Why is Japanese Video Game Culture so Different from U.S Research Paper

Why is Japanese Video Game Culture so Different from U.S - Research Paper Example Video game development and promotion is quite different in Japan as compared to the United States. Some of the best-selling games in America include those with more adult-oriented themes that depict combat scenarios or ongoing brutality in head-to-head auto racing. This suggests that there is a large market of youths and adults that find this type of content most appropriate for their gaming needs. Because of the high cultural acceptance of games with brutal or graphic images, there is little restriction on their distribution outside of generic warning labels that describe the nature of the game for concerned parents or children that do not wish to be exposed to bloody or explicit content. In Japan, there is also little regulation in place in the gaming industry, attributable to the high profit margin that games provide in this country as well as different values related to free expression. Japan has the majority of its governmental roots based on their constitution which expresses the importance of free speech and individualized sovereignty over decision-making that should be free of express governmental controls or regulations. Japanese citizens value their individualized rights as consumers as is protected by their constitution. Far beyond the economic value that the gaming industry provides Japanese leadership, cultural beliefs are what drive specific games to find higher sales volumes. Much different than the United States, Japanese game-players prefer games that are less intense and more playful, which supports the high sales of the number one ranked game, â€Å"Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story† for Nintendo DS.