Arrested (Japanese) Development

I have a few ideas why the Japanese developers are struggling maintaning their grasp on the industry and the audience.  I'm not claiming I'm right and I encourage debate, so don't be all hateful and stuff, ok? 

Here I'm gonna cover one factor where Japanese developed games always dominated in the past:  Graphics.

This used to be the driving factor for most games.  Who could make what game look better than it's competition.  Each system offered more memory which meant better graphics.  This went on for years, but has sorta died down in this generation.  It used to be we looked to the Metal Gears and such to set the standard for graphics.  Gran Turismo's and the like helped make games a little more believable with each iteration.  I just think this is less of a factor today, considering the amazing graphics all of the systems can pump out.  I constantly hear gamers complaining about everything being brown and gray with games these days, and I agree with some of that.  I see games that look crisp and clear and things that would be shiny in real life are shiny in games.  I see things that look rough and course look the same in games these days.  Translation:  They all basically look the same, but in a GOOD way. 

Some games have more DETAIL than others.  This is true, no doubt.  Games like Gears of War and LittleBigPlanet stand out for their polish and amount of details in the game, but none of them are really making people stop and say "wow" anymore. 

Bigger concerns I hear about these days include load times, control issues, or game length, just to name a few.  These things are a universal complaint, no matter what system or genre, I see these same things popping up.  Have we moved past simple eye candy?  Are gamers overall actually starting to dig a little deeper under the surface and wanting better quality as well as wanting the big "S" ?  Story?

Well, tell me what you think.

It's late.  I'ma continue this later.


Wesman

I have a few ideas why the Japanese developers are struggling maintaning their grasp on the industry and the audience.  I'm not claiming I'm right and I encourage debate, so don't be all hateful and stuff, ok? 

Here I'm gonna cover one factor where Japanese developed games always dominated in the past:  Graphics.

This used to be the driving factor for most games.  Who could make what game look better than it's competition.  Each system offered more memory which meant better graphics.  This went on for years, but has sorta died down in this generation.  It used to be we looked to the Metal Gears and such to set the standard for graphics.  Gran Turismo's and the like helped make games a little more believable with each iteration.  I just think this is less of a factor today, considering the amazing graphics all of the systems can pump out.  I constantly hear gamers complaining about everything being brown and gray with games these days, and I agree with some of that.  I see games that look crisp and clear and things that would be shiny in real life are shiny in games.  I see things that look rough and course look the same in games these days.  Translation:  They all basically look the same, but in a GOOD way. 

Some games have more DETAIL than others.  This is true, no doubt.  Games like Gears of War and LittleBigPlanet stand out for their polish and amount of details in the game, but none of them are really making people stop and say "wow" anymore. 

Bigger concerns I hear about these days include load times, control issues, or game length, just to name a few.  These things are a universal complaint, no matter what system or genre, I see these same things popping up.  Have we moved past simple eye candy?  Are gamers overall actually starting to dig a little deeper under the surface and wanting better quality as well as wanting the big "S" ?  Story?

Well, tell me what you think.

It's late.  I'ma continue this later.


Wesman

The lack of graphics being a central component or issue, in comparison to the "Playstation/early Playstation 2" era is most certainly one part of the problem for Japanese developers. But it works both ways. When Killzone 2 threw up those pre-rendered videos for it's initial trailer, or the first time you saw a picture of Doom 3 in a gaming magazine, that threshold of impression still exists. It's just far more subtle. Our tastes for what is qualified as "good graphics" have matured as well. It's not that it "just looks good", but it also needs to look different and visually appealing. (See Prince of Persia.)

There's some big reasons why Japan isn't currently #1. The first one is pretty obvious: Microsoft.
There was (in my opinion.) also a strong climate of not wishing to change or take risks from a game play standpoint. This seems to be changing quite dramatically as of late.

Also, western developers simply just got better. There's a ton of money and interest for making games over here compared to a decade ago: We teach gaming degree's now for god sake. It's not just a technical change, but a social one as well. Don't count Japan out though. Square still owns half the planet (even with there recent financial issues.), Level-5 and Mistwalker are taking JRPG's to the moon and back. Capcom is learning a ton from western studios. Hell, they're even letting Grin make Bionic Commando. Did I mention Kojima? The guy that can put the entire internet on edge for the announcement of a cell phone game?!  Yeesh!
 

Personally, I go for story about 90% of the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll always love the LittleBigPlanet's, the Burnouts, the games that focus on gameplay without even attempting to breach the barrier of plot, but they certainly aren't where the majority of my money goes. So, I personally go for plot, but recently I've been considering that that's because that's how I entered gaming. My first real video-game experience was actually Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, so ever since I was inducted into the hall of interactive media, it's been interactive media that retains the heavy level of storytelling that could be compared to a movie or a novel.

In terms of others who play video-games...well, it's unfair for me to speak for them all, but I can certainly point out my observations. Video-game players and those who stringently follow development cycles or engage in related communities are still as much of a niche concept as they ever were. Obviously, the casual gamer won't be looking for the most graphically impressive since MGS4 or Gears 2, so they're obsolete in terms of this equation. So we're left with this niche and although comments will still avidly be passed regarding how lush graphics or textures may look, most of the remarks made nowadays are actually criticisms of the browns and greys being all too commonplace.

The formats of reviews vary but I remember 5 years ago, every publication and their dog would include a generic 'Graphics %', a 'Sound %', 'Gameplay %', etc. Recently, however, reviews have begun to take up the more balanced layout of a standard article, more akin to what you would likely find in a film magazine. Sure, they're often littered with extra paragraphs next to the pictures which point out something specific, but the very notion that formats aren't being dictated by the a chart underneath the text pointing out specific areas goes to show an evolution in the way these reviews are written.
Publications follow a specific pattern, which is that they are customised to the tastes of their readers, so this evolution in reviews' writing and layouts is in itself a reflection of our tastes as a niche audience. Obviously, not specifically my tastes or yours but the concensus reached by our culture as a whole.
Some could argue that the readers are in fact changing their tastes based on what publications produce, but by and large, I feel this is sort of weak and only serves to take the argument in a roundabout direction.

An aside would be for me to mention how graphics do seem to be playing a decreased part of our appreciation of games. Look at the excessive success which has been Xbox Live Arcade...many of the games available for purchase are inherently weak when compared graphically to the latest blockbuster hyper-shooter by Hideo Blezinski but despite that, the people who have been buying them have been acknowledging the fun-factor of the games and taking them for what they are. Appreciating the, admittedly limited, gameplay and in some cases even the plots of such games has over-ridden the urge to buy the next big thing that will look great on your 79" HD LCD TV (w/ Freeview).

So in short, I think gamers are beginning to see that there's more to a game than graphics. I can only speculate as to why...perhaps graphics are simply hitting their peak and we've all subconciously realised this? And I think it's naive to consider that people are only abandoning their crusader like attitude of graphics in favour of simply story. As niche an audience as video game players are, we're still pretty varied. Some will be attracted to story and plot, some will consider the games themselves artforms and some will be driven by the mechanics or gameplay elements of the game.
And maybe, just maybe, there were some out there who never really cared too much about the graphics to begin with.

P.S. I totes did not mean to write this much...I give you kudos, Wesman for providing such food-for-thought. I feel as though I was starving and you served me a 9 course meal ^_^