Gaming
esports
6 surprising things Playing Fields reveals about Japanese gaming
Red Bull TV's new documentary series takes a fascinating deep dive into the world of games and esports in Japan – here are just a few unusual snippets we discovered.
Sony, Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Konami… The names associated with the Japanese gaming sphere are so big, it’s tempting to think we know all about it. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, as revealing new documentary series Playing Fields demonstrates. Here are just a few of the things that we learned.
1. There are hardly any pro gamers in Japan
Considering how big an impact Japan has had on gaming culture worldwide, it’s surprising how underrepresented the nation is in most of the major esports. The fighting game community aside, esports professional isn’t seen by many as a viable career path. “I still feel that society as a whole hasn’t really accepted ‘pro gamer’ as a formal job title,” says Kana 'Tanukana' Tani, a Tekken 7 pro.
Tanukana
© Red Bull
2. There's a law that limits how much you can win at tournaments
Another reason why perhaps there aren’t so many Japanese esports pros on the international scene is that there are laws that limit the amount of prize money on offer at local sponsored tournaments. Established in 2018, the Japanese Esports Union, JESU, is hoping to change things and create an environment in which more esports athletes can thrive. One of the ways they’re doing this is by issuing pro licences to teams and players, which allow them to earn more prize money.
I still feel that society as a whole hasn’t really accepted ‘pro gamer’ as a formal job title
3. The world's oldest arcade machine will be 50 next year
Arcades are really the beating heart of Japanese game culture, so it’s no surprise to meet some real enthusiasts. Kazumi Takai is a fascinating character who’s been working as an engineer in the arcade industry his whole career. He now dedicates his time to salvaging as many games as he can and claims that his Computer Space machine, which dates from 1971, is the oldest in the world.
4. Fights at arcades were so common the moves even had names
According to Minoru Ikeda, owner of Mikado Arcade in Tokyo’s famous Shinjuku district, “arcades were often considered a place for ‘bad boys’ in the 1980s.” There was tension between customers around the games and they would fight a lot. “People used to throw ashtrays at each other,” explains Kana 'Tanukana' Tani. “We called that move the ‘Ashtray Sonic’.”
Arcades were often considered a place for ‘bad boys’ in the 1980s
5. Indie games = classical music
It might be a difficult analogy to get behind when you’ve thrown your controller across the room after failing to beat that fiendishly difficult boss for the thousandth time, but modern indie games are like classical symphonies. Game developer Riki explains: “In classical music you have a conductor and an orchestra, where you might have a symphony that’s 100 years old. Eight-bit gaming is the same. People use equipment that’s been around a long time, but they still create contemporary expressions.”
Toshihiro Nagoshi
© Red Bull
6. Japanese games found international success by forgetting about international success
About 15 years ago, Japan’s game industry entered a decade of steep decline. The market turned a lot more insular: Japanese games didn’t sell well internationally and international games struggled in Japan. The past five years or so have seen an exciting revival, however, with series like Monster Hunter, Shenmue, NieR and Yakuza all doing well in the West and Nintendo’s Switch-based resurgence. So what’s behind the uptick? Toshihiro Nagoshi, CCO at Sega, explains: “Games need to be accepted and admired by the Japanese population first. Then, eventually, they can be exported overseas. Yakuza increased its sales in the West, but I wouldn’t prioritise users’ opinions from the West. I think if I did that, I’d lose those fans in the West.”
