Recent events in the anime and videogame industries have got me thinking about the differences between the two, the overlap, and the underlying cultures behind them.
As both an anime and a videogame fan, I enjoy the mechanics and culture of the industries, as well as comparisons between the two. Every industry is unique, from music, film and mobile phones, to the more engaging anime and videogame industries. The reason I find the latter two so interesting is the dialogue between their creators and the communities, and the nature of the communities themselves.
The games industry is uniquely open, generating massive amounts of content to please and entice the omnipresent community (via the Internet) long before the release of their latest blockbusters. It’s more than that, however. Unlike the mobile phone industry, there is actually communication, even if it is predominantly one-way, between the industry and the community, who meet at the point of games journalism. More than this, however, the community is in perpetual dialogue with itself. The mobile phone, and even the film industry don’t captivate their audiences to the point of warranting a similarly infinite number of forums as those for videogames.
Developer diaries and other media bits floating around the Internet are not specific to the games industry, as we know, and their equivalents can be found as extras on our discs, but the anime industry isn’t quite as forward with its self-promotion. The culture is different, and even though Japan and the West have a unique dialogue, cultural and linguistic barriers also act as a roadblock to this becoming as large a part of the mechanics of the anime industry. This is one of the major differences between the two; whereas the games industry puts emphasis on institutionally-generated content, the anime community itself mirrors the output of the industry, with its voluminous fanfiction, character art (what would DeviantArt be without the anime community?) and AMVs (anime music videos, which are equally prominent on Youtube).
There’s still a common thread between the two though – one would hardly be surprised to hear that an anime fan also likes videogames, even beyond the obvious crossovers of the next Naruto beat-em-up. The anime aesthetic has obviously influenced videogames, from those that directly try to imitate it, to the cel-shaded stylings of Jet Set Radio and The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker. Japanese culture has ensured the continuing byplay of the industries, and the ever-increasing reliance on computer-generated technology in the anime industry makes it ironic that the anime of tomorrow will look more like the videogames that often tried to imitate its own style than itself.
Ultimately, however, the industries shared a Renaissance through Japanese culture. As much as some people might envisage anime as a unique field, separate from other forms of animation, and videogames as beginning with the 8-bit console war between Sega and Nintendo – the majority also recognise that this isn’t the case. Anime and manga were both developed out of an interest in Western cultural practise and entertainment when Japan was increasingly opening its borders to foreign cultural influence and ending its historically Isolationist policy. Likewise, the videogame industry began long before the former card game company Nintendo threw its hat in the ring, with early PCs and arcade cabinets playing host to the now comparatively simple games. I like to think that Japan didn’t invent manga (comic books), anime (cartoons) or videogames, but that they instead injected the cultural mould that first excited a mainstream audience, making them what they are today.
The point I would like to aspire to in this article, other than an appreciation of the common-thread of Japanese culture in anime and videogames, however, is a greater reverence for the community and mechanics of our industry. The events I referred to at the beginning of the article are the Jeff Gerstmann situation at Gamespot (in which a respected and well-loved presenter was fired, sparking controversy and suspicion over the reasons behind his being dismissed), and that of Anime Network’s presenters, Emma Vieceli and Stuart Claw. Wanting not to be political about these matters, my concern instead rests with how these events have provoked extraordinarily similar reactions in the two different industries. If nothing else, I took it as a surprising and heart-warming sign that both are still essentially the domain of the community, which has a very human heart, unlike that of most other industries – and that is why I so enjoy being a part of both.
Whoa, great article, really enjoyed and agreed with what youre saying.
It does almost seem to go hand in hand that if you like anime you like games, maybe both require a similar mindset to enjoy, maybe not.
Oh well.
And yeah, youre last point about the gamespot and Anime Network “layoffs” I agree its very heartwarming to see such a response if only on my part to know Imm a part of communities so passionate about what they stand for, adn to back up that developers and consumers need each other and have equal power in defining a companies success.
Interesting read. One important comparison between both communities is the affect piracy has on both. I’m not going to go any further into it but it’s another link in the chain.
@Outlawstar: Thank you, I was worried nobody would like it because I’m new to blog scene and need to find my own voice.
As I said in the article, I think the reason people so readily enjoy anime and videogames, rather than one or the other, is because they are both still held together by the mould of Japanese culture (although there appeal to young and media-savy audiences must also be a factor). It was Sega and Nintendo who ushered in the popularity of videogames, and Sony who took it one step further. The Xbox platform is a welcome addition, but Microsoft haven’t changed the culture of the industry in the same way as the Japanese companies did (although I do believe change is on the horizon).
Thank you again, and I agree with your last points as well.
@Lewis: There are many links that I didn’t mention or would probably never have come to mind, piracy being one of them. I think the most important, and the one we can appreciate as an anime site, though, is of course the shared influence of Japanese culture, which is one thing I really wanted to get across, if not hammer into readers.
@Ryan:No problem, I wouldint have guessed it was your first blog, actually Im new to the blog scene myself(not in terms of reading though), having made just the one post on my own, but its really asatisfying feeling to get your thoughts across in the format, though its even better when people actually reply^^
Good luck.
Though I’m not sure if the gaming industry blatantly tried to imitate the visuals of Japanese cartoons with the use of cell-shaded graphics, there’s an interesting alternation of how some anime such as Appleseed feel much closer to what you’d see in a video game cut-scene. At the same time, there are many Japanese video games that use anime during their cut-scenes too. Heck, it’s becoming more and more common for games to have anime spin-offs (Devil May Cry, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness) just as we see many video game adaptations of anime.
It’s unfortunate that most anime enthusiasts only dabble in RPGs or casual games, insisting that plot is all that matters to them in a video game. I find a common pattern among such types of gamers is their insistence of plot in their games, nothing else matters. This leads many to shelter under J-RPGs, never questioning gameplay or originality. Anime has many hidden gems that are simply not advertised, so it’s ironic that many ‘anime gamers’ insist on playing obscure J-RPGs more than anything else.