Why are esports less of a thing in Japan than overseas? Japanese users discuss 

A recent article exploring the reasons why Japan’s esports scene is yet to reach a level of popularity that can be seen in other countries has sparked discussion among users. While some consider it’s only a matter of time until Japan catches up to the international scene, others think that the concept of esports itself may not be that compatible with Japanese peoples’ idea of gaming. 

Speaking for J-Cast, Japanese game journalist Takuya Watanabe gives his analysis on why esports have not taken off yet in Japan. As a main factor, he cites device preferences. While PC and mobile gaming are overwhelmingly dominant overseas, Japan still has a rather pronounced demographic favoring console gaming. As an example, he names the Korean culture of PC bangs (LAN gaming centers/internet cafes) and significant popularity of mobile games (particularly battle royale games) in Southeast Asia. 

Watanabe offers the opinion that, if more Japanese users were to drift towards PC or mobile gaming in the future, it would naturally lead to esports becoming more popular. As for why Japanese esports can’t grow in the world of console gaming, Watanabe explains certain legal circumstances that make things difficult – in Japan, managing an esports tournament that uses video game consoles is legally considered as operating a game center, which makes them complicated to organize. 

Watanabe concluded his argument by saying that esports cannot be expected to rise in popularity in Japan over night, but that the efforts of developers to market their individual titles as esports games (as in, by holding tournaments, nurturing communities, maintaining rules) will be crucial to the process. 

On the other hand, users reacting to the article on X and Yahoo News had varied responses to this point of view. Some believe that esports are a lot more popular in Japan than is presented, citing examples of Japanese arenas regularly being packed for occasions such as the Valorant Champions Tour. Users also suggested that, while players themselves are invested in esports, Japanese media outlets are not really matching their fervor, which stumps esports from becoming widely known. 

Some responses also indicated that Japanese gamers may feel a resistance to the term “esports” itself. Japan has a longstanding video game culture which developed in a relatively isolated way compared to other places, so it’s not surprising some people may wish for video games to just continue being played and enjoyed as just “video games,” regardless of whether it’s casual or competitive.