Re:Yeah, that's interesting until you consider...
on
Japan's Empire of Cool
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· Score: 2, Informative
"If you doubt their racism, ask why they still have stores and places of business that advertise "Japanese Only"? "
Hmm...the only places I know with signs like that are brothels (due to the much higher incidence of AIDS in foreigners than in Japanese) and in baths up in Hokkaido that have had numerous run-ins with drunken Russian sailors who refuse to clean themselves up before getting in the communal tub. I'm not sure either has to do with racism directly, any more than blood transfusions from Brits being denied in the States does.
Agreed. A culture of violence is created by a pop culture of violence, not by one single violent facet. I think the violence in movies / tv is more harmful than video games as well. The only thing I would disagree about is that kids are "taught" to form cliques and pick on people in school. Watching interactions between my girlfriends' 2 year old niece and her friends, it's pretty evident that being an asshole is pretty much part of human nature, and school just happens to be where you spend the majority of your time until you're mature enough to reign in your inherent horribleness.
I'm certainly not stupid enough to believe that a video game is the sole cause of increased violence. I just wonder about the argument that violence in video games is not a factor at all.
" And you're akin to the idiot who says a piece of art sucks because the entire picture is a white backround with a red dot in the middle of it."
Actually, he's more like the cousin from the country who doesn't have a lot of book-learning, but has the common sense to point out when crap is crap, while all the sycophants around him fall all over themselves to make themselves look sophisticated.
Yeah, but it's not like the games are throwing Christmas decorations at you every day from Thanksgiving, just Christmassy orientation on Christmas day itself. If you find that sad, gotta say, that's a bit of the grinch.
"Why would you want to flood the market with another audio standard when MP3 is the defacto standard everyone has come to know and love?"
Because MP3 is proprietary. Ogg Vorbis is free, in every sense of the word. It's also technically better, which is nice.
Ok, rephrased; why would it make financial sense for a company to flood the market with another audio standard when MP3 is the defacto standard everyone has come to know and love?
By the way, (very offtopic) I realized that you were the one who mentioned bubbles floating downwards in Guiness. Someone pointed out that antibubbles are bubbles formed by a membrane of air surrounding more liquid. However, one of the links in the thread to an explanation of antibubbles pointed out that, while this is true, antibubbles tend to float downwards, so it looks like you were both right.
And thanks for the grammar points. Right on about the subjunctive mood, and I realized upon reading that I don't even know the difference between ie. and e.g., so it's time to look at Mr. Dictionary.
I'm not too impressed by rail shooters, but Rez is like meditation on a game disc. Sure, if you don't like the musical aspect, then the game will seem bland, but that's like playing Splinter Cell and not liking the stealth aspects.
I can't speak for all of Asia, but the general view in Japan before the XBox came out was caution. People weren't dogging the system, but there weren't many fanboys either. People didn't know what to expect. However, when it came out, Microsoft got hit by a 1-2 punch. First, the XBox is huge. I own one, and love it, but I actually remember, before buying it, calculating where in my room I would have space for it. Admittedly, my apartment was so small even Japanese were surprised, but in a market where space is a commodity, making the largest system was a huge minus. Then, and far more damaging, was the CD scratching issue, which Microsoft tried to completely blow off. If I remember right, their stance was "the scratches don't affect game playability, so ignore it." BAD move. That's a bad approach anywhere, but in Japan, customer service fucking rocks. Sure, things are overpriced, sure, companies have a lot of control, but when a product ships with a malfunction, you fix it, apologize profusely, and hope to god that it doesn't do your product in. Microsoft's going to the other extreme of dismissing the complaints struck a humongous disonant chord, and even after Microsoft relented and took back the defective units for repairs, XBox sales never really took off.
Past that, it's just been the standard snowball effect of "few users, so few companies produce games for the system. Few games for the system, so few people buy the system." Keep in mind that the Japanese XBox has something like 1/3 of the number of games that the U.S. one does, and the actual breakdown is more depressing: while not having games like GTAIII, SSX 3, KOTOR, Tony Hawk, etc., they do have separate Mah Jong, Shogi, Igo, and Othello games. Sure, people like these types of games, but nobody decides to buy a system because of them. The Japanese selection of games, while having a few bright stars, is basically a collection of muck. I even distinctly remember them hyping Nezumikkusu (Sneakers) as a groundbreaking flagship game.
Sorry, a little long-winded. Still, I would say that XBox's failure in Japan was less due to cultural perceptions of Japanese customers, and more to do with Microsoft not trying to adapt to the Japanese culture. That is, it wasn't so much the perceptions as the actual reality that shut down XBox viability in Japan.
Personally, I was one of the dumb ones who bought an XBox here when it first came out. Luckily, no scratching problem, but when I noticed that all the games I wanted to play were released only in America (note that my tastes differ from Japanese tastes, as I am American), and the Japanese games were scraping the barrel bottom, I eventually caved in and bought a US XBox. I now have a great game system that I enjoy, sitting on top the biggest, blackest region 2 DVD player on the market.
Amen. Here in Japan, PC gaming has traditionally been the field of the uberdorks, and has quite a bit of stigma attached to it. Early broadband penetration in Korea has resulted in the opposite happening. Favored games also differ greatly, with RTS being a minor subgenre in Japan, while in Korea...well, you know.
No, I'm pretty sure about the calorie/Calorie distinction (due to a very long, arduous science project back when I was in school where I made a (horribly inaccurate) calorimeter), and I'm very sure about the term kilocalorie being used in Japan (I'm a Japanese translator), but your point is very well taken that using calories/Calories instead of Joules makes as much sense as using Fahrenheit instead of centigrade. Ick.
As an aside, I wonder how many slashdot users realize that the only other countries in the world besides the U.S. that haven't officially switched to the metric system are Liberia and Myanmar.
"The best deal is in Japan, though, where it's doing just as poorly"
Pricewise, true, but the amazing dearth of games released for the Japanese system mean that you're essentially buying an expensive paperweight. Sure, there are a few of the top games available here in Japan, but 70% or so of the highly reviewed XBox titles have not been released in Japan. That's why I have an American XBox instead.
Random side-note about lower and upper-case meaning distinctions: the proper spelling of what North Americans call "calories" is "Calories", and, when spoken aloud, is pronounced "kilo-calories". A calorie is the energy needed to raise 1 ml of water 1 degree centigrade. That's pretty much nothing when it comes to food, so kilo-calories are used. However, consistent sloppy handling of the "calorie" "Calorie" distinction (plus a pretty silly orthographic approach in the first place) has resulted in people describing foods being in the hundreds of calories, instead of hundreds of thousands.
Japan, by the way, uses the word "kilocalorie" instead (Anonymous Cowards, please feel free to cleverly rewrite this as "kirocarolie"). Of course, they also call the element Na "Natrium", instead of Sodium, so they can be pretty accurate when it comes to technical terms. Now if only they'd stop using totally different words for water when it's hot and water when it's cold, I'd be set.
I'm skipping the "F" because I don't want to come off as too much of a heavy, but as long as people don't read the article this discussion runs the risk of being completely off topic.
This is not a 100 Mbps (or MBps) connection to the internet. This is a private WAN between the connected institutions.
That means, unless you work or attend one of those institutions, no spam, no mp3s, no pron, no blocking of websites, nothing.
So what happens to geeks in places like Houston, where the flood risk means houses don't have basements?
(Note, I am from Houston but moved out when I went to college and haven't lived there since, so I'm not really sure about the whole geek living situation)
Hmmm...Since the average annual income in India is $500, you might be surprised by the dearth of buyers. Still, with VHS, I suppose it is possible (the likelihood of your customers owning a DVD player, however, approaches nil)
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"If you doubt their racism, ask why they still have stores and places of business that advertise "Japanese Only"? "
Hmm...the only places I know with signs like that are brothels (due to the much higher incidence of AIDS in foreigners than in Japanese) and in baths up in Hokkaido that have had numerous run-ins with drunken Russian sailors who refuse to clean themselves up before getting in the communal tub. I'm not sure either has to do with racism directly, any more than blood transfusions from Brits being denied in the States does.
Agreed. A culture of violence is created by a pop culture of violence, not by one single violent facet. I think the violence in movies / tv is more harmful than video games as well. The only thing I would disagree about is that kids are "taught" to form cliques and pick on people in school. Watching interactions between my girlfriends' 2 year old niece and her friends, it's pretty evident that being an asshole is pretty much part of human nature, and school just happens to be where you spend the majority of your time until you're mature enough to reign in your inherent horribleness.
I'm certainly not stupid enough to believe that a video game is the sole cause of increased violence. I just wonder about the argument that violence in video games is not a factor at all.
The whole movie was like a bad fortune cookie.
"There's nothing more sexy than a hot, sexy, curvy chick who shoots guns and is actually a cyborg."
Nothing?
Ah, well, the internet is full of weird fetishes, so I shouldn't be surprised.
" And you're akin to the idiot who says a piece of art sucks because the entire picture is a white backround with a red dot in the middle of it."
Actually, he's more like the cousin from the country who doesn't have a lot of book-learning, but has the common sense to point out when crap is crap, while all the sycophants around him fall all over themselves to make themselves look sophisticated.
" Video games aren't the problem."
Evidence? Or am I just supposed to take your word?
Yeah, but it's not like the games are throwing Christmas decorations at you every day from Thanksgiving, just Christmassy orientation on Christmas day itself. If you find that sad, gotta say, that's a bit of the grinch.
Ok, rephrased; why would it make financial sense for a company to flood the market with another audio standard when MP3 is the defacto standard everyone has come to know and love?
Hehe.
By the way, (very offtopic) I realized that you were the one who mentioned bubbles floating downwards in Guiness. Someone pointed out that antibubbles are bubbles formed by a membrane of air surrounding more liquid. However, one of the links in the thread to an explanation of antibubbles pointed out that, while this is true, antibubbles tend to float downwards, so it looks like you were both right.
And thanks for the grammar points. Right on about the subjunctive mood, and I realized upon reading that I don't even know the difference between ie. and e.g., so it's time to look at Mr. Dictionary.
Point taken. I guess what I mean to say is simply that not everyone who happens to dislike something mainstream does so because it's mainstream.
" Rez is a total rip-off of Panzer Dragoon"
Only if you have your speakers turned off.
I'm not too impressed by rail shooters, but Rez is like meditation on a game disc. Sure, if you don't like the musical aspect, then the game will seem bland, but that's like playing Splinter Cell and not liking the stealth aspects.
I can't speak for all of Asia, but the general view in Japan before the XBox came out was caution. People weren't dogging the system, but there weren't many fanboys either. People didn't know what to expect. However, when it came out, Microsoft got hit by a 1-2 punch. First, the XBox is huge. I own one, and love it, but I actually remember, before buying it, calculating where in my room I would have space for it. Admittedly, my apartment was so small even Japanese were surprised, but in a market where space is a commodity, making the largest system was a huge minus. Then, and far more damaging, was the CD scratching issue, which Microsoft tried to completely blow off. If I remember right, their stance was "the scratches don't affect game playability, so ignore it." BAD move. That's a bad approach anywhere, but in Japan, customer service fucking rocks. Sure, things are overpriced, sure, companies have a lot of control, but when a product ships with a malfunction, you fix it, apologize profusely, and hope to god that it doesn't do your product in. Microsoft's going to the other extreme of dismissing the complaints struck a humongous disonant chord, and even after Microsoft relented and took back the defective units for repairs, XBox sales never really took off.
Past that, it's just been the standard snowball effect of "few users, so few companies produce games for the system. Few games for the system, so few people buy the system." Keep in mind that the Japanese XBox has something like 1/3 of the number of games that the U.S. one does, and the actual breakdown is more depressing: while not having games like GTAIII, SSX 3, KOTOR, Tony Hawk, etc., they do have separate Mah Jong, Shogi, Igo, and Othello games. Sure, people like these types of games, but nobody decides to buy a system because of them. The Japanese selection of games, while having a few bright stars, is basically a collection of muck. I even distinctly remember them hyping Nezumikkusu (Sneakers) as a groundbreaking flagship game.
Sorry, a little long-winded. Still, I would say that XBox's failure in Japan was less due to cultural perceptions of Japanese customers, and more to do with Microsoft not trying to adapt to the Japanese culture. That is, it wasn't so much the perceptions as the actual reality that shut down XBox viability in Japan.
Personally, I was one of the dumb ones who bought an XBox here when it first came out. Luckily, no scratching problem, but when I noticed that all the games I wanted to play were released only in America (note that my tastes differ from Japanese tastes, as I am American), and the Japanese games were scraping the barrel bottom, I eventually caved in and bought a US XBox. I now have a great game system that I enjoy, sitting on top the biggest, blackest region 2 DVD player on the market.
Amen. Here in Japan, PC gaming has traditionally been the field of the uberdorks, and has quite a bit of stigma attached to it. Early broadband penetration in Korea has resulted in the opposite happening. Favored games also differ greatly, with RTS being a minor subgenre in Japan, while in Korea...well, you know.
No, I'm pretty sure about the calorie/Calorie distinction (due to a very long, arduous science project back when I was in school where I made a (horribly inaccurate) calorimeter), and I'm very sure about the term kilocalorie being used in Japan (I'm a Japanese translator), but your point is very well taken that using calories/Calories instead of Joules makes as much sense as using Fahrenheit instead of centigrade. Ick.
As an aside, I wonder how many slashdot users realize that the only other countries in the world besides the U.S. that haven't officially switched to the metric system are Liberia and Myanmar.
"The best deal is in Japan, though, where it's doing just as poorly"
Pricewise, true, but the amazing dearth of games released for the Japanese system mean that you're essentially buying an expensive paperweight. Sure, there are a few of the top games available here in Japan, but 70% or so of the highly reviewed XBox titles have not been released in Japan. That's why I have an American XBox instead.
Random side-note about lower and upper-case meaning distinctions: the proper spelling of what North Americans call "calories" is "Calories", and, when spoken aloud, is pronounced "kilo-calories". A calorie is the energy needed to raise 1 ml of water 1 degree centigrade. That's pretty much nothing when it comes to food, so kilo-calories are used. However, consistent sloppy handling of the "calorie" "Calorie" distinction (plus a pretty silly orthographic approach in the first place) has resulted in people describing foods being in the hundreds of calories, instead of hundreds of thousands.
Japan, by the way, uses the word "kilocalorie" instead (Anonymous Cowards, please feel free to cleverly rewrite this as "kirocarolie"). Of course, they also call the element Na "Natrium", instead of Sodium, so they can be pretty accurate when it comes to technical terms. Now if only they'd stop using totally different words for water when it's hot and water when it's cold, I'd be set.
Good thing they won't be connecting to the internet, then, eh?
How about a nice hot cup of RTFA.
Only if mom's dead, of course.
I'm skipping the "F" because I don't want to come off as too much of a heavy, but as long as people don't read the article this discussion runs the risk of being completely off topic.
This is not a 100 Mbps (or MBps) connection to the internet. This is a private WAN between the connected institutions.
That means, unless you work or attend one of those institutions, no spam, no mp3s, no pron, no blocking of websites, nothing.
Er...don't expect to see anything if you're not at one of the linked institutions. This is not an internet link, it's a private WAN.
Sorry, from the article, it's going to be a direct (i.e. non-internet) link between the three. No pron for you.
So what happens to geeks in places like Houston, where the flood risk means houses don't have basements?
(Note, I am from Houston but moved out when I went to college and haven't lived there since, so I'm not really sure about the whole geek living situation)
Hmmm...Since the average annual income in India is $500, you might be surprised by the dearth of buyers. Still, with VHS, I suppose it is possible (the likelihood of your customers owning a DVD player, however, approaches nil)