I went to Akiba today and played the new 3D Samurai Spirits game. The guy I played was working everyone quick like but when he came to me he threw the first round and then continued to kick my ass. Since some of you may be interested and GAF doesn't cover arcade games, I thought I would post some short videos of the game here.
I live in Tokyo and have been studying game culture ever since I came in 2004. I've essentially been trying to piece together various aspects of Japanese game culture and herein lies some of my recent thoughts (please post if you have any comments):
Games have always had a strong hold on Japan, much more so than any
other country, so what exactly makes games so popular in Japan?
Furthermore, what characteristics do the more popular and legendary of
games in Japan comprise of? Of course there's a lot to look at, but
what I've been looking into is the the lack of national identity and
confidence in Japan. This lacking in their identity is effectively
made up for in the fantastically created worlds within video games.
For people who have lost confidence in their own Japanese-ness, there
are much better structured and secure worlds awaiting them in their
Playstations and Nintendos. Whereas many people may feel uneasy about
their place in the world as Japanese, they don't have to worry about
that as a citizen of Vana'Diel or Ivalice. Naturally people may draw
parallels between books and video games and that people can just as
easily escape into a fantasy world by reading, but I would say that
the added interaction in video games is a key element especially in
Japan. Where before in Japan people could study hard, work hard, and
be confident that such commitment would pay out, that has all been
thrust on its head and people aren't really sure what will come of
their efforts anymore. Within video games efforts are almost always
rewarded and rules often explicitly explained. So with that in mind,
games have become something of a security blanket to Japanese, working
to warm their hearts and hide them from the disillusionment their
country has come to face.
