I remember when the Japanese government's cultural export strategy was more Ikebana, Sumo, and Noh than anime, manga, and now, video games. It's strange; I remember being so enamored with the anime I saw on TV growing up in Hawaii (either via cable TV or rentable from local Japanese video stores), and wondering why the non-local Japanese folks that I knew then thought that that was problematic. I guess your priorities change when your economy is sluggish and there's untapped potential there, no matter if it's not technically "high-brow."
It's funny you mention Konami and the Bloomberg piece on how it's rough to be in the games industry now. Konami, if I recall correctly, wasn't exactly a shining example of healthy games work culture. I remember visiting for a demo (I worked for a localization company in Tokyo briefly) and noticing just how wild their security was. I also noticed how crazy my contacts' email addresses were when we exchanged meishi--apparently, Konami regularly randomizes their employees' email addresses to keep them from being poached? When I brought this up to my boss, she had to explain to me just how kibishii it was to work there.
All that said, I am optimistic that an infusion of cash could help Japanese game developers sustain themselves (regardless of whether or not they feel the need to export their games to the world), which I think is sorely needed. I don't think Japan *needs* to produce more AAA-budget titles (as those tend to make or break studios if they're wildly successful); rather, I think the larger benefit would come from making their indie and mid-budget studios more sustainable. There was a time when a company like From Software was considered a decent middle of the road developer (whose biggest hit was maybe Tenchu and Armored Core?), but look at where they are now. The skill, creativity, and dedication to craft are all there--we just need more opportunities for them to translate them into playable products, and if the government wants to help do that, I think that that's promising.
Do you think that these moves might come from Japan seeing the success of the S. Korean government's involvement with exports like K-Pop? It took the Japanese government decades to acknowledge anime and manga, and even then, I'd argue that those industries aren't fully revived for it, but it's maybe in a better place than previously. Could it be that they've finally learned how valuable it can be to stand behind cultural products the way their neighbors do?
It's hard to say how much the S.Korean government's position of actively supporting the Hallyu Wave influenced Japanese lawmakers, because the Japanese government has always taken more of a hands-off approach, and most Japanese creators have preferred it that way, for both cultural and political reasons. That said, there's been a vibe shift for sure. I don't think we'll see Prime Ministers snubbing Palm D'or winners anymore, as Abe famously did with Kore-Eda.
I'm sceptical and actually think the era for this was back in the PS1, PS2 days, when random companies and rights holders in Japan would release shovelware. Video games are so expensive to make now. The biggest, top tier games of the 90s and 00s were made by a handful to a dozen people with budgets not over a few million. Now the equivalent requires hundreds of staff and a budget in the hundreds of millions.
I remember when the Japanese government's cultural export strategy was more Ikebana, Sumo, and Noh than anime, manga, and now, video games. It's strange; I remember being so enamored with the anime I saw on TV growing up in Hawaii (either via cable TV or rentable from local Japanese video stores), and wondering why the non-local Japanese folks that I knew then thought that that was problematic. I guess your priorities change when your economy is sluggish and there's untapped potential there, no matter if it's not technically "high-brow."
It's funny you mention Konami and the Bloomberg piece on how it's rough to be in the games industry now. Konami, if I recall correctly, wasn't exactly a shining example of healthy games work culture. I remember visiting for a demo (I worked for a localization company in Tokyo briefly) and noticing just how wild their security was. I also noticed how crazy my contacts' email addresses were when we exchanged meishi--apparently, Konami regularly randomizes their employees' email addresses to keep them from being poached? When I brought this up to my boss, she had to explain to me just how kibishii it was to work there.
All that said, I am optimistic that an infusion of cash could help Japanese game developers sustain themselves (regardless of whether or not they feel the need to export their games to the world), which I think is sorely needed. I don't think Japan *needs* to produce more AAA-budget titles (as those tend to make or break studios if they're wildly successful); rather, I think the larger benefit would come from making their indie and mid-budget studios more sustainable. There was a time when a company like From Software was considered a decent middle of the road developer (whose biggest hit was maybe Tenchu and Armored Core?), but look at where they are now. The skill, creativity, and dedication to craft are all there--we just need more opportunities for them to translate them into playable products, and if the government wants to help do that, I think that that's promising.
Do you think that these moves might come from Japan seeing the success of the S. Korean government's involvement with exports like K-Pop? It took the Japanese government decades to acknowledge anime and manga, and even then, I'd argue that those industries aren't fully revived for it, but it's maybe in a better place than previously. Could it be that they've finally learned how valuable it can be to stand behind cultural products the way their neighbors do?
It's hard to say how much the S.Korean government's position of actively supporting the Hallyu Wave influenced Japanese lawmakers, because the Japanese government has always taken more of a hands-off approach, and most Japanese creators have preferred it that way, for both cultural and political reasons. That said, there's been a vibe shift for sure. I don't think we'll see Prime Ministers snubbing Palm D'or winners anymore, as Abe famously did with Kore-Eda.
I'm sceptical and actually think the era for this was back in the PS1, PS2 days, when random companies and rights holders in Japan would release shovelware. Video games are so expensive to make now. The biggest, top tier games of the 90s and 00s were made by a handful to a dozen people with budgets not over a few million. Now the equivalent requires hundreds of staff and a budget in the hundreds of millions.