Let’s Get Serious: Japanese Fallout New Vegas Ad is Trolling

I find it fascinating to be on the other side of things: watching Japan become excited for a game made in the U.S., rather than the other way around.  As you can imagine this is not the norm. The above ad caught my attention yesterday and it struck a chord. The image features a number of post-apocalyptic looking protesters complaining about the doldrums of Japanese RPGs.  Again this is the opposite of what I am used to, normally having to listen to Westerners complain about JRPGs while stating that Western RGPs are better because you can fuck elves or whatever.

Here are some quotes from the protesters:

• “I think it would be good if the hero had missions that weren’t only about destroying evil.”
• “The player is weak, the enemy is weak. That’s way too convenient.”
• “When did games become something you watch?”
• “Because the story doesn’t change, what’s the point of playing it again?”
• “Games nowadays are focusing way too much on photorealism.”
• “What’s a game that’s moving in accordance to the scenario? It’s the same as living on rails.”
• “Levelling up is time for motivation down!”
• “The stage has been set. After that, you’re free to do whatever!”

_{source (regrettably)}

I want to argue, but am not sure with whom to argue with.  Is it Bethesda?  Japan? Obsidian?  The elf-fuckers?

I don’t claim that JRPGs are better than WRPGs, because honestly, the value of each is unique to the person playing it.  What I do know is that it’s not fair to compare a single game (in this case FNV) with an entire sub-genre — that’s like pitting a pelican against a killer whale, and we all know how that ends. So who do we slap on the wrist for this fine example of successful troll being successful?

Does the fault lie in Obsidian and Bethesda for using this tactic as advertising?  Partially.  Using generalization and polarization to generate attention and publicity is not a new tactic.  By forcing existing opinions to become further black and white, you make people passionate enough to get a sale.  Classy.  I almost fell for it — this almost turned into a post defending JRPGs.  You better believe there will be around fifty of those by the end of the day.

Does the fault lie with Japan?  One could argue so.  The country consumes its own software — especially JRPGs — in record breaking quantities, whereas Western RPGs… not so much.  In the West there are a growing number of gaming distributors that localize Japanese titles and the demand is growing (though occasionally ignored).  This results in the American gaming market being far more diverse whereas the Japanese market is less so.  For this reason I can understand the advertisement highlighting the game as something new or different as a selling point.

Are divisions between genres to blame?  Maybe.  They are a convenient way to lump games, separate them, make them recognizable as quickly and easily as possible.  Lately there have been more games that dip into a variety of genres (Fallout New Vegas is classified by many as an FPS) yet people feel the need to maintain these mental borders.  Naturally, if gamers have these preconceptions they will be targeted by advertising campaigns which force people to pick a side and put their money where their mouth is.

We as gamers and intelligent members of the Internet community should not let this ad accomplish its goal of dividing us with trivial debates.  It can be hard when the source of the problem is unclear, just keep this in mind: gaming is fun for a lot of us, but business to some of us.

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