Speaking to an audience at the recent CEDEC 2010 in Japan, veteran Japanese game creator Masanobu Endo, responsible for titles such as Druaga and Grobda, stated the Japanese market can be divided into the “gaming elite” and “light gamers.” Here’s a breakdown of the creatures in their natural habitat:
| Game Elite | Tendency | Light Gamer |
| Enjoys strategizing themselves | Strategy | Likes reading hint books whilst playing |
| Likes to clear games quickly | Time | Doesn’t like to play under time constraints |
| Likes to play at their own pace | Time | Doesn’t want to spend too much time on each game |
| Likes sophisticated controls | Control | Complex controls = boring |
| Buys on release day | Purchase | Buys when free to do so |
| Game magazines | Info | Friends |
| Discount stores or Amazon | Budget | Buys normally if they can’t get it for free |
| Excitedly waits through loading | Loading | Long load = off |
| Likes games (also anime and comics) | Interests | Interested in games amongst other things |
| Must play to be satisfied | Play | Satisfied just to watch others play |
| Virtual | Love | Real |
Game Elite:
Has played eighties games
Remembers pleasures of pixel perfect control
Likes high risk/high return trade offs
If a PC gamer, likes FPS and RTS, also MMO
Prefers Xbox 360 for consoles
Prefers PSP for handhelds
Often single
Lacks endurance for Wii sports games
Light Gamer:
May be female
Often young
Has little time for games
Email is more important to them than games
Won’t install
So in summary, if you’re planning on releasing a game in Japan you have two potential markets. A) you have fat creepy otakus in Japan who enjoy ‘virtual’ loving and dakimakuras that prefer the Xbox 360 and PSP and B) everyone else. With the recent decline in game sales in Japan, it can be stated that Japan is predominated by the “light gamer.” Which brings up this question, which one are you?
[Source: Famitsu]
