{"id":25748,"date":"2024-01-18T14:28:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T05:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=25748"},"modified":"2024-01-18T14:28:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T05:28:04","slug":"20240118-25748","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20240118-25748\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTake secrets to the grave\u201d Japanese dev\u2019s take on game industry confidentiality causes controversy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A Japanese creator recently voiced their opinions on leaks and confidentiality in the game industry via a thread on X (formerly Twitter). Their strongly worded message advises aspiring game devs to make sure they \u201ctake secrets to the grave.\u201d This post has sparked a discussion, with the issue of simply \u201ckeeping trade secrets\u201d and the more problematic issue of \u201cbeing denied credit for what you\u2019ve worked on\u201d converging.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u81ea\u5206\u304c\u9000\u8077\u3057\u3088\u3046\u3068\u3001\u4f5c\u3063\u3066\u305f\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u304c\u30b5\u7d42\u3057\u3088\u3046\u3068\u3001\u4f1a\u793e\u305d\u306e\u3082\u306e\u304c\u5012\u7523\u3057\u3088\u3046\u3068\u95a2\u4fc2\u3042\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093<br><br>\u4e00\u751f\u3001\u8ab0\u306b\u3082\u8a71\u305b\u306a\u3044&quot;\u79d8\u5bc6&quot;\u3092\u62b1\u3048\u3066\u751f\u304d\u3066\u3044\u304f\u3053\u3068\u306b\u306a\u308a\u307e\u3059<\/p>&mdash; \u820c\u5c71 \u8475 (@tonguewasabi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tonguewasabi\/status\/1747200772188828089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 16, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Post translation: <\/strong><em>Regarding leaks \u2013 and this is especially meant for those who wish to work in a game company \u2013 when there\u2019s something you\u2019re not allowed to tell anyone, this really means \u201canyone.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<br><br><em>Friends and people online are a given, but you absolutely must not tell your family either.<\/em>\u00a0<br><em>You can\u2019t say the name of the game you\u2019re working on.<\/em>\u00a0<br><em>You can\u2019t tell people about how your lifelong dream has come true.<\/em>\u00a0<br><em>Take everything to your grave.<\/em>\u00a0<br><br><em>Even if you resign, even if the game you worked on has been discontinued, even if the company itself has gone bankrupt, this does not change. You must live with these secrets and not tell anyone for the rest of your life.<\/em>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 16, Japanese creator Shitayama Aoi addressed the issue of leaks, warning those who aspire to work in the game industry that confidential company information is something you cannot share even with family. He adds that being a game developer means having to resist the urge to tell people about how you\u2019re finally working on the projects of your dreams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a subsequent post, they mention that creators contributing to gacha games are faced with particularly strict confidentiality requirements, becoming \u201cnameless masters\u201d who are never credited. To conclude, they add a reminder that different contracts exist and that each company decides what it allows its employees to share publicly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Shitayama\u2019s post was addressing the issue of leaks and was intended as a reminder that being vigilant with information is a big part of being a game developer, their words prompted discussion about a certain ethical issue \u2013 confidentiality agreements that deny creators any form of credit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like the example of anonymous gacha game contributors that Shitayama mentioned, companies can bind creators with non-disclosure agreements which can not only prevent them from being credited, but also forbid them from naming titles they worked on in their resumes. For a game developer, a portfolio means everything, so having to treat something you worked on as a blank slate due to legal restrictions puts you at a big disadvantage in terms of career advancement and future work. Many users and developers commented on this practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u3053\u306e\u624b\u306e\u30af\u30ec\u30b8\u30c3\u30c8\u306b\u95a2\u4fc2\u8005\u5168\u54e1\u3092\u8f09\u305b\u305a\u3001\u305d\u308c\u3069\u3053\u308d\u304b\u5b88\u79d8\u7fa9\u52d9\u5951\u7d04\u306b\u3088\u308a\u305d\u306e\u7d4c\u6b74\u3059\u3089\u30ad\u30e3\u30ea\u30a2\u5f62\u6210\u306b\u4f7f\u3048\u306a\u304f\u3059\u308b\u3068\u3044\u3046\u884c\u70ba\u3001\u306f\u3063\u304d\u308a\u8a00\u3063\u3066\u30af\u30ea\u30a8\u30a4\u30bf\u30fc\u305d\u3046\u3044\u3063\u305f\u4ed5\u4e8b\u3092\u3059\u308b\u52b4\u50cd\u8005\u3078\u306e\u5192\u6d9c\u7684\u884c\u70ba\u3060\u3068\u601d\u3046\u306e\u3060\u304c\u3001\u306a\u305c\u672a\u3060\u306b\u3053\u306e\u3088\u3046\u306a\u624b\u6cd5\u304c\u307e\u304b\u308a\u901a\u3063\u3066\u3044\u308b\u306e\u304b\u304c\u8b0e\u3067\u3042\u308b <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WYSxtXeo2T\">https:\/\/t.co\/WYSxtXeo2T<\/a><\/p>&mdash; iBooter (@iBooterOfficial) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iBooterOfficial\/status\/1747234257079267662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 16, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Post translation:<\/strong> <em>This practice of not including all parties involved in credits and even preventing them from using titles in their work records is frankly blasphemous behavior towards creators and I find it a mystery why it still prevails.<\/em>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some users expressed the opinion that companies should be legally required to let creators reveal their involvement in projects after official announcements\/releases have been made.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indie-us Games CEO and game developer @aizen76 also joined the discourse, sharing a personal experience. They stated that they have experienced being \u201ccompletely erased\u201d from the credits of projects they had been deeply involved in. They\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/aizen76\/status\/1747445797556564217?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commented<\/a> that this is a trend in the game industry that needs to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although respecting confidentiality agreements and being careful with internal information is of crucial importance for protecting a company and its employees, there seem to be terms that creators should be pushing back against too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Japanese creator&#8217;s warning to aspiring game devs about keeping internal secrets has sparked discourse about unethical confidentiality practices in the game industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":25751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-25748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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