If you haven't watched it yet, here it is:
Source: Youtube Channel GamersHeartJapan
Gamers Heart Japan is a collaborative project that interviews many gamers, game developers, game editorials, and game enthusiasts in an effort to show how much Japan has contributed to the game industry and to bring the game community together to support the relief in Japan. All donations to Gamers Heart Japan goes to the Red Cross.
It wasn't a surprise to see the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the tsunami that followed it, and the radiation leak have an affect on the world in one way or another. Economics, technology, energy preservation, disaster preparations, and such are being discussed throughout the world in how to recover from it and how to avoid having as much damage and casualties in the future. For the videogame industry, servers for online games have been halted to preserve energy, release dates for certain games have been delayed for those coming in and going out of Japan, and the fear of progressive damage to the Japanese game industry as well as its economics have been brought up many times in the past month. In the video collab for Gamers Heart Japan, game developers, writers, and players share with the viewer some of the most influential figures of Japanese game development, some of their favorite Japanese developed games, and some of their own insights about Japan and how they have been affected by the earthquake in Japan.
For me, I was affected in many ways when I found out about the earthquake. For one, I would've actually been there near the earthquake and tsunami in Sendai had I been accepted to the Japanese English Teaching (JET) Program. I had many friends up and down Japan studying abroad and contacted the immediately to find that they were safe but after about a week were asked to come back to their respective homes or to stay in closer areas such as southern Japan, Hong Kong, and Southern China. I've always had an interest in Japan because of its history and its culture. Because many cities have been raved by the tsunami, a lot of northern Japan will have to change and rebuild itself. I also couldn't help but think about how it has affected the gaming community as well since many gamers had their start with a lot of Japanese games.
Following some of the interviews from Gamers Heart Japan, I would say on of the more influential games from early day Nintendo for me was Metroid because of its open-ended gameplay. It didn't demand that the player go to a specific area at a certain time or at all. The idea of having a progressive enhancement with power ups and energy tanks was also interesting to me since it gave me an incentive to look for secrets and have an awareness of the environment that I may not have for other games. Trying to pinpoint a favorite game is near impossible and is one of the questions I have difficulty answering. But if I had to choose one to talk about, I would say Phantasy Star Online Ep.1 & 2 for Gamecube is one of my favorite games to come out of Japan. The structure of the game is rather simple (4 areas each episode with a boss at the end of each area) but the whole embodiment of the game is what really enticed me. Different combinations of weapons and builds based on the growth of your pet/guardian Mag changed the way the game was played. The freedom the player had in choosing quests or setting their own goals was very involving and immersed me into the game's world. What kept me going back to the game was all the surprises that kept me interested. There would be weapons or items I've never heard of drop from an enemy, special monsters would appear all of a sudden, and the change from Very Hard to Ultimate was a drastic one. It solidified many aspects future online games that came out after it and remains a fan favorite up till now. Choosing an influential figure of the game industry is equally difficult since there were so many developers and producers that has done so much to bring all the games we've played and loved throughout the decades. I would have to agree with many of the interviewees and say that Shigeru Miyamoto is one developer that has influenced many gamers and game developers alike; however, I would like to talk a little about Daisuke Ishiwatari. Ishiwatari is one of the most influential game developers that I have come across to what I want to do in my future career in the industry. He has made a name for himself on the fighting game series Guilty Gear and now BlazBlue with his involvement with directing, development, concept art, character creation, voice acting, writing, and composed all the music for the games. For someone like me to have interest in so many fields in the industry, I aspire to do the same and have my visions fulfilled through my involvement in writing, art, music, and development if and when I become a lead designer. His stories are intricate to the point of being convoluted, his characters are memorable with distinct music themes that match their personality, and his design in having a smooth combo system with elements that favor both casual and pro gamers truly inspired me when I started to become more serious with my involvement in the game industry.
Be sure to visit http://www.gamersheartjapan.com/ and send your donations in an effort to help Japan out of this crisis.
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