2 ‘For Japan Only?’ Crossing and Re-inscribing Boundaries in the Circulation of Adult Computer Games
-
Patrick W. Galbraith
Abstract
This chapter considers how and why ‘Japan’ comes to matter in the circulation of games in a globalised world. This may seem counterintuitive. As media scholar Mia Consalvo argues, computer/console games appear to be a ‘global’ and ‘hybrid culture’ (Consalvo, 2006: 117). However, Consalvo also highlights the substantial influence of Japanese hardware companies such as Nintendo and Sony and of Japanese franchises such as Super Mario Bros and Final Fantasy on the global gaming industry and culture. That is, Japan is already part of a global and hybrid gaming industry and culture; content produced in Japan is not typically labelled as ‘foreign’ or ‘Japanese’, which is remarkable in comparison to, for example, manga (comics from Japan) and anime (cartoons from Japan). Furthermore, Consalvo (2006: 120) draws attention to the fact that localisation and a softening of what is perceived as ‘too foreign’ aids in the circulation of content produced in Japan (see also Allison, 2006). All of this is to suggest that perhaps ‘Japan’ does not matter as an organising category in the mainstream global gaming market, even though companies headquartered in Japan have helped shape that market and still deeply impact it.
This de-emphasising of Japan is not, however, common in discussions of adult computer games. On the contrary, many insist that these games, which range from simulated conversation to explicit sex with manga/anime-style characters, are somehow distinctively ‘Japanese’. In her monograph on games and globalisation, Consalvo herself almost appears to agree, but then suggests that the putative ‘Japaneseness’ of these games might be better understood in terms of ‘the contexts of their production’ (Consalvo, 2016: 74).
Abstract
This chapter considers how and why ‘Japan’ comes to matter in the circulation of games in a globalised world. This may seem counterintuitive. As media scholar Mia Consalvo argues, computer/console games appear to be a ‘global’ and ‘hybrid culture’ (Consalvo, 2006: 117). However, Consalvo also highlights the substantial influence of Japanese hardware companies such as Nintendo and Sony and of Japanese franchises such as Super Mario Bros and Final Fantasy on the global gaming industry and culture. That is, Japan is already part of a global and hybrid gaming industry and culture; content produced in Japan is not typically labelled as ‘foreign’ or ‘Japanese’, which is remarkable in comparison to, for example, manga (comics from Japan) and anime (cartoons from Japan). Furthermore, Consalvo (2006: 120) draws attention to the fact that localisation and a softening of what is perceived as ‘too foreign’ aids in the circulation of content produced in Japan (see also Allison, 2006). All of this is to suggest that perhaps ‘Japan’ does not matter as an organising category in the mainstream global gaming market, even though companies headquartered in Japan have helped shape that market and still deeply impact it.
This de-emphasising of Japan is not, however, common in discussions of adult computer games. On the contrary, many insist that these games, which range from simulated conversation to explicit sex with manga/anime-style characters, are somehow distinctively ‘Japanese’. In her monograph on games and globalisation, Consalvo herself almost appears to agree, but then suggests that the putative ‘Japaneseness’ of these games might be better understood in terms of ‘the contexts of their production’ (Consalvo, 2016: 74).
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Figures and Tables v
- Notes on Contributors and Editors vii
- Foreword 1: Media for Work and Play in a Pandemic World xi
- Foreword 2: The Development of Information and Communication Technologies in South Korea after World War II xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Gender Online and Digital Sex
- Introduction to Part I 39
- Sharing, Selling, Striving: The Gendered Labour of Female Social Entrepreneurship in South Korea 47
- ‘For Japan Only?’ Crossing and Re-inscribing Boundaries in the Circulation of Adult Computer Games 73
-
Governance and Regulations
- Introduction to Part II 97
- The New Personal Data Protection in Japan: Is It Enough? 101
- Phenomena and Phobia through Pokémon GO: An Analysis of the Reactions on the Augmented Reality Game in Japan 121
- How do Materiality and Corporeality Inform the Intellectual Property Debate? A Case Study of Pirated Media in North Korea 145
- Hyperreal Peninsula: North Korea’s Nuclear Cinema and South Korea’s Digital Revolution 173
-
Techno-identity and Digital Labour Condition
- Introduction to Part III 199
- ‘Too Many Koreans’: Esports Biopower and South Korean Gaming Infrastructure 205
- South Korea’s Esports Industry in Northeast Asia: History, Ecosystem and Digital Labour 229
- Representations of Play: Pachinko in Popular Media 249
- The Work of Care in the Age of Feeling Machines 265
- Conclusion 283
- Index 293
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Figures and Tables v
- Notes on Contributors and Editors vii
- Foreword 1: Media for Work and Play in a Pandemic World xi
- Foreword 2: The Development of Information and Communication Technologies in South Korea after World War II xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Gender Online and Digital Sex
- Introduction to Part I 39
- Sharing, Selling, Striving: The Gendered Labour of Female Social Entrepreneurship in South Korea 47
- ‘For Japan Only?’ Crossing and Re-inscribing Boundaries in the Circulation of Adult Computer Games 73
-
Governance and Regulations
- Introduction to Part II 97
- The New Personal Data Protection in Japan: Is It Enough? 101
- Phenomena and Phobia through Pokémon GO: An Analysis of the Reactions on the Augmented Reality Game in Japan 121
- How do Materiality and Corporeality Inform the Intellectual Property Debate? A Case Study of Pirated Media in North Korea 145
- Hyperreal Peninsula: North Korea’s Nuclear Cinema and South Korea’s Digital Revolution 173
-
Techno-identity and Digital Labour Condition
- Introduction to Part III 199
- ‘Too Many Koreans’: Esports Biopower and South Korean Gaming Infrastructure 205
- South Korea’s Esports Industry in Northeast Asia: History, Ecosystem and Digital Labour 229
- Representations of Play: Pachinko in Popular Media 249
- The Work of Care in the Age of Feeling Machines 265
- Conclusion 283
- Index 293
