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Kotaku
While Western developers worry about burnout, Japanese ones dread the possibility of forced exams. Japan loves tests, passing out certificates to those that pass and stamping a big "L" on those that fail. There are examinations for just about everything in Japan. Want to enter pre-school? Take a test. How about a job? Test. Want a license? More on that shortly.
In what has to be the worst idea this week, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) hopes to create an examination system for game creators. It's bureaucracy at its absolute, wretched worst. Often, tests seem designed for people to fail. Take getting a Japanese license for example.
I've driven for eons and consider myself a decent enough driver. Yet, I've failed the test three times—reasons have varied from "too far from the curb" to "slightly slow with the blinker." The pass rate I've witnessed is one in eight students. And no, it's not a racist thing either. My Japanese father-in-law was failed because he turned the steering wheel "funny." And this same breed of nit-picky taskmasters are going to judge game developers? That's a great idea!
Still in the talk phase, hopefully this insipid idea won't come to fruition. I, meanwhile, prepare for my next driving test.
They Also Want to Combine TGS, Tokyo Anime Fair and Tokyo International Film Festival [Japan Probe]
