Atari to Zelda: Japan's videogames in global contexts

摘要

It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to critically engage with video games since they are widely believed to be the fastest-growing form of media over the coming years. One facet of this engagement is attempting to understand how game developers, publishers, and players view games at a cultural level. Important questions arise when video games are thought about at a cultural level, questions such as whether a game is imbued with aspects of the culture within which it was created, and whether those aspects are seen as positives or negatives when the game is seen by someone from a different culture. To the general reader, such questions might not seem important; however, these questions are essential in helping us to understand how media is developed, used, and understood within a global market. This in turn helps us to understand further what is meant by national identity within an increasingly cosmopolitan landscape.