VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
.Ryuki Ishii
Former JP AUTOMATON editor & former AUTOMATON WEST editor in chief (*until May 2023)
Nintendo warns Switch users not to play the console in hot areas as a heatwave continues across Japan
Nintendo’s Japanese customer support Twitter account recently tweeted out a warning reminding users not to play their Nintendo Switch consoles in high temperature areas. Japan is continuing to experience record breaking heat, with some areas reaching 40.2°C (104°F) during the month of June, the highest June temperature recorded in Japan.
Is the concept of leveling in games a waste of time? Gamers and developers in Japan discuss
“I have come to believe that games with leveling systems are a complete waste of time.” This is the title of an opinion piece posted to a Japanese anonymous blog site that has struck up a discussion among Japanese gamers and developers.
What if you could see your coworkers’ HP bar? One company’s system gains attention in Japan
Japanese company Onken made a tweet showing their “coworker HP badges” which began to spread on social media. As the name implies, the badges display an HP bar that workers can pin to themselves to show how much HP they have left in the tank.
Sekai Saionji from School Days becomes a VTuber
Sekai Saionji, one of the heroines from the game and anime series School Days, has made her debut as a VTuber on the YouTube channel of Shiho Kawaragi, who voiced the character in the anime series.
New DAO style share house in Tokyo to use NFTs for residence
Roopt神楽坂DAO (Roopt Kagurazaka DAO), a share house located in Tokyo that uses NFTs, will open in September. One NFT is worth 30,000 yen (around $220) and can be exchanged for a one month stay at the share house.
A pasta restaurant with a robot chef opens in Tokyo
Restaurant chain Pronto are set to open their first エビノスパゲッティ(E Vino Spaghetti) restaurant in Tokyo’s Marunouchi Building on June 30. The restaurant will mainly serve pasta and alcohol, but what really sets it apart is that the pasta will be prepared by an automated robot
Mahjong playing VTubers in Japan will have a chance to go pro
The Nihon Pro Mahjong association will be holding a test specifically for VTubers in February of 2023, with those who pass being qualified as professional mahjong players. VTubers with 1,000 or more subscribers on their YouTube channels are eligible for the test.
Board game about running a Japanese sake brewery is seeking crowdfunding
Chidoriashi, a bar operator in Japan, has started a crowdfunding campaign for a board game about running a sake brewery called Kurasaku. With limited resources such as funds and personnel, players will need to secure their ingredients, invest in equipment, brew their sake, and sell it to run their business.
Trash game competition winners announced, including a visual novel about eating tomatoes
Japanese publishing company Kodansha has announced the winners of their Trash Game Competition (known as kuso games in Japan) which was held in conjunction with the Shangri-La Frontier manga. One of the winners is a visual novel about eating tomatoes.
The free sound library Springin’ Sound Stock gives creators access to over 600 sounds
Free sound library Springin’ Sound Stock provides over 600 free sounds which are also free for commercial use. It includes 10 different categories covering everything from combat and vehicle sound effects to background music, 8-bit sounds, and button pressing effects.
Japan gets a new manga reader app with a language learning twist
The Langaku manga reader app’s key feature is that users can customize the amount of English that appears. Someone may start with only 20% of the text in English and increase the amount as they get more comfortable. The manga on offer includes Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Spy x Family, and more.
Readers who don’t want criticism in a game review. Thoughts on what a new generation of gamers in Japan want
We've noticed less and less interest from our readers regarding game reviews. Maybe we're not providing the kind of information they seek.
YouTuber apologizes after lying about a “first playthrough” of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak demo
Japanese YouTuber Takatin has issued an apology to fans after lying about one of his Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Let’s Play videos. He had initially claimed that the video in question was a first playthrough when it in fact wasn’t.
Japan: 40% of single men in their 20s have never been on a date, according to a survey conducted by the government
In a survey conducted by the Japanese government, 40% of single men in their 20s gave a response of “0” to a question asking how many people they have been on a date with. When looking at the response to the survey results on social media in Japan, it seems that the majority of people were not surprised.
New board game hotel in Japan provides guests with a murder mystery and Werewolf room
A board game hotel called Mimaru Osaka Namba Station is set to open in Osaka, Japan on June 2. In addition to the over 130 different board games available for guests to play, there’s also a special Werewolf and murder mystery room provided for those wanting to immerse in a whodunit experience.
Ib remake to add English support on May 17
PLAYISM has announced that the remake of Ib will receive English language support with the next update Ver.1.03, which is set to go live on May 17 at 6 p.m. (PDT).
Heaven Burns Red limited-time café to open in Tokyo/Osaka
Heaven Burns Red-themed cafés will open in Japan for a limited period between May 19 and July 3. The café’s menu will feature items themed after Heaven Burns Red, along with knife-cut noodles, which is mentioned in the game multiple times as part of a running joke.
Bandai Namco Research’s 3D motion datasets are available for free & can be used for AI R&D purposes
Bandai Namco Research has made a portion of its 3D motion datasets available for free on GitHub. They are meant to be used for AI research and development, and can’t be used for commercial purposes.
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms to release on July 21 for Steam, PS4, and Switch
Beat ‘em up RPG River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is launching outside of Japan on July 21, 2022, for PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The price is set at $29.99.
NieR:Automata themed portable turntable to be sold in Japan
Onkyo has announced a NieR:Automata-themed turntable called Portable Turntable OCP-01 NieR to commemorate the game’s 5th anniversary. Purchasers will receive an original NieR-themed slipmat as a bonus.
Tsushima Island to sell Ghost of Tsushima official merch as souvenirs
Tsushima Island to sell Ghost of Tsushima official merchandise, starting April 29. Although the items are already available online, they're still a welcoming addition as souvenirs.
A survey in Japan shows strong interest in Apex Legends & Jujutsu Kaisen among youth
LINE Corporation published the results of a survey they conducted in March 2022 about recent trends in Japan. Games like Apex Legends, Uma Musume, and Pokémon ranked high in the survey results.