Modern Japanese Storytelling
My first introduction to Japanese Storytelling and the Industry of video games was this:
Long ago, our family was visiting an acquaintance of my parents and their son sat playing Super Mario Bros on one of the NES clones. Also, like with this video it was somebody else playing well while I sat gawking on. I remember asking him if I could play too. Amidst the wonder of watching the fingers of this guy while the red and brown image on the television danced to his commands (A jump B fire B also run) and the resentment of not being invited to play, there was a story I liked. I do not know whether it was a reflection of stories in the contemporary Indian Films, nevertheless I thought the story of the game I had just seen could make a hit movie.
Years later, I got an internship in Tokyo. So amidst learning to eat with chop sticks I decided to watch some Japanese movies to gain a cultural appreciation.We were surprised that the only non-Kurosawa non-anime one to be found in Ahmadabad was Zatôichi. Modern Japanese cinema seemed mainly to be Anime : 10 frames per second, obnoxious,big eyes, pointy hair cartoons for most of us and high art for those select few who always exist in any hostel. So it was a big surprise when I reached Japan and saw people drooling over Manga .I was also introduced to:
and
Over time I have been introduced to storytelling with complex motives and characters. ha com to realize that Anime Manga and the Japanese Games are the primary means of entertainment and thus the primary media of storytelling.Video games weren't originally intended to be a storytelling medium, specially given that most stories have predetermined outcomes and dramatic plot points that must be met along the way. However, notwithstanding the disaster Super Mario Bros. film became, Japanese games evolved along with their plots. Metroid Prime series let the player read and discover through items hidden throughout the environment .Japanese RPGs usually tend to place a greater emphasis on tightly orchestrated, linear narratives with elaborate cut-scenes fleshed out cast of characters and intense voice acting sacrificing the open-ended spirit of role-playing. It probably helped that most gaming in Japan happens on consoles and thus there was a Japan dominated medium.Most of the Japan's new rich owe their fortunes to gaming .Hayao Miyaaki, Hideo Kojima , Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yūji Horii are their biggest storytellers alive.
So this is what I believe; Modern Japanese story telling exists and will exist mainly in JRPGs and Manga. Given that most Indians cannot afford video games or comics’ subscriptions and overseas earnings are a big chunk of Hollywood, I do not see Indian and North American story telling moving away from movie predomination anytime soon.
I leave you with links to some great stories in recent Japanese games being played
Long ago, our family was visiting an acquaintance of my parents and their son sat playing Super Mario Bros on one of the NES clones. Also, like with this video it was somebody else playing well while I sat gawking on. I remember asking him if I could play too. Amidst the wonder of watching the fingers of this guy while the red and brown image on the television danced to his commands (A jump B fire B also run) and the resentment of not being invited to play, there was a story I liked. I do not know whether it was a reflection of stories in the contemporary Indian Films, nevertheless I thought the story of the game I had just seen could make a hit movie.
Years later, I got an internship in Tokyo. So amidst learning to eat with chop sticks I decided to watch some Japanese movies to gain a cultural appreciation.We were surprised that the only non-Kurosawa non-anime one to be found in Ahmadabad was Zatôichi. Modern Japanese cinema seemed mainly to be Anime : 10 frames per second, obnoxious,big eyes, pointy hair cartoons for most of us and high art for those select few who always exist in any hostel. So it was a big surprise when I reached Japan and saw people drooling over Manga .I was also introduced to:
and
Over time I have been introduced to storytelling with complex motives and characters. ha com to realize that Anime Manga and the Japanese Games are the primary means of entertainment and thus the primary media of storytelling.Video games weren't originally intended to be a storytelling medium, specially given that most stories have predetermined outcomes and dramatic plot points that must be met along the way. However, notwithstanding the disaster Super Mario Bros. film became, Japanese games evolved along with their plots. Metroid Prime series let the player read and discover through items hidden throughout the environment .Japanese RPGs usually tend to place a greater emphasis on tightly orchestrated, linear narratives with elaborate cut-scenes fleshed out cast of characters and intense voice acting sacrificing the open-ended spirit of role-playing. It probably helped that most gaming in Japan happens on consoles and thus there was a Japan dominated medium.Most of the Japan's new rich owe their fortunes to gaming .Hayao Miyaaki, Hideo Kojima , Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yūji Horii are their biggest storytellers alive.
So this is what I believe; Modern Japanese story telling exists and will exist mainly in JRPGs and Manga. Given that most Indians cannot afford video games or comics’ subscriptions and overseas earnings are a big chunk of Hollywood, I do not see Indian and North American story telling moving away from movie predomination anytime soon.
I leave you with links to some great stories in recent Japanese games being played
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