Differences
between Western RPGs and Japanese RPGs
By Zhihao Xu
Role-Playing Games (RPGs) are one of the most popular kinds of video games in the world. The most attractive part of RPGs is that in the game world we can became a character that is completely different from ourselves. We can experience a different life, an exciting, fantastic life in a virtual world. After years of development, RPGs divided into two main types, Western RPGs and Japanese RPGs. We all know the differences between these two types of RPGs, but what we don’t know is when and how these differences were formed. This essay will explain how the formation of differences between Western RPGs and Japanese RPGs is affected by the respective differences in values, culture and social background of the host country.
First of all, the difference between Western and Japanese RPGs is affected by their different values. “Individualism is the basis for Western modernization, for why the West has dominated the rest of the world” (Macdonald, 2010). It advocates that different people should have different personality. Individualism has influenced western literature, filming making, entertainment, almost every aspect of western world. We can also be aware of these influences when we are playing a western RPG. In most western RPGs, “we” are just ourselves, and the roles we play are our avatars. Also, these avatars can be customized. We can name them freely; make them look like whatever we want, even look like ourselves. “The citizen of the United States is taught from infancy to rely upon his own exertions in order to resist the evils and the difficulties of life.”(Tocqueville, 1990). In a typical Western RPG like Grand Theft Auto or The Elder Scrolls, personal achievements are also emphasized, so what these avatars will become depends on the players. For example, in The Elder Scrolls, we can help villagers solve problems, protect the village from been attacked, and then become a hero everyone respects. We can also kill all the villagers, rob their money, burn the houses, and then become the demon everyone fears. Even if playing in the same game, everyone’s avatar is different, and everyone will have a different, unique experience. This is the most significant feature of Western RPGs.
“Japan
is one of the few countries which put great emphasis on collectivism”
(Macdonald, 2010). In contrast with Western countries, Japanese do not highly
advocate being unique. It can explain why Japanese attach importance to wearing
uniforms and business suits. Children start to wear school uniform since
primary school, and designs of uniform in Japanese schools almost all look the
same. Then, when they start working, they also have to wear business suits on
weekdays. In Japan, we can see that almost all the people look the same. This
value of collectivism is also brought into game making. Different from Western
RPGs, we cannot create an avatar that represents ourselves. Our roles have
specified names and looks. In Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest,
we cannot chose to become a bad guy or good guy. Who we will kill, what our
roles will go through has already been decided by the game developer.
Secondly, the
formation of differences between Western RPGs and Japanese RPGs is also
influenced by the respective differences in culture.
We all know that the Western World has a long, glorious historical from the
time of ancient Greece, the prosperity of Roman Empire, to Middle Ages and
Renaissance. In this long history, based on the Greek mythology, Homeric Hymns
and Norse mythology, Western World has developed a unique genre called
“Fantasy” or “the fantasy genre”. Fantasy is used as “a modern genre for all
themes and topic that contain supernatural, fabulous or magical aspects”
(Andreas, 2010). Today, almost all the settings and rules of Western RPGs are
based on the fantasy genre. However, Western RPGs not only imitated the setting
of Western Fantasy literature, but also the most important part of Western
culture- freedom. In Western RPGs process is more emphasized than results. Take
a famous Western RPG Baldur's Gate
for example. When our roles meet A, who was locked in a prison by B, we can
kill B to get the key, or try to persuade B to release A, and we can also
persuade B to kill A. Every choice we make will get a different result, and
finally will lead us to different endings. It is called “open ended games”.
Japan does
not have a long, glorious history as Western world, “the seclusion policy laid
out by Tokugawa government since 17th Century prevented Japan from being
influenced by the outside world for about 250 years” (Pyle, 2010). However,
under the influence of Western countries, Japan soon developed into a powerful
nation in the past 100 years, and now Japan is well known for its
high-technology. That can explain why the setting of most Japanese RPGs is in
the future and there are always some high-tech stuff like robot and spaceship
in these games. Still, Japanese people did not forget their history, in games;
they show their history to the world in another way, by mixing some traditional
Japanese culture symbols like samurai or ninja into a SF world. Like the Ninjia Gaiden, in this game our role is
a ninja while our enemies are robots.
In
addition, Manga culture also had big influenced on Japanese RPGs. Playing a
Japanese RPG is just like reading and experiencing a Manga story. If we compare
the storyline of a Western RPGs to a tree which has a lot of branches, then the
storyline of a Japanese RPG is just a pole. They don’t have “open ending”, all
we can do is following what the game maker had already arranged, let them show
us the story and the ending. Relative to Western
RPGs, the story of Japanese RPGs are always more intricate and fascinating.
Lastly, the
different social backgrounds also had a big influence on Japanese and Western
RPGs. Role-playing games have a long history and first appeared in Western
countries, “early RPGs were played on the table (called Tabletop RPGs), then with
the development of technology, Computer RPGs appeared in 1974” (Rise of RPGs, A
History, 2010). However, Western RPGs
are not suitable for both young and old .At that time, only programmers can use
computers. Besides, the huge world view and complicated rules are too difficult
for children. In Western countries, the core players of RPGs are people between
20 years and 40 years old. That is why many Western RPGs are AO rating games
(Adult Only) which include violence and sexual content.
However,
there is a completely different situation in Japan. After the baby boom in the
early 1970s, “in 1980, the population of children ages 0-14 had reached
27million (24 per cent of total)” (Japan Census Bureau, 2010). In order to meet
the increasing demand for children’s entertainment, engineers of Nintendo
planned to produce a game console which is suitable for both adults and
children. In 1983, Family Computer (FC) was released. It soon became the best-selling gaming console.
At that time, almost every child in Japan had a FC in their bedroom. Then, in
the late 1980s, the famous Japanese RPG Dragon
Quest was released on FC and endeared itself to children. It was the origin
of Japanese RPGs, Dragon Quest set
the standard for sequent Japanese RPGs until today.
Japanese
RPGs were designed for both children and adult，“and today about 84% of children
under 14 years old in Japan play RPGs”（Hori, 196），because
of that, in Japanese RPGs, too much
violence or sexual contain was forbidden. In order to make games cater for children,
developers of Japanese RPGs try to make everything cute in the game world.
Dragons in Western RPGs are always evil and horrible, but in Japanese RPGs,
dragons are cartoonized, they usually have big eyes, small wings and fat
bodies.
Both Japanese RPGs and Western RPGs are a part of each culture, and the differences between them reflected the respective differences in values and social background between Japan and Western Countries. However, because of the globalization, differences between Western countries and Japan are getting smaller and smaller. Today, Sushi has become one of the most popular kinds of food in Western Countries. In the mean time, Japanese people are starting consider Christmas as one of the most important Festivals. The same situation also happened in games, more and more element of Japanese RPGs was found in Western RPGs, and there are also more and more Westernizing Japanese games were released. “As time goes on the line differentiating what's "Western" and what's "Japanese" is getting blurrier.”(Dyer, 2012) more cosmopolitan RPGs which contain advantages of both Japanese RPGs and Western RPGs may appear in the near future. It is worth looking forward to.
Both Japanese RPGs and Western RPGs are a part of each culture, and the differences between them reflected the respective differences in values and social background between Japan and Western Countries. However, because of the globalization, differences between Western countries and Japan are getting smaller and smaller. Today, Sushi has become one of the most popular kinds of food in Western Countries. In the mean time, Japanese people are starting consider Christmas as one of the most important Festivals. The same situation also happened in games, more and more element of Japanese RPGs was found in Western RPGs, and there are also more and more Westernizing Japanese games were released. “As time goes on the line differentiating what's "Western" and what's "Japanese" is getting blurrier.”(Dyer, 2012) more cosmopolitan RPGs which contain advantages of both Japanese RPGs and Western RPGs may appear in the near future. It is worth looking forward to.
Work Cited
Andreas,
Link “30 years of Fantasy games a genre in the course of time”. Hardware. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.<http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,703092/30-years-of-Fantasy-games-A-genre-in-the-course-of-time/News/>
Dyer,
Mitch “The Westernization of Japanese Games.” Imagine Games Network.Web. 12 Jan. 2012.<http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/01/12/the-westernization-of-japanese-games>
Hori,
Hiroya. “User Marketing”. Famitsu Game
Hakusho. May. 2011. Print.
Japan Census Bureau
“Population ages 0-14 in Japan.” Memorva. Web. 01 Jun.
2010
<http://memorva.jp/ranking/japan/soumu_child_population_2010_transition.ph p>
Macdonald, Kevin
“Recent research on Individualism/Collectivism.” Occidental Observer. Web.
25 Sep. 2010. <http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2010/09/recent-research-on-individualismcollectivism>
Pyle, Kenneth.
“Japan's 250-Year Seclusion Policy during the Edo Period” 101.Web.28 Oct.
2010.<http://suite101.com/article/japans-250-year-seclusion-policy-during-the-edo-period-a301988>
“Rise of RPGs-A
History”, Joey Desena, YouTube.
Web. 22 Mar. 2012.<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sglKS-HfZMw>
Tocqueville, Alexis de. “Democracy
in American”. 1990. Edited by Phillips Bradley. New York: Vintage Books. Print.
