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[German Hops]

Here's the deal: I am working on a research paper that is analyzing the differences between why Americans buy tons of Japanese games, versus why the Japanese don't seem to buy that many American games at all.

So, I have a questionnaire, and if you think of a better question to the ones that I have posted, please let me know. You don't HAVE to answer every question, but it would help.
Thanks in advance to all!

Questions:

-Where are you from?

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?

-How old are you?

-What are some of your favorite games?

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?

-What gaming platforms do you have?

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?

 

[Danjin44]

- Canada/Edmonton
- I'm simply like games, I dont know I would call myself hardcore or casual
- 35
- Nier/Drakengard series Xenoblade series, I like Vanillaware games like 13 Sentinels, Muramasa and Odin Sphere, like actions games like Bayonetta, survivor Horror games like RE, SH and Siren games and like turn based RPGs like DQ, SMT/Persona and FF games and Strategy games Tactic Ogre, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy tactics and point & click adventures like Zero escape series, Ace Attorney and AI: The Somnium Files.
- One thing i like about Japanese games compare to western games is they are not afraid to be "gamey" and even embrace it, western game other hand trying very hard to be immersive and realistic and willing sacrifice control and combat to archive that.
- I never lived in Japan so cant really say I prefer it but I would say nice place for vacation.
- System I currently game on PS5 and Switch.
- I have no idea, but I would say they much prefer high fantasy over realism which western games go for most of the time.

 

[64bitmodels]

Canada/Edmonton

'The nicest person on this forum'
It all makes sense now

 

[Danjin44]

'The nicest person on this forum'
It all makes sense now

 

[AJUMP23]

Seems like a scam.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

why Americans buy tons of Japanese games, versus why the Japanese don't seem to buy that many American games at all.

Women in american games are men. Also, no waifus.

 

[Kuranghi]

- Canada/Edmonton
- I'm simply like games, I dont know I would call myself hardcore or casual
- 35
- Nier/Drakengard series Xenoblade series, I like Vanillaware games like 13 Sentinels, Muramasa and Odin Sphere, like actions games like Bayonetta, survivor Horror games like RE, SH and Siren games and like turn based RPGs like DQ, SMT/Persona and FF games and Strategy games Tactic Ogre, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy tactics and point & click adventures like Zero escape series, Ace Attorney and AI: The Somnium Files.
- One thing i like about Japanese games compare to western games is they are not afraid to be "gamey" and even embrace it, western game other hand trying very hard to be immersive and realistic and willing sacrifice control and combat to archive that.
- I never lived in Japan so cant really say I prefer it but I would say nice play for vacation.
- System I currently game on PS5 and Switch.
- I have no idea, but I would say much prefer high fantasy over realism which western games go for most of the time.

 

[LazyParrot]

why Americans buy tons of Japanese games, versus why the Japanese don't seem to buy that many American games at all.

I know it's anecdotal evidence and all, but I've been to Japan, and I got the impression that a lot of Japanese gamers straight up don't know about most Western games at all, or don't care about them if they do. Even some of the people I met who claimed to like them didn't actually play them because they felt they were too complicated or difficult to understand - they just watched playthroughs on Youtube. There are some exceptions, but as far as I can tell it's mostly multiplayer games like Apex Legends.

In any case, if you're actually serious about this you should be reaching out to the Japanese themselves, which can be a bit problematic without native help, since anyone who knows enough English to find and answer a survey like this likely won't be representative of the average Japanese gamer.

 

[jshackles]

I know it's anecdotal evidence and all, but I've been to Japan, and I got the impression that a lot of Japanese gamers straight up don't know about most Western games at all

But.. but... all that marketing

 

[64bitmodels]

-Where are you from?

Georgia, USA.

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?

.... Hardcore, i guess? If casual means playing mobile games and mainstream stuff.

-How old are you?

17

-What are some of your favorite games?

Cave Story, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Resident Evil 4... There's also some western titles like A Hat in Time, Celeste, and Grand Theft Auto IV

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)

When I think of Japanese games, I think of vividly weird, wacky ones like Katamari Damacy. But this also includes a lot of the anime style stuff like Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy
When I think of Western games, I think of indies like Minecraft and Celeste, AAA like Call of Duty and God of War, and everything inbetween

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?

Like Danjin44 said, Japanese games tend to avoid that realistic cinematic feel many western games strive for (there are exceptions like resident evil and Metal Gear Solid)
unlike him though i feel this can aid quite a few games, Like Max Payne for example which would never have gotten as far as it did if it weren't for the bullet time mechanic and film noir aesthetic.
Plus, the focus on realism leads to more accurate and interesting gameplay in some cases, like how Splinter Cell has far superior stealth gameplay and visuals to MGS even if MGS has the superior story.
Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but the cinematic, realistic feel can honestly kill some games for me like God of War 2018. Where inbetween the fun combat were just cutscenes and cutscenes of a story i frankly could not really care about
Meanwhile Japanese games can never be 'too' gamey because at the end of the day the medium we are enjoying and consuming is of course video games.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?

Japanese. However, this has more to do with the fact I haven't played many western games until quite recently, most of my favorite games are Japan made as well. And my opinion is rapidly changing. Some of the most unique, amazing experiences i've had in gaming, Celeste, OMORI, Max Payne, Undertale, Halo, Portal, Trackmania, Ratchet & Clank, Spiderman, TF2.... they all originate from western countries. And then there's Sonic 3 & Knuckles which is a weird one because Sonic is owned by a Japanese company but a lot of the older games were made in Sega of America LOL

-What gaming platforms do you have?

PC, Xbox, Switch.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?

Not too sure about that but I'd say not. They don't know about many of them for one, and even if they did Japan is very nationalistic so I'm sure they'd be more preferential towards their country's creations.
The creators clearly respect the west though, judging by how westernized many Japanese franchises have become

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

nope

 

[Fbh]

Jesus let's just get it over with:
Master Card
4565 9845 9846 9546
12/25 448

Spoiler

-Where are you from?
Chile

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?
Hardcore I guess? Don't really like the term

-How old are you?
31

-What are some of your favorite games?
Souls franchise, Nier, Outer Wilds, Chrono Trigger, Shadow of the Colossus, Bayonetta, lots of older JRPG's, God of War, Witcher 3, Hollow Knight, Wonderful 101, etc

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)
-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
I'm going to combine these two questions. At least in the AAA space I often think American/Western games tend to focus more on presentation and graphics while Japanese games focus more on gameplay (though of course there are exceptions on both sides). As Danjin44 mentioned I also think Japanese games aren't afraid to be more gamey while a lot of the western industry is focused on realism.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
Overall I definitely prefer Japanese games, I just think they are more fun to play

-What gaming platforms do you have?
Ps5, Switch, dated PC and a bunch of older stuff

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?
I don't think they disrespect them, I just think they largely don't really appeal to them.

 

[Mattdaddy]

-Where are you from? Oklahoma, USA

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? Probably hardcore. I game almost everyday.

-How old are you? 37

-What are some of your favorite games? Witcher 3 is all time fave, then Mass Effect, Total Warhammer, Elden Ring / Souls, Warzone, Battlefield, Ghost Recon, Warcraft, X-COM

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa) Japanese - I immediately think of something that looks like anime even if its not always true. American - I immediately think of something that looks like Gears of War even if its not always true

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games? Not sure, I guess Japanese games might have more of that highly stylized feel. Not afraid to go nuts with more wild character designs, sexy character models, flashy combat, etc. American games are probably a little more grounded with their design, but the devs are also playing scared trying not to piss off the twitter mob.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why? Not really, Ill play a game from anywhere if its my style

-What gaming platforms do you have? 4090 God-King PC. Previously PS5 and Series X but sold them so my friends know I couldnt even stand to be seen gaming with them anymore after my PC ascension.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? No idea lol. Probably not, probably think it's all casual CoD style meathead gaming. No idea why I think this. Edit - actually guy above said it better. I don't think its disrespect as much as just not their style at all.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

-Where are you from?

Melbourne, Australia. Lived all over the world though, NY, LA, Singapore, Uk.

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?

Both at times.

-How old are you?

Mid forties.

-What are some of your favorite games?

FPS, platformers, scfi-fi, party games, lite-RPG, arcade.

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?

Too many indulgences to the extreme in Japanese games, over the top cuteness or explicitness or tedious game mechanics etc. In areas of optimisation and math etc I find the output from Japan technically superior in things like graphics or rendering or lighting etc. American games are far too eclectic to generally categorise anymore, same goes for Euro games I suppose.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?

Western games generally, being a westerner.

-What gaming platforms do you have?

Pretty much all of them at one time or another with the exception of Sony outside of PS1/2.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?

Somewhat, generationally speaking I think Japan will support more games outside of that very Japanese culture. Respect, yes. Comrade/Nakama, no.

 

[Amiga]

-Where are you from?
Saudi Arabia

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?
Hardcore passion for gaming. Average skill

-How old are you?

41

-What are some of your favorite games?
Chrono Trigger
Street Fighter
Mega Man
Baldur's Gate
Destiny
Metal Gear
Battlefield
Returnal
NiOh
Uncharted

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)
Japanese : good creatively, bad game engines. American is opposite.

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
American developers have little talent in art. Japanese developers have little talent in programing.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
Both make good/bad games.

-What gaming platforms do you have?
PS5/Switch

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?
Respect? yes. like? not so much. Why? I think because the Japanese have tons of local content in different mediums that connects with them. An import needs to be something special, no time for average.

 

[64bitmodels]

Too many indulgences to the extreme in Japanese games, over the top cuteness or explicitness or tedious game mechanics etc.

that's actually a great point... Japanese games tend to overindulge for the sake of pandering to their audience or even just the creator... while american games focus too much on how other people will percieve their game and how to make it as likeable to the largest audience possible

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

that's actually a great point... Japanese games tend to overindulge for the sake of pandering to their audience or even just the creator... while american games focus too much on how other people will percieve their game and how to make it as likeable to the audience

Even the game development has this sort of extreme focus and work effort on perhaps one or two core engine features or game mechanics, they sort of hyper develop or design aspects to really give the game or character or engine output an identity. I'm not saying it's bad or good inherently but for my personal tastes it often creates a lofty high-highs and low-lows quality variance. American games are a little more "even with each resource" distribution, in terms of what we the gamers experience in the game itself.

 

[Scotty W]

I live in Japan.

The reason most Japanese gamers are not interested in foreign games is because for most of them Japan is the whole earth, the stuff outside is a curiosity. Not for all, but most. A lot of Asian countries are like this.

 

[Beechos]

Where are you from?
United states

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? Inbetween been gaming since the 80s as i get older have less time to play.

-How old are you?
42
-What are some of your favorite games?
God of war series, heroes of might and might series, diablo series, batman arkham series, prey, sports, fps with good campaigns, final fatasy 5-7, chrono trigger, power stone. Too many to name.
-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)
Games that dont take themselves too seriously with b movie like story qualities. More cartoony/anime artsyle vs more realistic
-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
Same as above
-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
No a good game is a good game
-What gaming platforms do you have?
All modern ones from nes to current
-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?
No they prob think of us as all cod bros.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

-Where are you from? - SOUTH AFRICA

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? - CASUAL THESE DAYS

-How old are you? - MORGAN FREEMAN OLD

-What are some of your favorite games? - THE DIVISION 2, LAST OF US 2, DAYS GONE

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa) - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games? - SEE ABOVE

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why? - NO PREFERENCE

-What gaming platforms do you have? - PS4 (DEAD - RIP), GAMING PC (ALIVE)

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[R6Rider]

-Where are you from? US (Illinois)

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? Hardcore

-How old are you? 30

-What are some of your favorite games? Morrowind, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Hitman

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa) Long tutorials

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games? Differences are based on genres in most cases.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why? No, I don't care what country a game is from.

-What gaming platforms do you have? Series X, PS5, Switch, PC

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? Most do I think

 

[Aion002]

São Paulo - Brazil.

I like playing games more than most things so...

35 years old.

Souls games, Resident Evil, Civilization, Age of Empires, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear and so many others.

Broadly:
Japanese games = great gameplay.
American games = lots of stuff.

Nope.

All Playstations (minus 5, waiting for a smaller version), Series S and PC.

Probably... I don't know.

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

-Where are you from?

Brookyn, NY

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?

Very

-How old are you?
28

-What are some of your favorite games?

Elden ring
DS3
Bloodborne
Inside
Soma
Hollow Knight

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)

Japanese games are JRPGs usually, and they prefer massive lore which can be at times convoluted due to how far reaching it is. American stories usually are smaller character stories that lack a bit in lore department.

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
Budget for one, american games seem to have much larger budgets on average. Gameplay seems to be more of a focus for the most popular JRPG games but american games excel in world design where japanese games seem to scale down on size and focus on berth of content.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
American games tend to be a bit more approachable.

-What gaming platforms do you have?
All of them.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?

Not really, they seem to be happy with their jrpgs and mobile based games. Cinematic experiences or story driven WRPGs just don't seem up their alley.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Good try FEDS/IRS

 

[Topher]

-Where are you from?

Born in New Orleans. Living in Atlanta, Georgia area in the US.

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?

Not casual, but not really sure what a "hardcore gamer" really is.

-How old are you?

52

-What are some of your favorite games?

TLOU, TLOU, Starcraft, MGS series. Uncharted series, Doom

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)

Japanese games are probably more distinctive than games from other regions. Style, mechanics, etc.

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?

JRPGs tend to be more complex

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?

Not really

-What gaming platforms do you have?

PC/Steam Deck, PS5, XSX, Switch

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?

I really don't know

 

[bender]

-Where are you from? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-How old are you? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-What are some of your favorite games? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa) Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-What gaming platforms do you have? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans? Hey sexy momma, want to kill all humans?

 

[jigglet]

OP this is what happens when you wait until the final day before starting on your research paper. Just make up the numbers, your professor will never know.

 

[abstract alien]

-Where are you from?
Texas

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?
Hardcore

-How old are you?
42

-What are some of your favorite games?
Metroids, MGS', Street Fighters, Zeldas, Mario's, REmake, Viewtiful Joe

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)
In general, gamey games vs Cinematic games.

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
Style vs Function

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
Nah. I love good games and don't care where they come from.

-What gaming platforms do you have?
Currently PS5 and Switch.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? *shrugs*

 

[Crayon]

-Where are you from?
ca, usa

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer?
hurdcurr

-How old are you?
41

-What are some of your favorite games?
Tekken, Botw, Mechwarrior 2, Mario 64, Skyrim, Demons Souls

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa)
Games seemed to be from japan by default. My family got a computer when I was 11 or so and the (western) dos games were fantastic. A little later, the ps1 came out and ran all through my high school days. It had a mix of japanese and western games.

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games?
I expect better control from japanese games. Not necessarily gameplay but control feel. Also, better music. When I think of the best western games, i think of the ones I like as more complex than the japanese games I like.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why?
I suppose japanese. Leaning very slightly.

-What gaming platforms do you have?
Switch, PS5, soon psvr2, linux pcs, many older consoles. And a lynx.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not?
Given most wouldn't have first hand experience then the nice ones probably respect and the mean ones don't.

 

[Drizzlehell]

nope

It was really necessary to post this.

 

[3liteDragon]

- Canada/Edmonton

 

[Bakkus]

-Where are you from? Norway

-Do you consider yourself a casual or hardcore gamer? Under the definition you have in mind: Absolutely definitely hardcore.

-How old are you? 27, soon 28.

-What are some of your favorite games? Paper Mario: TTYD, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Chrono Trigger, Kid Icarus: Uprising. If you're asking what my favorite western games are then Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing and Portal 1 & 2, but none of them would make a top 10 list

-What do you think of when you think of Japanese games, as compared to American ones? (and vice versa) That's a very loaded question, there's no generalizing binary thought to be had here. There is a lot of overlap design wise. There are games on both sides which act more the other way around

-What are some of the differences between the two types of games? On average? Well, I don't think there are any Japanese games which have those annoying 'stop and wait to listen to dialogue' that American AAA games are so filled up with now. Japanese games also have on average far more memorable soundtracks wheras western games tries to mimic movie soundtracks in how grandiose it sounds which almost always just falls flat in my ears. Western games often also goes way to hard on 'realism' in that the movement of the characters feels so slow and boring which I don't like. There are countless other things, but those are just some. There are of course exceptions, but let me just repeat 'on average' a third time before I get dogpiled.

-Do you prefer one country's games over another? Why? I do for certain reasons already described.

-What gaming platforms do you have? All of them. The last console release I don't own is the Dreamcast. I also own several more retro consoles like SNES, N64, Genesis SEGA CD, Saturn, and of course a good gaming PC.

-Do you think that Japanese gamers respect American games? Why or why not? I honestly have very little idea. I have rarely heard Japanese developers talk about western games. Sakurai has a few times on his Youtube channel, and he seems to have some respect. Other than that, I can't think of any.