Got news?   tips@destructoid.com  |  Never miss a story:   RSS + Twitter + YouTube
Hey! New here? Destructoid is a gaming discussion community, updated nearly every 20 minutes. Make a quick avatar to comment and enter our contests. Take the tour!

 


Home Developer stuff updates

Yasuhara: Japanese gamers create, American gamers destroy

2:39 PM on 08.25.2008, Jim Sterling 36 comments

Yasuhara: Japanese gamers create, American gamers destroy photo
     Developer stuff

Gamasutra has a really interesting interview up with Sonic co-creator and former Naughty Dog (currently Namco Bandai) designer Hirokazu Yasuhara, discussing his approach to level design, the "freedom from fear" that motivates a gamer and the differences between Western and Japanese players. He discusses some fascinating design philosophies, focusing on how a gamer is driven primarily by the removal of stress and fear, and how that removal is obtained by Eastern and Western markets:

You see some cultural differences come to the surface with this, too. For example, a lot of Japanese people attain a feeling of security via creation, or making themselves look nice, or saving money. Not that Americans or Europeans aren't like that, but Americans may be more likely to take a more "destructive" process toward feeling safe. 

I think a lot of that is because the things that you "fear" can be very different between nations -- not real, palpable fear, but more the lack of feeling at ease with yourself. 

Do check out the full interview, as it's worth a read. What do you think of Yasuhara's summary of the different audiences, however? I must confess that I'm definitely a destroyer, and I find that a round of Dynasty Warriors or any similarly mindless action game is enough to help me wind down after a frustrating day. What about you? Are you a creator or a destroyer?


Next page: More Developer stuff stories




MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 08/25/2008 14:46
I don't know about his philosophy, but I do know that I enjoy anything with gratuitous violence, gore and/or destruction.
Niero's Avatar
Niero at 08/25/2008 14:46
I'm also a destroyer. I am forcing myself through 100+ hours of EDF just so I can get the Genocide Gun and wipe out blocks at a time.

I also named our web site. Nuff said.
MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 08/25/2008 14:47
oh and I forgot about gratuitous nudity. NO ONE must forget about gratuitous nudity.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 08/25/2008 14:51
But wait, Dynasty Warriors is made by a Japanese development company!

I think broad sweeping generalizations like this are dangerous. Why can we be both? I like just as much making Boom Blox levels as I do destroying said levels. I doubt the Japanese as a whole are much different.
Def JM's Avatar
Def JM at 08/25/2008 14:55
I like to destroy Akrid's especially the asshats that can roll.
A New Challenger's Avatar
A New Challenger at 08/25/2008 14:55
Why do so many shooters come out of Japan? Actually, thinking a bit more from that initial reaction, the bullet patterns are a creative act of sorts, and much of a shooter's gameplay is about avoidance as much as destroying enemies. Compare this to the FPS, the Western choice in ballistics simulations.

I like Katamari Damacy because you're simultaneously creating and destroying. Also, everyone loves the King and The Prince even though they leveled an entire city and people were screaming and running away from the object-gobbling ball the whole time.
Silverback 55's Avatar
Silverback 55 at 08/25/2008 14:57
I have one purpose in my video game life, and that is to completely annihilate anyone or thing put in front of me. Oh, and as Sadistic said, ogle gratuitous nudity.
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar
ArrestedDeveloper at 08/25/2008 14:57
Dear Japan,
You guys used to sell vials of menstrual fluid in vending machines, therefore I can never take anything one of you says seriously.
rabidkeebler's Avatar
rabidkeebler at 08/25/2008 15:05
To a certain extent he is right, but not to the point that I can say he is even 20% correct. Some of the best selling games (Sim City, Civilization, Sins of a Solar Empire, Warcraft, Starcraft, etc), require building and maintaining.

To a certain extent, one could say American games is to destroy, Japanese games is feel up underage kids. Does that mean the Japanese have a fear of little kids.
heretrix's Avatar
heretrix at 08/25/2008 15:10
He's probably right, although I'm really getting tired of the whole "You'll never understand us because were better than you" bullshit.
Blackhat's Avatar
Blackhat at 08/25/2008 15:11
It's bizarre, my favourite genre is FPS, but I love creation and 'upgrading.' I think that's why, while FPS is 'my thing,' I love Deus Ex and Stalker, over say Quake 3 or CoD4 (which isn't the same kind of 'creation' to me.)

I also love team multiplayer games far more than deathmatch. And I don't mean 'Team Deathmatch,' but actual classes, with roles to fulfil during the game.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 08/25/2008 15:20
You know, it kind of makes sense
manasteel88's Avatar
manasteel88 at 08/25/2008 15:25
gotta say that after I had built my cities in SimCity, I'd then go and create a few natural disasters to mess up the status quo.

so yeah even in our creationist games that destruction factor is still inherent
RICHARD BLOCKER's Avatar
RICHARD BLOCKER at 08/25/2008 15:36
The interview is very intersting. This one part about America being the destroyers and Japan being the creators is a vast generization, but I feel it is somewhat correct. The one thing I took away from it is that this guy would be an awesome Dungeon Master. (If I still actually played D&D, that is)
windexwindex's Avatar
windexwindex at 08/25/2008 15:43
wtf, I've been destroying crap for the last 20 years mostly on Japanese games:

eating pills and ghosts, breaking bricks and princesses, shooting ships, whipping zombies, blowing up hitler's face, leveling up, street fighting, crashing cars, breaking metal gears, shooting zombies, mannequin nurses, and pyramid-heads, all on japanese games.
Antlerbot's Avatar
Antlerbot at 08/25/2008 15:52
Historical context - America both destroyed Japan utterly and completely rebuilt it afterwards.

So...we're both the destroyers and creators? Which makes them...?
Blind assassin's Avatar
Blind assassin at 08/25/2008 15:55
I read the first few sentences and was ready to make a sarcastic comment about someone from the Sonic franchise talking about Americans destroying video games but after finishing the article, I agree.

It's pretty obvious if you look at the two biggest Japanese and North American franchises; Final Fantasy (and Dragon Quest) both involve lots of numbers, class customisation, item collection, questing, and general character management. Halo involves shooting the fuck out of everything in sight as a one man army.

Even in a more macro view the comparison of Japan = RPG and North America = Shooter/Sports shows the same thing.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 08/25/2008 16:14
That was a really interesting interview. And A New Challenger beat me to mentioning Katamari Damacy as a title where you create by destroying.
vrplumber's Avatar
vrplumber at 08/25/2008 17:38
Looks like someone is still pissed about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Get over it already, we've destroyed way more stuff in the decades after those two little incidents.
zeroword's Avatar
zeroword at 08/25/2008 18:01
How sophisticated. Japan certainly has no issues with lollies, panty vending machines and tentacle porn.
Cowboy TTop's Avatar
Cowboy TTop at 08/25/2008 18:05
I think he's pushing a very jaded japanese view of things. Don't forget, many japanese still think the U.K is all tea and crumpets.

This interview sound like he's not addressing the real problems in japanese games, for it is the other way around. Bare with me.

The west creates (Unreal 3 engine etc) and the japanese do little but the same, which in turn can destroy (Square and FF look stupid next to Mass Effect, while Mass Effect was flawed in places, Bioware tried to break new ground and take rpgs forward, while Square are not).

I don't see the japanese really innovating in 3d tech. And by his definition games like C&C, Sim City etc should sell a lot in japan.

Personally, I feel I enjoy all kinds of games, now more than ever, I can switch between what he classes as create and destroy games, and get just as much fun from either. As for the japanese gamers, I feel their tastes will also adjust in time and the 360 and MS will play a vital part in all that.

Just how are the sales of C&C in japan, anyway?
RWarrior1CO's Avatar
RWarrior1CO at 08/25/2008 19:59
It's pretty obvious if you look at the two biggest Japanese and North American franchises; Final Fantasy (and Dragon Quest) both involve lots of numbers, class customisation, item collection, questing, and general character management. Halo involves shooting the fuck out of everything in sight as a one man army.

Nonsense, those RPG's have you wipe out unnumbered hordes of monsters. The fact that your characters grow over time is fine and all, but it doesn't change the fact that they became more powerful by stepping over the dead bodies of legions of monster corpses.

Of course, most JRPG's just have the monsters disappear in kid-friendly flashes of light or smoke, or something, so it doesn't FEEL as gruesome as it actually ought to be.
Faust2814's Avatar
Faust2814 at 08/25/2008 20:01
It's too broad of a generalization in my opinion. At times I play aggressive games to wind down, but I also play games like Harvest Moon for the same reason. Regardless most games with supposed destruction in them that I've played were Japanese. Games Like Kuon, Silent Hill, Metal, etc..
Faust2814's Avatar
Faust2814 at 08/25/2008 20:02
Metal Gear**
Bus's Avatar
Bus at 08/25/2008 22:45
Why do we make generalizations like this? So we can actually say something sweeping that helps us understand things about the differences between groups of people. Generalizations are unfairly demonized but, as long as you remember their respective level of validity, there's nothing wrong with contemplating the widespread differences between people.

I think a lot of people jumped to the conclusion that the interviewee described the West as a bunch of crazy psychopathic destructive forces, hell bent on blowing the shit out of their enemies because we're just that crazy! His actual comments are far more low key.

An American developer could easily say that American games are a result of our interventionist mindset. That we can't stand by and let shit happen. We want to act. Not because we're some kind of heroes but because stuff like the rise of fundamentalism scares us. It scares Japan too but they're very isolationist by comparison and so they recoil back and build up walls around themselves to ward off the things that we deliberately confront. Years ago, before the World Wars, the situation was actually almost the opposite. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan was a tremendous shift in confidence for both sides. Neither solution is definitively better. They're just different.

Also important to remember, not all Japanese games are made for strictly their own people. Hence, we've all played Japanese games that had their fair share of going forth and slaughtering our enemies. And American games that focus more on creating stability by focusing inward.
Burnt Meatloaf's Avatar
Burnt Meatloaf at 08/26/2008 02:27
Think about this every time you stomp on a retarded turtle's head!
Murumasa123's Avatar
Murumasa123 at 08/26/2008 06:00
Depends really.
Love making stuff in games like building a house with items in the middle of half life 2. But build with intention to destroy mostly.
But it seems too muh of a sweeping sttement as the goryisr stuff iv seen has come outta japan.
zeroword's Avatar
zeroword at 08/26/2008 09:14
Let's not forget the Japanese obsession with Slavery in games like Pokemon, Digimon, etc....
prev next

Returning Dtoiders: login now to post a comment

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just Create an avatar now - it's fast and free: PLUS you also get your own gaming blog and begin posting stories and uploading videos in our open community area that may also appear on our home page. Sign up and we'll guide you through it, it's easy and 100% anonymous.




 Original Videos

 Reviews
Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack
Overlord II
Yosumin Live!
Let's Tap
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
View all Game Reviews

 Community blogs -   39780 Dtoiders!

This month's theme: Untapped Potential

New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide


 Originals

How Pokemon Red is blatantly better than Pokemon Blue











more original Destructoid stories



 Popular now more













Destructoid is:
Nick Chester
Editor-in-Chief
Jim Sterling
Reviews Editor
Dale North
News Editor
Hamza Aziz
Community Manager
Anthony Burch
Features Editor
Rey Gutierrez
Video editor & director
Niero
Founder, publisher
Letters to the editors
tips@destructoid.com
Associate Editors
Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
Brad Rice Jordan Devore
Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
Dyson Samit Sarkar
Contributors
Adam Dork
Ben Perlee
Daniel Lingen
Joseph Leray
Joe Burling
Mikey
Will Maddock
Stella Wong




get involved

register or login
post a blog
post a forum
enter a contest
discuss a review
contribute a news tip
write a guest editorial
support

new member's guide
login assistance
tech support
report abuse
email our editors
read our dev blog
nuclear crisis?
keep in touch

RSS feed
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Flickr
Game nights
Meet-ups
seriously

about us
advertising
terms of use
privacy policy
jobs at MM
buy our crap
our network

Tomopop
Japanator




Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
living the dream since March 16, 2006