MGS Creator: Japan Lacks Motivation

www.kotaku.com

A popular theme of late is how Japan has lost its edge. The country isn't where it should be. But, says one game developer, it isn't technology that is holding back Japan. It's ambition.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima expressed his opinion after watching a TV program on foreign students studying manga in Japan. He was impressed at how driven the foreign students were.

"The Game Industry is very similar," Kojima tweeted. "The West is very motivated. The younger generation of Japan is losing. The designers and to-be-designers in the West have the focus, ambition, and ability to make their dream become true. So it is not the Japanese technology or culture that is losing, we are lacking the motivation."

Kojima also notes that fewer and fewer Japanese studying are studying abroad. There just doesn't seem to be the gumption.

In the Post War Era, Japan had no shortage of get up and go. That generation rebuilt the country back up from burning rumble. Of course, Japan didn't do it alone, but the country did do it.

The next generation, likewise, worked hard and helped propel the country towards economic dominance. This generation was born after their war, and their parents had experienced the hardships firsthand.

The current generation was born during Japan's "Bubble Economy" and came of age during the country's "Lost Decade" of economy stagnation. Is it this generation that lacks motivation?

The Game Industry is very similar [Twitlonger via Twitter via Eurogamer] [Pic]

Interesting. Well it's not like there is any shortages of quality Japanese games but yeah it does seem they are less motivated compared to the previous two gens.Swift_Boss_A

I blame the Dragon Quest series. Developers see that you don't need any innovation and just stick to tired, tried-and-true mechanics for the Japanese audience.

Combine that with Japan's obsession in making weird looking humanoid beings with their boys and girls, and you've got a recipe for disaster with most people having different tastes than Japan's society.

I blame the Dragon Quest series. Developers see that you don't need any innovation and just stick to tired, tried-and-true mechanics for the Japanese audience.

Combine that with Japan's obsession in making weird looking humanoid beings with their boys and girls, and you've got a recipe for disaster with most people having different tastes than Japan's society.

thattotally

You're blaming the entire decline of the Japanese Video Game Industry on a single series? okay.

I thought we've known this for a long time, being asian myself, there are many things inside our culture that contradicts creativity, and encourages the following of a certain natural united order, an extremely conservative and elitist kind of thing. This is a philosophical matter. There are advantages to this way of thinking, but it is definitively flawed.

TBH, even before this generation, you'll see that the Japanese invents very little. They mostly borrow concepts, and then (greatly) improve on them (same case with video games). They "innovate" and "improve" way more than they "create". This isn't all that bad though. What we are seeing in the new generation is simply that fact that the young people have not experience much hardship in their lives, and they cannot fanthom some competitive survival instinct to motivate themselves compared to the post-war generation.

Not to mention how screwed their age pyramid is (most of the population is 40+).

All glory to the Kojima-toad!

Well, he's quite right. The west are constantly pushing themselves further. Games like Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2 are a testament to that. Best technical graphics?....we have Crysis. Gears of War literally defined most modern day TPS games.

Japanese games are mostly good for being addicting, not revolutionary, like Monster Hunter.

When you think about it, last year's GOTY at gamespot was Demon's Soul. A japanese game, but why was it GOTY? It was addicting, and hard. It didn't have the best graphics, it didn't have the most revolutionary gameplay, it didn't have exceptional presentation like Uncharted 2. People played it for the simple fact of getting addicted to it. The same kind of feeling you get when you play Diablo games.

There is an exception for Mario and MGS4 though. But MGS4 doesn't count because the maker of that game made that whole statement, implying that he isn't subjected to the same predicament most japanese developers are in.

Ultimately, western developers are constantly trying to push forward....to get more....to get better....from the same hardware. Japanese devs in general are just trying to produce the same old thing which worked. Let's face it, JRPGs didn't quite evolve for 15 years. Japanese action games are following the same old Devil May Cry 1 formula. No signs of changing are shown.

I think in a sense this might be true. Japan has the ability to get up and kick ass when they want to but it seems a lot of the companies and devs are content staying in a safe zone.

Hold on hold on. Before we go again by saying "he does have a point", lets consider everything that he is actually saying. I really dont have as much of a problem about him saying what he said about Japan (because ive never been there) but rather his praises of the West. What have we done??? We have stolen the technology, made profit off of it, and this is the type of ideology that he would praise more than his own country? And if Kojima sees a problem in Japan, then Kojima (being a highly regarded dev) needs to be part of the solution. And if Kojima want to blame someone,then heshould probably blame the generation before them who put that system in place.

Hold on hold on. Before we go again by saying "he does have a point", lets consider everything that he is actually saying. I really dont have as much of a problem about him saying what he said about Japan (because ive never been there) but rather his praises of the West. What have we done??? We have stolen the technology, made profit off of it, and this is the type of ideology that he would praise more than his own country? And if Kojima sees a problem in Japan, then Kojima (being a highly regarded dev) needs to be part of the solution. And if Kojima want to blame someone,then heshould probably blame the generation before them who put that system in place.

gaming25

Frankly he isn't talking about talent and tech, he's talking about motivation and drive to succeed. Do you honestly see that in the Japanese industry as a whole? I don't for the most part. Its depresseing reading an interview from Japanese devs that aren't nintendo and to some extent capcom. Its like they are doing a good job but thee is no passion.

[QUOTE="thattotally"]

I blame the Dragon Quest series. Developers see that you don't need any innovation and just stick to tired, tried-and-true mechanics for the Japanese audience.

Combine that with Japan's obsession in making weird looking humanoid beings with their boys and girls, and you've got a recipe for disaster with most people having different tastes than Japan's society.

Buckledant

You're blaming the entire decline of the Japanese Video Game Industry on a single series? okay.

But its not just some random series. Its Dragon Quest and isnt Dragon Quest just about the biggest game franchise in Japan. When a new DQ game is coming it is everywhere from TV to papers. Also I agree with that poster that DQ games show whats wrong with the game industry in Japan. I think another good example is the Pokemon series and I do not mean the off shoots which are nowhere near as popular s the main line of rpgs. Just like DQ, Pokemon has become a phenomenon while at the same time staying exactly the same through its many itterations. DQ is praised for how old school it is...but at this point after so many games it shouldnt be.

[QUOTE="gaming25"]

Hold on hold on. Before we go again by saying "he does have a point", lets consider everything that he is actually saying. I really dont have as much of a problem about him saying what he said about Japan (because ive never been there) but rather his praises of the West. What have we done??? We have stolen the technology, made profit off of it, and this is the type of ideology that he would praise more than his own country? And if Kojima sees a problem in Japan, then Kojima (being a highly regarded dev) needs to be part of the solution. And if Kojima want to blame someone,then heshould probably blame the generation before them who put that system in place.

ActicEdge

Frankly he isn't talking about talent and tech, he's talking about motivation and drive to succeed. Do you honestly see that in the Japanese industry as a whole? I don't for the most part. Its depresseing reading an interview from Japanese devs that aren't nintendo and to some extent capcom. Its like they are doing a good job but thee is no passion.

First of all lets stick to the games and lets not delve into a culture and language that we dont speak.

What about Demon Souls and Bayonetta???

But even more of a point, how many rip offs in America have weve seen in the gaming industry??? CMON PEOPLE this is the same country that has overly milked genres and has many FPS games that it is not even funny. When GTA came out, other devs stole that idea, when Need For Speed Underground came out, many devs took that idea, when GOW came out, now we have games that are labled as GOW drones. And please, dont get me started on how we have milked games.

I know that Japan might not be absolved of all the things he said, but this is something that many people who are foreign people (like Kojima) who look up to the west think, that somehow we dont do a lot of the same stuff that other countries are noted for doing. But thats totally wrong.

It's hard to exaclty gauge the motivation though. I still prefer Japanese games as a whole better than Western as a general preference. I don't really see Western devs being that motivated either, but the actual need for motivation is suspect. Staying safe isn't always bad.

[QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

[QUOTE="gaming25"]

Hold on hold on. Before we go again by saying "he does have a point", lets consider everything that he is actually saying. I really dont have as much of a problem about him saying what he said about Japan (because ive never been there) but rather his praises of the West. What have we done??? We have stolen the technology, made profit off of it, and this is the type of ideology that he would praise more than his own country? And if Kojima sees a problem in Japan, then Kojima (being a highly regarded dev) needs to be part of the solution. And if Kojima want to blame someone,then heshould probably blame the generation before them who put that system in place.

gaming25

Frankly he isn't talking about talent and tech, he's talking about motivation and drive to succeed. Do you honestly see that in the Japanese industry as a whole? I don't for the most part. Its depresseing reading an interview from Japanese devs that aren't nintendo and to some extent capcom. Its like they are doing a good job but thee is no passion.

First of all lets stick to the games and lets not delve into a culture and language that we dont speak.

What about Demon Souls and Bayonetta???

But even more of a point, how many rip offs in America have weve seen in the gaming industry??? CMON PEOPLE this is the same country that has overly milked genres and has many FPS games that it is not even funny. When GTA came out, other devs stole that idea, when Need For Speed Underground came out, many devs took that idea, when GOW came out, now we have games that are labled as GOW drones. And please, dont get me started on how we have milked games.

I know that Japan might not be absolved of all the things he said, but this is something that many people who are foreign people (like Kojima) who look up to the west think, that somehow we dont do a lot of the same stuff that other countries are noted for doing. But thats totally wrong.

Why? This has nothing to do with game quality and ability and everything to do with motivation. That's what Kojima said, that's what I will discuss. And really, please, I don't need to speak Japanese and be Japanese to know that when I read a Japanese interview, I get the impression that the devs aren't very pasionate about their work.

Frankly pointing out milking and clones in America doesn't help your point. In last weeks Famitsu Square Enix announced a Monster Hunter clone, Namco Bandai has a Monster Hunter clone, Phantasy Star Prtable was leeching off of Monster hunters success. How many games try to be Final fantasy in Japan? How many clones of popular RPGs do we constantly see? People try to leech success, that's just business frankly. From Mario clones, to Street Fighter clones, to Halo clones, that's just how it works.

Really, I have a whole set of problems with Japan's industry in games, (well granted I have a problem with just about everything in the game industry) but realistically, if you look at Japan's output this gen, you look at the West's output and you read some interviews, what he is saying doesn't seem too off. Obviously its one perspective and I'm sure there are others but nothing he has said to me seems outta place.

I blame the Dragon Quest series. Developers see that you don't need any innovation and just stick to tired, tried-and-true mechanics for the Japanese audience.

Combine that with Japan's obsession in making weird looking humanoid beings with their boys and girls, and you've got a recipe for disaster with most people having different tastes than Japan's society.

thattotally

I think you're going to be suprised when Dragon Quest IX hits the shelves.

who needs motivation in Japan when financial success is one Cooking mama away?