“Why are Characters in Japanese RPGs Always Children?”
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Aug 22, 2010 13:52 JST
- Tags: 2ch, Censorship, Marketing, Production Controversy, RPG
Western gamers asking why it is the characters in Japanese RPGs seem always to consist of a party of children have sparked an interesting set of responses from Japanese gamers.
2ch’s response to the question after it was translated and posted in a thread is instructive:
I’d like to pose a question in return – why is it western games are packed with muscle bound beefcakes?
Isn’t it just because games are for children?
It’s probably a difference in the premium market segments – how many Japanese would buy them with an old guy as the protagonist? Without children and adult NEETs buying them, their sales in Japan would likely not be good.
The west = as close to realistic as possible
Japan = as far away from realistic as possibleVisually speaking, aren’t young boys and girls better? I don’t want to play an RPG with nothing but middle-aged old guys in my party.
In Japan, adults don’t play them. They’re just a product, made for children by adults. For exploiting children, we could say. In Japan recently we are seeing more adult children, and there are adults playing them, but unlike Europe adults don’t normally play them. So it’s really the foreigners who are childish.
What the hell are “adult children”?
It’s probably just that over there fighting is not seen as something children should be doing. Also, if the hero isn’t 14-15 he can’t really be dating a girl of that age… perhaps that has something to do with it.
Because it’s easier to empathise with kids.
So why are all the western game characters totally ripped?
“Overseas gamers” < Aren’t there people from a variety of different countries overseas?
It’s just a difference in demographics. These games are for people in school. It’s no wonder they have protagonists the same age. When you’re an adult you don’t have the time or energy for games.
So why has Metal Gear, with all its old guys, sold well in Japan?
I don’t know about America, but in Japan you get the most freedom in your life from middle school to university.
Perhaps it’s because children and adults are much more clearly delineated overseas?
This isn’t really limited to RPGs – it’s the same with anime.
When I was a kid I always wondered why Japanese robot anime ace pilots were all kids…
This is not something I want to be told by a bunch of guys whose games are packed with bikini warrioresses.
Japanese games are aimed at children, but overseas a lot of people keep playing them even into adulthood.
Games are something children play, so the protagonists are children. Portraying their growth is a common story theme.
In Japan and overseas, if you put games or anime out for children you’ll get adults buying them too. There seem to be a lot of them overseas actually…
In the west they seem to think children entering into danger is a problematic subject, and not all are comfortable with it. On the other hand, in Japan having adults engaged in martial adventures is something people are uncomfortable about. Japanese tend to be distrustful of ideals of “righteousness” – often it is the villains who are pursuing ideals in RPGs. Basically Japanese prefer green protagonists in tales of empathy.
JRPGs are aimed at children, that’s all.
Anime style characters all end up looking like loli anyway.
Somebody in the original post said a Japanese person told him “highschool is the best time of your life for a Japanese.” I think this may be it. Japanese seem to think something important is lost when you grow up, like they worship a sort of childhood innocence. As a result JRPG protagonists are mostly youths.
On the other hand, overseas becoming older is more like “levelling up” and getting access to more experience and status. We could even say the western view has a “dream” – life still progresses and improves after childhood.I don’t want to hear this from people whose games consist of a procession of muscle-bound gorillas.
Apparently a significant proportion of Japanese still view games as an entertainment medium for children.
With the average salaryman forced to work long hours and to turn much of his leisure time over to his company, it is interesting to speculate whether this is having an effect on the inability of Japanese publishers to make much headway into the mainstream of adult gamers overseas.
Censorship decisions made in Japan seem to indicate console publishers are very uncomfortable with marketing games covering more mature themes in Japan, and whilst the “mature gamer” is a cherished demographic overseas, in Japan it seems to be considered an inconvenient niche market (given the dismal sales of western blockbusters in Japan, this may well be a realistic asssessment however).
Japanese RPG developers (and for that matter, anime studios) might well find dumping their endless succession of adolescent casts and school settings has a positive effect on their increasingly tarnished reputation for originality overseas, although with most of the major Japanese RPG franchises having become the Japanese equivalent of EA Sports titles any significant change now seems unlikely.
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I'd pick cute characters anytime over burly,sweaty,musclebound men/women for RPGs tailored for all age groups...
Why's it gotta be one or the other? It's perfectly reasonable to have mature characters who don't look like they've got some kind of disease that makes their muscles expand to uncomfortable levels. Then again build the character for the medium, if they looks out of place in the world it doesn't matter either way.
It's the adults who have to compromise.would a child even bother playing a GP rated RPG with the main lead designed as a knockoff of Arnold Schwarzenegger or an adolescent protagonist? If it was aimed at an adult fanbase, muscles are fine.....
I already said it doesn't have to be a muscle based adult, and yes as a kid I had no problem with media that had adults as characters so I don't see any reason that a kid would have a problem with it these days.
It's all media driven, and don't forget what appeals more to the masses..., The kids today are different from the kids of yesterday, most of them rely too much on what they see or hear, and for them the current fad is that. I also don't have a problem playing adult-centered RPGs.
One way to say it is that it's all about preferences, one guy likes it that way, the other likes it this way. It's all good till you start comparing which is better in terms of what...
Well, plenty of western RPGs (most of the good ones recently) are designed not for children, but instead for adults and they do have Mature rating. So you can have an adult in main role without any problem.
Imagine Mass Effect or especially Witcher with teenage hero. It would be laughable.
I were never a fan of muscle people.
Children? Well, who wouldn't want to play as a 10 year old girl wielding an axe tripple her own size? That's badass.
Or a 80 year old guy owning a horde with some martial arts skill.
Muscle people fighting, it just seems too standard.
How bout imagine Mass Effect or Witcher with moe characters and 2D art with 3D graphics. Now I have a great new idea for a third person RPG shooter. I'll call it Moe Effect. I bet it'd sell more than a million copies it's first day.
But honestly though there are lots of adults which love playing characters like that worldwide, they're a sub-species of humans called "Otaku", and they're everywhere! I mean more than a quarter of the world's population!
Quote:
I’d like to pose a question in return – why is it western games are packed with muscle bound beefcakes?
Answer:
If you have somebody who saves the world by killing hordes of monsters nobody else beside him is able to kill, and that with a sword or something similar, chances are high that he is muscular.
Yeah children sure do hate muscular main characters... Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the male cast members of Fist of the Northstar, Wolverine, male cast of DBZ... I know I sure hated watching movies like Terminator 2 as a kid--where we all the girls sitting around talking about cake?!
And I don't want to hear this from people who admit to have their lives end by entering adulthood!
Really now, no surprise Japan has so many NEETs with concepts like that existing in society.
I've always prefered the medium. I like both ends of the spectrum equally, but way prefer games/anime that have both. Every now and then, you'll get fantastic gems with kids and adults, toothpicks and beefcakes. A good balance between the two is awesome and pleases everyone.
Female characters are normally young, as men likes young girls. Male lead is often young to match the females age. Simple as that.
Although, I do wish the average age would break 20, at least.
Really I don't care about this "western" vs. "Japanese RPG" stuff. Like Kyon theorist said already: "Why's it gotta be one or the other?".
I don't like the fact that these 2channers think all western gamers only play western RPGs. And to think that their RPGs are supreme for the wrong reasons (because it has kids!), it's just as wrong as people thinking a western RPG is better because it has mature characters...
What kind of stupid reason is that? You don't play games because one character appeals you; well, you COULD, but I think that's the wrong reason to love games. For example, I like Link of Zelda, because the games are just great. I don't care if he's in cell-shaded form or the semi-realistic form of Twilight Princess. Of course, I've got preferences, but that shouldn't ruin the whole game...
It's like these people we're discussing about only care how the characters look like. Not about the games. I get sick when I hear these trollings.
This is the same as assuming ALL anime are disgustingly filled with fan service and are geared towards pedophiles. Sure, many are, I don't know about most.
Well, almost the same except I don't see many muscle-bound characters in my American videogames... I must be missing something. Either I've been in my room far too long or the idea of "muscle-bound" has changed to "being in shape".
I dont see anything wrong with anime filled with fan service and lolis. "whatever floats your boat" is what i always say. so now i ask this, as many before me have: why the fuck does it matter? I am a lolicon(only in the 2d world, dont call the FBI yet) I love fan service, but i also love a good story, and deep characters. i love jrpgs with their all teenage, and mostly female casts, and i also appreciate the great stories many of them are accompanied with, and the deep cast of characters. but on the other hand, i thoroughly enjoy games like ME2, and fallout. i have fallout new vegas on preorder. I love the gritty realism, the intense customization, and the freedom. why doesn't everyone just stop bashing on what other people like. its childish, and in the end, no one gives a fuck. and a final word to anyone thinking about saying something to bash on jrpgs, or wrpgs... please don't feed the trolls.
this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOl527Z4SA8
Seriously, why do so many think western games are filled with muscebound freaks? That's NOT the common aesthetic you morons. Find me 5 game examples before you start with crap like that.
Not even in the more common movies genre do you see bodybuilder type heros.
I will say this: This article makes japanese life (post college) seem to be a SAD life indeed.
On a side note.
I seem to remember playing as a strapping young lad in Fable, and on another side note it seems that Fable also happened to have piles upon piles of rather adult sexual undertones.
Nothing graphic, just not the sort of thing mothers want their wee grade school children entertaining themselves with.
heh
~Just food for thought. Take it for what it is.
Nier would like to have a word with these people.
Which Nier would it be? from Gestalt or RepliCant? although I would rather have a word with Kaine...
Maybe you should've said Atlus...
Gestalt.
That ATLUS thing had better be a joke.
Oh,Gestalt. I dunno...,Square Enix is making the rift of comparison between East and West wider with the release of both Nier Gestalt and Nier RepliCant. "To each his own" if they want to deliver some message to the world it seems,dividing the RPG community even more.
On a side note:They should have gone ahead and sticked to their original plan on The Last Remnant where the antagonist, The Conqueror had his own story to be played out since he was designed to appeal to the Western audience as opposed to Rush who's design was made for the Eastern gamers.
Does being a lolicon contribute to this character preference? Cause I've never had a problem with cute little lolis. I just like 'em that way.
you don't have to be a lolicon to like cute little girls, you only need the spirit to love cute little girls.
Or you could just like things that are small and cute, thus little girls would fall into that category.
I don't really mind the age or physical appearance of characters, as long as they have a well developed personality and act according to it, and the plot is interesting and consistent. Of course, anime-styled characters are appreciated.
XD Damn forgot to log in ^
“Why are Characters in Japanese RPGs Always Children?”
Why not? ^_^
More like : "cause I don't want old men in ALL my games"
Same same... Its like Choosing between Yuffie from FF7 and Lara Croft. I'd go for Yuffie.
Besides, who wants a dirty looking girl?
I'm having trouble understanding how you classify dirty based on that statement.
Defining dirty might help get your message across, Anon.
I want a single burly, musclebound man to represent myself and an entire world of cute girls and effeminate men to beat down/rape.
Something like Rance
or become just your average student thrown back into the Warring States Period where all the heroes are sexy babes like in Koihime Musou...
or fight against warlords in the Sengoku era, choosing heroes that go "OYAKATA-SAMA!" or just spout hilarious Engrish to battle against a man the size of a mountai-
oh wait...... there's no kids in that one. =(
you have Ranmaru(shota) and Itsuki(loli) in that one.
You'd be surprised at how unpopular those 2 characters are.
It depends on the story and setup, really. If it's going to have some major romantic elements, choosing the younger protagonists are usually far more appealing, whereas if it has an elaborate or plot with more depth, choosing an older character would probably be my preference. Of course this can change based on character backstory and game synopsis.
I'm still waiting for my RPG where I get to be an ass-kicking old man with an epic beard telling the youngin's to the shut the hell up.
Well, Metal Gear Solid 4 was a bit of that, even though it was not an RPG. Only instead of the beard, Snake had the 'stache.
"Japan = as far away from realistic as possible"
In a way this is true. Fantasy, even involving extreme violence or sexual fantasy even including young girls to more 'out there' themes seem more readily accepted in Japanese culture. They have been a heavily fantasy-story oriented culture ever since ancient Kabuki theater and other fantastical mythology/semi-history involving mythical demons, superpowered samurai warriors to magical ninjas.
With the west, especially in America, that nation was a culture STRUGGLING to survive for a good few hundred years in 1600s to 1800s. So the pragmatism is typically in order even for entertainment where music tries to be relevant to the listeners, movies tackle insecurities of American life to almost all entertainment pertaining to more pragmatic themes.
That said, there's exceptions on both ends as well.
To me, this is not about which type of entertainment is better or not. It's just different. May as well accept they are different and see both as valid forms of expression.
I think it has to do with realism. Persona works with high school kids because the story is about kids. But in other games it makes no sense why a little girl can swing around a giant twohanded sword. It does make sense for a ripped warrior to do it.
It has become cliched and thats the problem. My biggest annoyance is how they never address the fact that they are all kids and pretend its normal. In full metal alchemist it has a great story and most importantly they constantly show that they are two kids forced to grow up fast in an adults world.
Here we go again with the East/West RPG comparison...
"The west = as close to realistic as possible
Japan = as far away from realistic as possible"
Let me rephrase that...
The west = Beefy Men with Huge Guns and Life-like Graphics, Story and Plot that could or could not happen in real life...
Japan = Magical Lolis, Effeminate Young Men, and coming-of-age story with awesome colorful magic spells and ridiculous amount of damage and levels...
Nothing more to say...
Oh, and I'm more comfortable being a loli riding on a stuffed plushie than a green spartan with a huge laser gun...
Why not be a loli riding on a stuffed green spartan who's armed with a huge laser gun?
*imagines Master Chief riding on Anise Tatlin's doll equipped with a Spartan Laser*
Whatever, it's fantasy right? If ppl were like western game characters (a pile of muscles) I bet their arteries would be blocked by their muscles and they'd die. Makes more sense to see a 30-ish loli waving a huge axe.
Because Westerners don't fap to the female supporting characters.
“Why are Characters in Japanese RPGs Always Children?”
I often wondered that myself and also for a lot of other things anime. No offense to you loli Pedifilers but i prefer to see girls my age (27-years old) a little or older.
The answer is simple.
That's because Asian standard of beauty is quite different from the western standard.
Asian standard:
men = effeminate
women = cute
western standard:
men = masculine
women = hot/sexy
Wow thats actually true, only problem is a lot of the americans who see Asian men standard as effeminate just think " wow wat a bunch of fags".
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2010/08/22/why-are-characters-in-japanese-rpgs-always-children/#comment-592426
The Yoko of Gurren Lagann whant to have a talk with you.
Remember that Yoko is somehow supposed to be 14 when the series begins.
I agree with that one 2cher that speculated that it's a difference in perspective. I for one view my high school days as being my more free, idealistic days, thus I can "relate" to a rpg/action game character that's a kid.
Also, I feel bad for the Japanese if they have no time for games once they get older (especially since it relieves so much stress). The fact that so many seem to believe games are a child's medium is just sad.