Japan, the West, and Videogames

For roughly 5 years now, the Japanese gaming industry has been experiencing a decline in its overall share of the video games industry worldwide. Numerous developers, creators, and directors have weighed in on this trend, including Tomonobu Itagaki who laid the blame on Japan's 'humorlessness.'

Bear in mind that the most iconic stars of the video game universe are still predominantly Japanese: Mario, Link, Sonic to name a few. But the last decade has seen a seismic shift in the buying patterns of consumers all over the globe. At the turn of the century, the pattern of demand was inverted, with Japanese games being highly demanded in the west, while western efforts, or gaika, went largely ignored in Japan. But much is being made today of Japan's shrinking presence in western consumption habits, even as the video game industry as a whole grows exponentially. And, while Mr. Itagaki is entitled to his opinion, it seems to me Japan has always been a niche market in the west.

The Tyler Cowen

1. This is truly shocking. Despite fully supporting a rehabilitation-focused reset of the American prison system, my monocle almost fell out when I read this article. And yet, all statistics indicate that the system works, at least better than in America.
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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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5. Cyber warfare is more widespread and terrifying than we previously thought.
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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

1. Fantastic article about the history of secretive Korean diplomacy.
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4. Also from The Browser, a damning critique of America's economic situation.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Two wildly different but interesting articles on North Korea, both from 38 North. The first is written like a travelogue and features an impossibly articulate Bangladeshi interlocutor. The second is a drier academic tract on NGO collaboration between the US and the DPRK.
2. More on BitCoin.

The Tyler Cowen

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6. The FUTURE!

The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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2. Terrifying news about antibiotics. Via Marginal Revolution.
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4. More funny stuff from Jon Stewart.

The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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3. Seriously inventive use of technology. 

The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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The Tyler Cowen

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3. Breakdown of a mashup, via Infosthetics.
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5. Big Oil in today's economy.