A senior game creator has told industry figures that Japanese gamers can now be divided into a “game elite” and “light gamers.”
The types were identified by veteran game designer Masanobu Endo, known for such titles as Druaga (both game and anime) and director of “Game Studio” and the “Digital Games Research Association Japan,” in a presentation he made to audiences at the recent CEDEC 2010.
Game Elite Tendency Light Gamer Enjoys strategising 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 gamesLight Gamer:
May be female
Often young
Has little time for games
Email is more important to them than games
Won’t install
Or in summary, Japanese gamers can be divided in fat creepy Xbox-owning otaku busily humping their pillows, and everyone else.
Japanese gamers overall are said increasingly to fall into the light gamer category, possibly spelling doom for games not published on mobile phones, browsers or the Wii.
Lack endurance my ass, whats DDR then huh? there are some hardcore DDR players that use the pad, now THAT takes stamina and endurance. not that WII fling a stick around crap
Everyone here is a lame weeaboo and needs to play Borderlands.
Once, I was elite,.. but then games got boring and now I am a light gamer with lots of skillz. No one cares, but I’ll post anyway.
Strategy: Well, I like to try my own attempts to problems, but when the Barrel of Doom rears its ugly head, I’ll be looking at the hint books.
Time: Don’t care how long it takes. I like to play at my own pace, but not too hard.
Control: Prefer a 6-button layout to a 4-button or 3-button layout, but please don’t send in controls like Batman Forever on SNES. That’s too much.
Purchase: I hate Gamestop. They force you to preorder if you want everything. I can’t bring myself to play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 knowing that I’m missing out on a character. Because of Gamestop being annoying and not understanding the value of trading cards, I have to preorder from them a lot, so I usually get it on release day. Otherwise, I simply buy it when I have the chance.
Info: Usually I look at gaming magazines for my info. I also follow the dev progress on the web for certain games, like Marvel VS Capcom 3.
Budget: Oh, this is a no-brainer, just get it when it’s cheaper. Unless the price is already good. (Super Street Fighter IV at $40 even when the original was $60? Count me in!)
Loading: Even now I have problems getting through Sonic 06. Long load times really turn me off. Not that I won’t play the game, but still…
Interests: I don’t really consider myself gaming only. I have a wide range of tastes.
Play: I like the fun of playing games, but if I can’t go farther, then I’ll gladly watch others play.
Love: Still looking for the one for me. It’s not a virtual bride, lemme tell ya.
OVERALL: I’m no professional gamer, but I know a thing or two on how to play.
Mysterious Voice: “Yeah, someone needs a major personality overhaul. And another thing, Artefact, you did it wrong. The hardcore prefer the PS3. It’s the stupid kids who don’t know any better that prefer the 360. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t shoot you. Better yet, go shoot yourself.”
Oh yeah? Let’s see you play better!
Mysterious Voice: “It’s too much fun watching you fail and curse your head off. No thanks.”
I don’t consider myself to be a casual or elite gamer. I play at my own pace and like sophisticated controls, but hate long loading times and time constraints. Where do I fall in this chart?