Atari to Zelda: Japan's Videogames in Global Contexts

Atari to Zelda: Japan's Videogames in Global Contexts
ISBN-10
0262034395
ISBN-13
9780262034395
Category
Games & Activities
Pages
272
Language
English
Published
2016-04-08
Publisher
MIT Press
Author
Mia Consalvo

Description

The cross-cultural interactions of Japanese videogames and the West, from DIY localization by fans to corporate strategies of “Japaneseness.” In the early days of arcades and Nintendo, many players didn't recognize Japanese games as coming from Japan; they were simply new and interesting games to play. But since then, fans, media, and the games industry have thought further about the “Japaneseness” of particular games. Game developers try to decide whether a game's Japaneseness is a selling point or stumbling block; critics try to determine what elements in a game express its Japaneseness—cultural motifs or technical markers. Games were “localized,” subjected to sociocultural and technical tinkering. In this book, Mia Consalvo looks at what happens when Japanese games travel outside Japan, and how they are played, thought about, and transformed by individuals, companies, and groups in the West. Consalvo begins with players, first exploring North American players' interest in Japanese games (and Japanese culture in general) and then investigating players' DIY localization of games, in the form of ROM hacking and fan translating. She analyzes several Japanese games released in North America and looks in detail at the Japanese game company Square Enix. She examines indie and corporate localization work, and the rise of the professional culture broker. Finally, she compares different approaches to Japaneseness in games sold in the West and considers how Japanese games have influenced Western games developers. Her account reveals surprising cross-cultural interactions between Japanese games and Western game developers and players, between Japaneseness and the market.

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Ethics of Poker
    By Todd M. Furman

    ... deals made with a drunken person violate the informed consent rule and are immoral. how ... morally accountable for his action(s) if the action(s) 4.

  • Treading Through: 45 Years of Philippine Dance
    By Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz

    That body is whole because it is a thinking ( Mabel Todd's ) and conceptualizing body . ... Both processes have to deal with the idea of beauty in dance ...

  • We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics
    By Karen Schrier

    K. Schrier and D. Gibson (Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2010), pp. 239–261). 15. Becker, “Choosing and Using Games in the Classroom.” 16. For further information, see D. Simkins, “Assessing Video Games for Learning,” Learning, ...

  • Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games
    By Karen Collins

    Leonardo Music Journal 14 : 97-104 . Gibbs , M. R. , K. Hew , and G. Wadley . 2004. Social Translucence of the Xbox Live Voice Channel . In Entertainment Computing , ed . M. Rauterberg . 377–385 . Berlin : Springer - Verlag Gibson ...

  • A Parent's Guide to Video Games: A Practical Guide to Selecting and Managing Home Video Games
    By Jason Rich

    Production Staff Lead Editor : J. L. France Copy Editors : Cover Design : Irene , Alphonse & Manfred Additional Concepts One on One Graphics Carolyn Porter Page Design : Cover Credits DuckTalesTM and © 1991 The Disney Company .

  • Really Clever Crosswords 2
    By David Levinson Wilk

    C rossword lovers will welcome this second volume of clever, challenging puzzles by David Levinson Wilk.

  • Crosswords
    By David Levinson Wilk

    Fill the coffee cup, find a pencil, and grab a chair: it’s time to solve some crosswords! What a great way to take a break, relax, and give the brain a fun challenge, too.

  • Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond
    By David G. Schwartz

    Levinson was a prominent member of the Detroit - area “ gambling fraternity . ” He collaborated with Samuel Garfield , a Midwest betting and gambling operator and friend of Moe Dalitz.26 Levinson's two brothers , Mike and Louis ...

  • The Hogwarts Library Collection: The Complete Harry Potter Hogwarts Library Books
    By J.K. Rowling

    This collection includes the updated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with a new foreword from J.K. Rowling (writing as Newt Scamander) and six new beasts!

  • Bridge Strategy at Trick One
    By Fred L. Karpin

    21445-1 Paperbound $ 2.50 THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF Oz , L. Frank Baum . America's finest children's book in facsimile of first edition with all Denslow illustrations in full color . The edition a child should have .