Japan and the FPS

[o.pwuaioc]

Anyone know if there's been any analyses on why the Japanese don't really care for the FPS as a genre? I don't even think you can claim that it's more about Americans liking guns, since the numbers for Europe poke a hole right through that. For example, Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye 007 were two huge sellers, and even though the numbers for North America and Europe were about the same for both games, there was noticeably less copies of GoldenEye sold in Japan.

Mario Kart 64

N. America: 5.55m 56.2%
+ Europe: 1.94m 19.6%
+ Japan: 2.23m 22.6%
+ Rest of the World: 0.15m 1.5%
= Global Total: 9.87m

GoldenEye 007

N. America: 5.80m 71.7%
+ Europe: 2.01m 24.8%
+ Japan: 0.13m 1.6%
+ Rest of the World: 0.15m 1.8%
= Global Total: 8.09m

Thoughts?

[AppleQueso]

I read somewhere that they get motion sick or something. It's a genre they stay pretty far away from, the closest thing they're into being rail shooters.

The only japanese-developed FPS I am even aware of is Breakdown.

[sabrage]

There were some first-person Gundam games...

[sbk]

I have always wondered this myself. I always assumed that it had something to do with most FPS being Military based and they just don't care about that.

[ElkinFencer10]

Because the Japanese like good games.

I jest, I jest. I just have a grudge against the genre thanks to Call of Duty (don't get me wrong, I do like FPS games from time to time), but in all seriousness, I've often wondered that myself. On the flip side, Americans seem not to like RPGs as much as the Japanese (I have zero sources to back that up; that's just the vibe I get from American gamers in general, so don't crucify me. ).

[Valkyrie-Favor]

American gamers love RPGs. Visual novels and dating sims, on the other hand, really are niche. I know some Japanese FPS games like Vanquish are really good. One reason I think is the difference in the way guns are perceived in the first place.

In America, guns are seen as empowering. They're a tool for doing a job, but they also represent a power and self-determination. It's all about the player, their victory, and their right to it because the player is the one with the gun (Most Western FPS). This began with the early FPS games and continues today.

It's also important to remember that guns appeal to American nationalists more, since American military history is shorter and the tradition began with firearms in place. Japan is a lot older and the sword usually takes priority in popular Japanese games.

Weapons are perceived as an extension of the self in Japan, and this even applies somewhat to the gun. When you see a gun in a Japanese game, it's either a survival tool (Resident Evil 2), part of the player (Mega Man), or both (Super Metroid). A lot of the ideas that a popular Western FPS appeals to are just less relevant to Japanese culture. Since a lot of Japanese people think All Western FPS=Call of Duty, the problem is exacerbated.

My favorite games are JRPGs, but an FPS can be great fun, and anyone who thinks All Western FPS=kusoge is missing out

[deathsled]

Probably because looking down the barrel of a gun gets old after a while and the Japanese have caught on...

[o.pwuaioc]

Valkyrie-Favor and deathsled, are you guys reading the op carefully? How can it be an "American nationalist" thing since Europe sold only a little less of GoldenEye than Mario Kart 64? And how can it be a fatigue thing since GoldenEye in 1997 didn't sell well in Japan, and the critically acclaimed Half-Life and Half-Life 2 sold very poorly there as well? These aren't Modern Warfare or Halo games we're talking about here. There's got to be something else going on here.

[sabrage]

You know, I never realized how rare Japanese-developed shooters in general are. Maybe that's why I enjoyed Resident Evil 4 and Vanquish so much.

I can't wait for Binary Domain to come out on PC.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I did read the OP. American nationalism is only one factor. It's hard to say anything about Europe's views because there are so many different countries and mindsets represented, though it's safe to say they're mostly different from Japan's.