not as far as I can tell!
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 11:31:01 AM
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___________
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 3:22:16 AM
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jap developers are down the sh*tter because they got greedy!
the millions of fans were not enough they had to get more.
that means changing there games to cater to western audiences.
that means changing to western developers, thus totally destroying any aesthetics the game could of had.
ninja theroy in charge of what was such a strongly typical japanese game is the biggest insult and injustice since the beginning of the industry!
worse then M$ buying out rare and putting them on kinect!
yes even worse then $ony taking there most talented studio and putting them on crappy eyepet and kids games!
thats why there down the sh*tter, the hundreds of millions of dollars they were making of their games was not enough they wanted more,more,more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as the saying goes, you dont realize what you have, how good you have it, till you loose it!
as ive said a billion times if i want pizza im not going to go to a chinese eatery.
if i want chinese im not going to go to a pizza parlour.
so why are western developers making my eastern games?
have you ever tried a asian made pizza?
it tastes terrible!!!!!!!!!
i think the other problem is the games that are truly eastern are a little too so.
theres no happy medium, its either 0 or 11.
catherine, shadows of the damned, lollypop chainsaw, vanquish, bayonetta, mad world, dark souls, for examples.
you either have western games, or you have totally eastern games with a totally different style and twist.
i think there just too far the opposite, we dont have the happy medium we use to have.
we use to have a eastern take on a western game, RPGs for example gameplay wise were the same but artistic, story wise were very different.
there the happy medium, same game different style, different artistic flair.
now though its either totally banzai, or none at all.
thats just a little too extreme, a little too niche.
we need that happy medium back!
Last edited by ___________ on 9/6/2011 3:27:24 AM
1 up, 3 down
Lawless SXE
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 4:02:47 AM
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http://www.velocitygamer.com/pt/Kojima-Speaks-Somewhat-Frighteningly/blog.htm
What's going on here then, eh?
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Highlander
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:11:37 AM
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Lawless SXE
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 1:08:33 PM
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Douchebaguette
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 6:52:21 AM
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"Scott Pilgrim has gains the power of self respect" was more effective than "SP gains the power of love."
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Twistedfloyd
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 8:25:30 AM
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Vitron
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 9:07:11 AM
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Unlike those EA vs Activision arguments
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 9:50:58 AM
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3 up, 0 down
Highlander
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:01:14 AM
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In other words, leave the culture gaps in place and help us understand them instead of trying to erase them.
Last edited by Highlander on 9/6/2011 10:01:24 AM
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Beamboom
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:55:16 AM
And while I do not know the story lines of major classic JRPG series, I highly doubt this is the problem at all, and I know that at least I have no quarrels in getting to know such story lines.
The way I see it, the "problem" (if you want to call it that) is purely of a technical kind. I hate to use wkc as example again and again, but since it's the most J of the RPGs I've played I'm more or less forced to:
I found the story in WKC to be... Well, lets call it "different". Perhaps a bit exotic, or strange. But in a good way. I did not mind much. And the characters; cute. Charming. Maybe a bit childish, to be honest. I mean, a teenage boy becoming a huge knight? But sure, it was all right, I had no real problems with it.
I mean, after all I've spent *months* as youth playing a yellow pizza shaped chubby escaping ghosts while eating cookies, so who am I to complain.
My problems were mainly with the game mechanics. Most of the issues were minor details, but there were *many* of them. Practically *everything* had some sort of annoyance attached to them. And all those minor issues built up to be a quite large issue in total.
I'd probably rate WKC around 70-74% somewhere. And that is purely because of all those minor *technical* annoyances. Had those annoyances not been there, keep the artwork and story as they are, I'd easily rate it at least 80, possibly even higher. After all I *love* mmorpgs and conceptually this was pretty darn close!
So it's *not* the cultural differences, it's the technical differences, in my humble opinion. And from that perspective I don't think there is anything wrong with the Japanese culture at all. And that makes it even more saddening to see Kojima think the way he does. Cause he is wrong!
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/6/2011 12:07:51 PM
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Beamboom
Thursday, September 08, 2011 @ 2:33:35 AM
If so then that's true of course. But that's the same in every media. Books: Fiction/thrillers. Movies: Action and drama. Music: Songs about love. TV: Sitcoms and reality shows. That pretty much sums up the mass market no matter where they live.
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clockwyzebkny
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 5:35:08 PM
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Thimk about MGS for the PS. It was so groundbreaking inso many ways. Especially that fight with Psycho Mantis *head explodes reminiscing*
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Oyashiro
Reply
Monday, September 05, 2011 @ 9:33:00 PM