Video games in Japan

3830: 1254:, the Famicom's popularity soared, becoming the best-selling game console in Japan by the end of 1984. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software. By mid-1986, 19% (6.5 million) of Japanese households owned a Famicom; one third by mid-1988. In June 1989, Nintendo of America's vice president of marketing Peter Main, said that the Famicom was present in 37% of Japan's households. By the end of its run, over 60 million NES units had been sold throughout the world. In 1990 Nintendo surpassed 3452: 16193: 965: 850: 3474: 1112: 2493: 3196:. From 1996 to 2002, the show was held twice a year: once in the Spring and once in Autumn (in the Tokyo Big Sight). Since 2002, the show has been held once a year. It attracts more visitors every year. 2011's show hosted over 200,000 attendees and the 2012 show bringing in 223,753. The busiest TGS was in 2016 with 271,224 people in attendance and 614 companies had exhibits. The event has been held annually since 1996 and was never canceled. The 20th anniversary of TGS was celebrated in 2016. 3495: 559:

lines allowed for Japanese developers to completely flesh out the character development of the player's companions and sometimes the player's character themselves. This focus on narrative was different from the West's focus on expression through RPGs and JRPGs appealed to players all over the world because of their rich story lines. However, as of recently, some Japanese developers are starting to try to appeal to a broader audience by introducing real-time combat, for example, such as

1027:, leading to a production increase of coins to meet demand for the game (although 100 yen coin production was lower in 1978 and 1979 than in previous or subsequent years, and the claim does not withstand logical scrutiny: arcade operators would have emptied out their machines and taken the money to the bank, thus keeping the coins in circulation). Japanese arcade games during the golden age also had hardware unit sales at least in the tens of thousands, including 3814: 1996: 17737: 15225: 17747: 901: 15308: 17785: 17773: 15214: 32: 2802:, one of the first successful CD-ROM RPGs, featuring both voice and text, and considered one of the best RPGs in its time. The game was praised for its soundtrack, emotionally engaging storyline, and strong characterization. It also introduced an early form of level-scaling where the bosses would get stronger depending on the protagonist's level, a mechanic that was later used in Enix's 3302:, for its highly polished gameplay, high playability, lavish production, well-developed characters, intricate storyline, and an emotionally engaging narrative that is much darker and sophisticated than most other RPGs. The game's storytelling and character development was considered a major narrative jump forward for video games and was often compared to films and novels at the time. 745:, debuted in the United States in 1972, and led to a number of new American manufacturers to create their own arcade games to capitalize on the rising fad. Several of these companies had Japanese partners and kept their overseas counterparts abreast of this new technology, leading several Japanese coin-operated electronic games makers to step into the arcade game market as well. 587:. Many visual don't feature many game-play features besides decision-making. This decision-making differentiated visual novels from regular novels as it allowed players to replay the game at certain decision points to make different decisions and see different endings. Most VNs are romance stories and allow the player to choose between multiple love interests and fall under 4140:, could potentially make social gaming more acceptable in Western culture. Two key elements that were set to address this mixed market were the ability for the unit to play both on a television screen and as a portable, and the use of detachable controllers. In Japan, first weekend sales exceeded 330,000 units, which was on par with the 4903: 2670:, a game that has been praised for its involving, emotional family-themed narrative divided by different periods of time, something that has appeared in very few video games before or since. It has also been credited as the first known video game to feature a playable pregnancy, a concept that has since appeared in later games such as 2601:, these games required the player to dodge overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and called for still more consistent reactions from players. Bullet hell games arose from the need for 2D shoot 'em up developers to compete with the emerging popularity of 3D games: huge numbers of missiles on screen were intended to impress players. 4134:(EPD), respectively. This approach also would apply to the cultural lifestyle and gaming differences between Japanese and Western players; Japanese players tend to play on the go and with social groups, while Western players tend to play at home by themselves. The design of the Switch would meet both cultures, and certain games, like 5543: 3133:'s relationship with other characters and in turn the characters' performance in battle, the direction of the storyline, and the ending. Later games in the series added several variations, including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation, and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the 11460: 839: 1262:

card manufacturer, but the popularity of the NES/Famicom helped the company grow into an internationally recognized name almost synonymous with video games as Atari had been, and set the stage for Japanese dominance of the video game industry. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between

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In 1982, Universal Sales made arcade history with a game called Mr Do! Instead of selling dedicated Mr Do! machines, Universal sold the game as a kit. The kit came with a customized control panel, a computer board with Mr Do! read-only memory (ROM) chips, stickers that could be placed on the side of

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Console sales in Japan, which had been languishing due to the strength of the mobile game market, saw its first annual growth of 14.8% in 2017 due to the release of the Switch. Based on its first year sales, the Switch was considered to be the fastest-selling game console in history in many regions.

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games. Bishōjo (meaning "beautiful girl" in Japanese) games are romance visual novels featuring a male protagonist with female love interests and are targeted towards straight men, while otome (meaning "maiden" in Japanese) games feature a female protagonist with male love interests catering towards

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in 2020 and have emphasized that they want this to be a soft transition, allowing PlayStation 4 games to be directly backwards compatible on their respective systems. Sony has stated the "overwhelming majority" of PlayStation 4 games will play on the PlayStation 5, with many running at higher frame

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The PS4 was released in Japan at ¥39,980 on February 22, 2014. In September 2015, Sony reduced the price of the PS4 in Japan to ¥34,980, with similar price drops in other Southeast Asian markets. Within the first two days of release in Japan during the weekend of February 22, 2014, 322,083 consoles

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Though prior console generations have normally occurred in five to six-year cycles, the transition from seventh to eighth generation lasted approximately eight years. The transition is also unusual in that the prior generation's best-selling unit, the Wii, was the first to be replaced in the eighth

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video seamlessly blended into the gameplay, effectively integrated throughout the game. Gameplay innovations included the materia system, which allowed a considerable amount of customization and flexibility through materia that can be combined in many different ways and exchanged between characters

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gameplay, where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time, and the customizable AI settings for computer-controlled allies. The game has influenced a number of later action RPGs. That same year also saw the

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The ‘golden age’ of console RPGs is often dated in the 1990s. Console RPGs distinguished themselves from computer RPGs to a greater degree in the early 1990s. As console RPGs became more heavily story-based than their computer counterparts, one of the major differences that emerged during this time

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and feature real-time combat systems, but JRPGs favor confining the player to smaller areas in the game world following a linear story line and most notably using turn-based combat systems like in D&D. Although there was typically less freedom in JRPGs compared to Western RPGs, the linear story

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Gacha games are named after toy vending machines in Japan because of its lottery system. After spending in-game currency (which can be bought with real money), the player can get a random character or item. Most often, the characters that the player wants are rare and encourages the player to spend

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Last year also saw the coattail effect of traditional bestselling CRPGs being ported over onto dedicated game machines as the new market of machines blossomed into money trees. Games like Ultima, Shadowgate, and Defender of the Crown appeared to mixed reviews. These stalwarts of computer fame were

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to played like a home console. Unlike in most prior generations, there were few new innovative hardware capabilities to mark this generation as distinct from prior ones. Sony continued to produce new systems with similar designs and capabilities as their predecessors, but with improved performance

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and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher quality software titles, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced titles for earlier game systems. The

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Because the NES was released after the "video game crash" of the early 1980s, many retailers and adults regarded electronic games as a passing fad, so many believed at first that the NES would soon fade. Before the NES/Famicom, Nintendo was known as a moderately successful Japanese toy and playing

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Mega Man, known as Rockman (ロックマン, Rokkuman) in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man". Mega Man, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, was the first in a series that

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Nintendo executives were initially reluctant to design a new system, but as the market transitioned to the newer hardware, Nintendo saw the erosion of the commanding market share it had built up with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo's fourth-generation console, the Super Famicom, was

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had stated that his company would be releasing the Wii U due to declining sales of seventh generation home consoles and that "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles". Sony considered making its next console a digital download only machine, but decided against it due to

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stated that "Everyone's making awful games - Japan is at least five years behind", and that "Japan is isolated in the gaming world. If something doesn't change, we're doomed.", stressing the need for Japanese developers to bring in Western approaches to game development to make a comeback.

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in any order, with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline. The game also allowed players to choose from eight different characters, each with their own stories that start in different places and offer different outcomes.

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in Japan. However, by June 2015, the basic Wii U was discontinued in Japan, and replaced by a 32 GB "Premium" set that includes white hardware and a Wii Remote Plus. In mid-November 2016, Nintendo announced that Japanese production of the Wii U would be ending "in the near future".

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In the Japanese gaming industry, arcades have remained popular through to the present day. As of 2009, out of Japan's $ 20 billion gaming market, $ 6 billion of that amount is generated from arcades, which represent the largest sector of the Japanese video game market, followed by home

2333:, with players assuming the roles of people who cared about each other, fell in love or even had families. Romance in particular was a theme that was common in most console RPGs but alien to most computer RPGs at the time. Japanese console RPGs were also generally more faster-paced and 3009:

elements in an RPG, requiring the player to infiltrate a castle, rewarding the player if the entire chapter can be completed without engaging in combat. Other chapters had similar innovations, such as Akira's chapter where the character uses telepathic powers to discover information.

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successes in the early 1980s, Nintendo made plans to create a cartridge-based console called the Famicom, which is short for Family Computer. Masayuki Uemura designed the system. The console was released on July 15, 1983, as the Family Computer (or Famicom for short) alongside three

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made its debut in the Japanese market and it was a tremendous success. The console had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals. The PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the rest of the world, was a collaborative effort between

163:, almost immediately establishing itself as a major publisher in the space. Shigeru Miyamoto remains internationally renowned as a "father of video gaming" and is the only game developer so far to receive Japan's highest civilian honor for artists, the 文化功労者 (bunka kōrōsha) or 1333:

noted that "Atari collapsed because they gave too much freedom to third-party developers and the market was swamped with rubbish games". In response, Nintendo limited the number of titles that third-party developers could release for their system each year, and promoted its

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stand-up arcade machines for art, and a plastic marquee. It was the first game ever sold as a conversion only. According to former Universal Sales western regional sales manager Joe Morici, the company sold approximately 30,000 copies of the game in the United States alone.

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Related to the isolationism, games developed in Western countries did not perform well in Japan, whereas Japanese games were readily played by Western market consumers. Foreign games often sell more poorly in Japanese markets due to differences in what consumers expect for

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The term "JRPG" was coined by Western media because Japanese-developed RPGs had distinct elements that set it apart from RPGs developed in the West. The settings in Western RPGs tend to be inspired by fantasy and science-fiction literature while JRPGs have been inspired by

591:. VNs often contained sexual content in the beginning when VNs were first developed for the PC, but when VNs were starting to be published for game consoles as well, family-friendly versions were also released. Like manga, popular VNs were also adapted into anime such as 3093:

featured a storyline that could be told differently from the perspectives of up to eight different characters and introduced a level-scaling system where the enemies get stronger as the characters do, a mechanic that was later used in a number of later RPGs, including

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crafted a strategy for revitalizing Nintendo's business model, which included approaching the mobile market, creating new hardware, and "maximizing intellectual property". Prior to his death, Iwata was able to secure a business alliance with Japanese mobile provider

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are text-based story video games where players can usually make decisions at multiple points of the story and achieve different endings. VNs are novel-like, but also include character visuals and artwork to complement with different scenes in the story and sometimes

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In 2002, the Japanese video game industry made up about 50% of the global market; that share has since shrunk to around 10% by 2010. The shrinkage in market share has been attributed to a difference of taste between Japanese and Western audiences, and the country's

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noted that when "historians look back at the world of coin-op during the early 1990s, one of the defining highlights of the video game art form will undoubtedly focus on fighting/martial arts themes" which it described as "the backbone of the industry" at the time.

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The late 1980s to early 1990s is considered the golden age of Japanese computer gaming, which would flourish until its decline around the mid-1990s, as consoles eventually dominated the Japanese market. A notable Japanese computer RPG from around this time was

7561:, computer and video game RPGs were still very much in the realm of hardcore fans and not very accessible to other players. So I decided to create a system that was easy to understand and emotionally involving, and then placed my story within that framework. 3995:

Since 2016, Japanese video games have been experiencing a resurgence, as part of a renaissance for the Japanese video game industry. In 2017, Japanese video games gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim. In 2016, the global success of

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mechanic with its demon-summoning system, which allowed the player to recruit enemies into their party, through a conversation system that gives the player a choice of whether to kill or spare an enemy and allows them to engage any opponent in conversation.

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reported that these sales had eclipsed the lifetime sales of the Wii U in the country, and helped to support the first growth in sales within Japan's console market in eleven years. By May 2019, the Switch had overtaken the PS4's lifetime sales in Japan.

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With more than 60,000 units sold in the United States, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's biggest arcade hit. ... Nintendo released Donkey Kong Junior in 1982 and sold only 30,000 machines, 20,000 Popeye machines (also 1982), and a mere 5000 copies of Donkey J

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Following the release of the Family Computer / Nintendo Entertainment System, the global video game industry began recovering, with annual sales exceeding $ 2.3 billion by 1988, with 70% of the market dominated by Nintendo. In 1986 Nintendo president

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that audiences could relate to, making use of the RPG level-building gameplay as a way to represent this. It also featured elements still found in most console RPGs, like major quests interwoven with minor subquests, an incremental spell system, the

2637:, but bullet hell games were yet more inward-looking and aimed at dedicated fans of the genre looking for greater challenges. While shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D-based genres, popular, long-running series such as 4126:. The design of the Switch was aimed to bridge the polarization of the gaming market at the time, creating a device that could play "leisurely" video games along with games that are aimed to be played "deeply", according to Shinya Takahashi and 1215:, but in Japan, it was more of a surprise to developers, and typically known in Japan as the "Atari Shock". After the video game crash, analysts doubted the long-term viability of the video game industry. At the same time, following a series of 10688: 3289:, and much higher production values. The latter includes innovations such as the use of 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, battles viewed from multiple different angles rather than a single angle, and for the first time full-motion 2942:

further expanded on this by having unique storylines for each character that can change depending on the player's actions, including who is chosen, what is said in conversation, what events have occurred, and who is present in the party.

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The decline of the Japanese video game development industry during this period was partially attributed to the traditional development process. Japanese companies were criticized for long development times and slow release dates on home

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Other Japanese arcade games established new concepts that would become fundamentals in video games. Use of color graphics and individualized antagonists were considered "strong evolutionary concepts" among space ship games. The Namco's

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environment,. The game received considerable acclaim, and is seen as one of the greatest RPGs of all time, for improvements such as its broadened thematic scope, plotlines, characters, multiple-choice scenarios, and variation of play.

2450:, which featured an innovative and original branching storyline, which spans three generations of characters and can be altered depending on which character the protagonist of each generation marries, leading to four possible endings. 3689:

became the strongest player in the arcade market with 60% marketshare in 2006. Despite the global decline of arcades, Japanese companies hit record revenue for three consecutive years during this period. However, due to the country's

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With 2017 year end Japanese sales data from Media Create, the Switch became the fastest-selling home console in Japan in first year sales, with its total sales of 3.2 million units exceeding the 3.0 million units of the

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gameplay established by popular titles to make new ones. However, several new concepts came out of these Japanese-developed games, and performed well in both Japan and in re-licensed versions in the United States, such as Taito's

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does not stop. The fact that enemies can attack or be attacked at any time is credited with injecting urgency and excitement into the combat system. The ATB combat system was considered revolutionary for being a hybrid between

1727:, which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success. 941:) because the developers were unable to render the movement of aircraft; in turn, the aliens replaced human enemies because of moral concerns (regarding the portrayal of killing humans) on the part of Taito. As with subsequent 358:. This is most likely due to many Japanese people having daily, long commutes on the train or bus versus time at home and the mobile phone being portable and convenient. The main characteristic of mobiles games is being 2175:(1986) "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory 17702: 993:. Video game arcades sprang up in shopping malls, and small "corner arcades" appeared in restaurants, grocery stores, bars and movie theaters all over Japan and other countries during the late 1970s and early 1980s. 3352:(1998), introduced an element of narrative to the genre. It was critically acclaimed for its refined design, though it was not released outside Japan and remains a much sought after collector's item. Its successor 4073:, Nintendo had planned to diminish production of the Wii U. It formally announced the end of its production on January 31, 2017. The company had posted its first loss as a video game company in 2012 prior to the 2459:

was one of the first role-playing games to feature a complex, involving plot, placing a much greater emphasis on character development, personal relationships, and dramatic storytelling. It also introduced a new

1692:, he stated that his "designs were always 3D from the beginning. All the calculations in the system were 3D, even from Hang-On. I calculated the position, scale, and zoom rate in 3D and converted it backwards to 1763:

with justice, normal, or evil, which is affected by whether the player kills evil monsters, good monsters, or humans, and in turn affects the reactions of the townsfolk towards the player. In the same year,

7825: 3429:. However, despite the genre's continued appeal to an enthusiastic niche of players, shoot 'em up developers are increasingly embattled financially by the power of home consoles and their attendant genres. 1721:, a rail shooter released in 1985, broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores. 1985 also saw the release of Konami's 17712: 1731:, with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up and spawned a series spanning several sequels. The following year saw the emergence of one of Sega's forefront series with its game 3949:

Architecture used in the previous generation). Nintendo and Sony were not aware that they were all using AMD hardware until their consoles were announced. This shift was considered to be beneficial for

3001:, released for the Super Famicom in Japan, featured eight different characters and stories, with the first seven unfolding in any order the player chooses, as well as four different endings. The game's 1802:

thus made the game more accessible to a wider audience than previous computer RPGs. The game also placed a greater emphasis on storytelling and emotional involvement, building on Horii's previous work

1183:, released in 1982, is frequently cited as the first vertical scrolling shooter and, although it was in fact preceded by several other games of that type, it is considered one of the most influential. 949:". It popularised a more interactive style of gameplay with the enemies responding to the player-controlled cannon's movement, and it was the first video game to popularise the concept of achieving a 7899: 17626: 3975:

on October 31 in Japan, weekly Wii U sales spiked to 38,802 units sold. During the first two weeks of December, the Wii U was the top performing home console in Japan, with 123,665 units sold. In

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which the player uses to interact with the world, in contrast to Japanese console RPGs which depicted pre-defined characters who had distinctive personalities, traits, and relationships, such as

2222:, dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter, and a strategy-based battle system. The game's science fiction story was also unique, reversing the common 1267:

system's hardware limitations led to design principles that still influence the development of modern video games. Many prominent game franchises originated on the NES, including Nintendo's own

17671: 2928:, which introduced the use of pre-programmable combat manoeuvers called 'macros', a means of setting up the player's party AI to deliver custom attack combos. That year also saw the release of 4108:

to develop mobile titles based on Nintendo's first-party franchises, believing this approach would not compromise their integrity. Following Iwata's death in July 2015, Kimishima was named as

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return fire at the protagonist, making them the first arcade game targets to do so. It set the template for the shoot 'em up genre, and has influenced most shooting games released since then.

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which used lights and plastic waves to simulate sinking ships from a submarine. It became an instant success in Japan, Europe, and North America, where it was the first arcade game to cost a

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staple. It was also one of the first games to feature a female protagonist and animated monster encounters, and allowed inter-planetary travel between three planets. Another 1987 title

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was to create a RPG that appeals to a wider audience unfamiliar with the genre or video games in general. This required the creation of a new kind of RPG, that didn't rely on previous

17461: 6062: 5454: 1011:(1981) were especially popular. By 1981, the arcade video game industry was worth $ 8 billion ($ 26.8 billion in 2023). Some games of this era were so popular that they entered 17707: 7041: 17666: 13179: 13083: 4794: 12874: 3775:

has also gained significant popularity on Steam, including hundreds of commercial games. Every year, hundreds of games released on Steam are created using RPG Maker, as of 2017.

13711: 13016: 3218:. However, it failed to make an impact in the marketplace due to its expense relative to other consoles and inability to compete with home computers. Around the mid-1990s, the 17676: 13048: 3890:(processing speed, higher-resolution graphics, and increased storage capacity) that further moved consoles into confluence with personal computers, and furthering support for 2680:

monster-collecting mechanic, where monsters can be defeated, captured, added to the party, and gain their own experience levels, also influenced many later franchises such as

2552:, setting off a renaissance for the arcade game industry in the early 1990s. Its success led to a wave of other popular games which mostly were in the fighting genre, such as 8449: 3311: 17621: 17586: 17541: 13247: 3052:

in 1994. The game was later called the brainchild of company founder Naotoshi Zin, who was considered a key creative figure in the series. The eventual success of the first

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was in the portrayal of the characters, with most American computer RPGs at the time having characters devoid of personality or background as their purpose was to represent

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of the time, the game was set in space as the available technology only permitted a black background. The game also introduced the idea of giving the player a number of "

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of consoles. Nintendo's market position was defined by their machine's increased video and sound capabilities, as well as exclusive first-party franchise titles such as

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considering that they would "cease to be Nintendo" and lose their identity if they attempted to enter it. About three years prior to the Switch's announcement, Iwata,

17661: 17566: 17546: 17436: 13790: 13651: 12751: 12536: 10921: 12131: 490:. In 1985, a Japanese-translated version of D&D was the first TRPG to be published in Japan. TRPGs were not as popular in Japan compared to overseas, but after 17636: 17551: 17531: 17416: 17406: 15825: 13621: 12910: 12340: 8876: 7833: 13405: 9433: 6040: 17681: 17516: 17496: 17486: 17446: 17431: 17426: 13681: 17722: 17641: 17601: 17576: 17556: 17456: 1988:, and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats. Unlike first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, 13309: 9983: 5444: 17561: 17526: 17481: 9795: 8852: 4481: 931:

pitted the player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen at a constantly increasing speed. The game used alien creatures inspired by

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was also a major success, selling millions. There were also other Japanese RPGs that earned commercial success and/or critical acclaim that year, including

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titles. Japanese developers have been increasingly considering Steam as a viable platform for the genre, with many Japanese RPGs available on the platform.

2364:, as well as acquire new and advanced classes and combine class abilities, during the course of the game. That same year also saw the release of Nintendo's 1353:

in 1978. In Japan, both consoles and computers became major industries, with the console market dominated by Nintendo and the computer market dominated by

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Game Genres: Shmups|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Professor Jim Whitehead, January 29, 2007. Accessed June 17, 2008

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system called "Tactics" which allowed the player to modify the strategies used by the allied party members while maintaining full control of the hero.

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generation. In 2011, Sony considered themselves only halfway through a ten-year lifecycle for their seventh-generation offerings. Nintendo president

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which at this time was primarily manufacturing traditional and electronic toys, also entered the arcade game market in the latter part of the 1970s.

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In the 2010s, Japanese RPGs have been experiencing a resurgence on PC, with a significant increase in the number of Japanese RPGs releasing for the

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The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world

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announced that its Wii U sales saw a 75% sales increase. The company also predicted that the Wii U would be more popular than its competition, the

3711:(2007) for Steam, selling over 500,000 units on the platform. This led to many Japanese doujin/indie games releasing on Steam in subsequent years. 8101: 4348:, the highest for a new game launched during January–March 2019 and the third highest of any Japanese game in the platform's history, behind only 14921: 13827: 12506: 10114: 9586: 8365: 6022: 4286: 3380:

in October 2010 for being the "most prolific fan-made shooter series". The genre has undergone something of a resurgence with the release of the

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at any time, and the limit breaks, special attacks that can be performed after a character's limit meter fills up by taking hits from opponents.

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becoming widely popular in Japan, such that local municipalities were forced to place restrictions on where and when the game could be sold, the

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perspective inside buildings, while bosses were fought in an arena-style 2D battle, with the game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment.

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in 1986, RPGs began to gain traction amongst Japanese consumers. Soon after, multiple Japanese publishers were releasing RPG franchises such as

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console, the Super NES eventually took the top selling position, selling 49.10 million units worldwide, and would remain popular well into the

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released in Japan on November 21, 1990; Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours. Despite stiff competition from the

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The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond: the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world

3782:. The Japanese market today is becoming increasingly dominated by mobile games, which generated $ 5.1 billion in 2013, more than traditional 6889: 6070: 15818: 12444: 11547: 11136: 3740:

which became a million-seller on the platform, and other titles that sold hundreds of thousands on Steam, such as the 2014 localization of

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Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines",

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Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines",

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Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines",

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in 1989, is the earliest example of a game with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of modern real-time strategy.

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estimated that more than 500,000 Switch units were sold in Japan within its first month, beating out the PlayStation 4 to this figure.

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stated in 2009 that the Japanese game industry had become "almost xenophobic." He also stated: "The lag with the US is very clear. The

13497: 11906: 11288: 9385: 465:, and others. Gacha games can often have different game elements such as combat and serve as an RPG or contain rhythm game game-play. 15933: 13703: 12644: 11262: 9481: 9046: 5475: 3446: 13956: 13759: 13038: 13002: 12730: 12153: 10665: 10372: 7146: 7066: 3926:

On September 13, 2012, Nintendo announced that the Wii U would launch in Japan on December 8, 2012. The PlayStation 4 and Wii U use

66:, and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming. Japanese game development is often identified with the 15938: 15918: 15908: 15261: 13586: 13427: 11061: 9248: 8457: 7919: 6951: 6199: 5922: 5310: 4191: 4052: 3850: 3698:

702.9 billion (US$ 8.7 billion) in 2007 to ¥504.3 billion ($ 6.2 billion) in 2010. In 2013, estimation of revenue is ¥470 billion.

2401: 2299: 1389: 1106: 13237: 12254: 11976: 11371: 10553: 10169: 7015: 6876: 6852: 6386: 5190: 5162: 5127: 4557: 17651: 15943: 15928: 15923: 15913: 15903: 15811: 15397: 12781: 12606: 11601: 11314: 10079: 8239: 4292: 3979:(FY) 2013 (ending early 2013), Nintendo sold 23.7 million consoles. By February 26, 2014, Wii U sales had surpassed those of the 3742: 3299: 3262: 3219: 2521: 2342: 2307: 2303: 2120: 1102: 878: 726: 13115: 10960: 10873: 10853: 9635: 7862: 7389: 7325: 2910: 1737:. The game received acclaim for its surreal graphics and setting and the protagonist, Opa-Opa, was for a time considered Sega's 155:(NES) internationally. Sony, already one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers, entered the market in 1994 with the 17260: 16439: 13989: 12560: 12372: 10896: 9224: 7487: 7455: 6993: 3285:

raised the possibilities for the genre, with its more expansive world to explore, much longer quest, more numerous sidequests,

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A new type of shoot 'em up emerged in the early 1990s: variously termed "bullet hell", "manic shooters", "maniac shooters" and

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as a coin-op arcade game that was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay.

111: 9204: 5905: 5639: 2625:. Bullet hell games marked another point where the shoot 'em up genre began to cater to more dedicated players. Games such as 15863: 14564: 14078: 13912: 13866: 11772: 10019: 9115: 7172: 6872: 6848: 5594: 5428: 5348: 5183: 5148: 5114: 2782:

content to consoles, though such content had often appeared in Japanese computer RPGs since the early 1980s. That same year,

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reportedly had the highest player rate amongst its owners versus the player rate amongst owners of game consoles such as the

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The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

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The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

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The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

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Page 16: " The domestic market has continued to expand for five years and has set new records for three consecutive years."

11681: 10641: 9334: 3734:, which sold millions on the platform. Other Japanese RPGs were subsequently ported to Steam, such as the previously niche 3414: 3238:

graphics, improved sound, and better 2D graphics, than the previous generation. By 1995, personal computers followed, with

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Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time

13643: 12759: 12528: 12275: 11236: 10913: 3992:, heightened demand for the PS4 helped Sony top global console sales, beating Nintendo for the first time in eight years. 1157:

expanded to over 50 games on multiple systems. As of March 31, 2021, the game series has sold 36 million units worldwide.

889:. Numerous other dedicated home consoles were made mostly by television manufacturers, leading these systems to be called 14734: 13542: 12347: 12081: 8883: 7683: 4361: 2497: 753:

were some of the early adopters of arcade games in Japan, first distributing American games before developing their own.

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Last year, arcade game revenues were approximately $ 5 billion, compared to $ 8 billion in 1981 and $ 7 billion in 1982.

3589:(2022), received critical acclaim and strong sales. They have also received a number of awards, primarily those for the 15790: 15390: 15058: 14682: 13395: 12393: 11574: 10485: 9439: 8938: 7984: 7960: 7651: 5880: 5276: 2082: 1708:

hydraulic arcade cabinets in many arcade games of the late 1980s, two decades before motion controls became popular on

13673: 9799: 7936: 2337:-oriented than their American computer counterparts. During the 1990s, console RPGs had become increasingly dominant. 17320: 17235: 16865: 14697: 14461: 11707: 10143: 8982: 8836: 8406: 7584: 6626: 6560: 6524: 6476: 6369: 6155: 6104: 5862: 5812: 5752: 5715: 5521: 4945: 4916: 4875: 4615:"The Substitution Effect of Mobile Games on Console Games: An Empirical Analysis of the Japanese Video Game Industry" 4262: 4022: 3626: 2056:

was an early stereoscopic 3-D shooter played from a third-person perspective, followed later that year by its sequel

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is a major game genre innovated by Japan and remains popular both domestically and internationally, with titles like

11628: 11223: 8534: 4822:"From Novels to Video Games: Romantic Love and Narrative Form in Japanese Visual Novels and Romance Adventure Games" 4166:

In 2017, Japanese RPGs gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim. The year started strong with

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at $ 3.5 billion and $ 2 billion, respectively. In 2005, arcade ownership and operation accounted for a majority of

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playing card vendor, rose to prominence during the 1980s with the release of the home video game console called the

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introduced a new method of storytelling: segmenting the plot into segregated chapters. The game also introduced an

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Shoot 'em ups featuring characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, became popular in the mid-1980s in the wake of

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Entertainment Computing - ICEC 2009, 8th International Conference, Paris, France, September 3-5, 2009. Proceedings

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However, as detailed above, Japanese console games became less successful, even in their own country, as of 2013.

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within a time limit, or not to respond at all within that time; the player's choice, or lack thereof, affects the

1662: 1623:(1987) introduced the use of special moves that could only be discovered by experimenting with the game controls. 17058: 16997: 16595: 16520: 16240: 15352: 14816: 14692: 14524: 14013: 14002: 13363: 11753:

Sambe, Yukiharu (2009). "Japan's Arcade Games and Their Technology". In Natkin, Stéphane; Dupire, Jérôme (eds.).

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also made advances to the action role-playing game subgenre, being a true action RPG that combined the real-time

449: 13883: 12813: 4763: 4210:. Some Japanese RPGs that were previously considered niche became mainstream million-sellers in 2017, including 1510:

were influential in Japan, where they laid the foundations for the action RPG genre, influencing titles such as

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in the movie industry. With a record-breaking production budget of around $ 45 million, the ambitious scope of

2709: 2069: 2044:, employing slower-paced scrolling than usual, with difficult levels calling for methodical strategies. 1990's 1760: 1382: 107: 14379: 13451: 9773: 8612: 7096: 1629:(1991) established the conventions of the fighting game genre and allowed players to play against each other. 519: 16793: 16515: 16290: 15853: 14519: 14073: 13482: 12581: 11813: 11349: 11087: 9266: 8279: 5722:

going into virtually every location in the country even a few funeral homes had video games in the basements

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was designed to appeal to a younger audience, allowed team customization, and each robot was kept in a ball.

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elements. The trend of combining role-playing elements with arcade-style action mechanics was popularized by

1338:", which it allowed to be used on games and peripherals by publishers that met Nintendo's quality standards. 1116: 1019:. The game was so popular upon its release in 1978 that an urban legend blamed it for a national shortage of 923:

would mark the first major mainstream breakthrough for video games in Japan. Created by Nishikado at Japan's

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