Game journalists are keen to always make the distinction between western and eastern games. This is because, in most cases, the mechanical and visual function of the two categories are opposed. Rarely, if ever, do the two influence each other. Beside the fact that the base gameplay is often different from games produced in the states, the artistic vision of Japan's games are vibrant and distinct, often taking cues from the japanese artwork and manga that came before.
My project will draw comparisons between these two parties of game development, and speculate on how the art direction in eastern gaming came to fruition. Furthermore, the ideologies of designers are often quite different one's in the west, bringing about new visions for their products beyond their look. It will be important that some element of the project focuses on the thoughts of the people who make these games, in addition to their final products.
Possible Sources:
"That Game Company Interview" Here
"Art in Service of Gameplay" Here
"Art Direction in Games is Rubbish" Here
"Interview with Nick Clark" Here
"NYCC Article" Here
Hey that'll be pretty cool, I know very little about gaming, let alone Japanese gaming but I'd be interested in reading about it and how both cultures illustrate things different with graphics and such
ReplyDeleteWow, that's looking pretty nice already. And who knew (from my generation, at least) that there were "game journalists"? When you are thinking about cultural difference between Japan and the West, you'll be on very interesting turf, as we saw in Laura Miller's writing on norms of beauty. Is there something that we can call "Japanese" in a supposedly (and perhaps actually in some respects) transnational culture? I'm really looking forward to your analysis, and perhaps your open questions.
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