Geography and Game Development in Japan

Subtle variations in soil give rise to subtle variations in the taste of produce. Likewise, the mere shape of a country can influence the style of its games. Consider the Empire of Japan:

 
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Japan_topo_en.jpg

    As you can see, Japan is highly mountainous. Because so little of the country can house large numbers of people, 65.37% of the Japanese population lives in metropolitan areas of at least one million people (source: World Bank). This has resulted in unique market conditions for game companies in the country.

    According to VGChartz, the Nintendo 3DS is the best-selling system of the current generation of hardware in Japan with 18.5 million units sold. Its closest competitor in this category is fellow handheld system the PlayStation Vita, with ~3.8 million units sold. The best-selling home system of the generation in Japan is the Wii U with a comparatively meagre ~2.3 million units sold. In addition, the arcade industry is alive and well in Japan, with 4,650 video arcades still in operation (source: National Police Agency). All of this occurs due to Japan's high urbanization. Because Japanese homes lack the space for home systems, many prefer games which can fit into a pocket or are housed on another's property.

    Japanese developers must consequently exploit existing userbases in certain fashions. Portable systems lack the power held by their contemporary home systems, so certain types of games which do not require this power are developed. RPGs and visual novels, for example, do not rely on timed inputs and are consequently simple to program compared to an action game.

    Arcades, meanwhile, favor a style of game design which can be divided into discrete, individually-saleable "plays" rather than continuous experiences. This characterizes fighting games, rhythm games, and (to a lesser extent) shoot-'em-ups. Rhythm games have the added advantage that the arcade versions do not require the purchase of peripherals by the consumer.

    As global cultural diffusion accelerates through the proliferation of the Internet, demand for Western games by Japanese consumers (and vice versa) has increased. The economic realities of the modern day are impermanent. The concept of a distinctly Japanese game may be impermanent as well.