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Denver, 3:53 PM
Fri Nov 27
30 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/20/09
10/20/09
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10/20/09
Not because PSP sales are generally horrific (GT only squeezed 350k according to VGChartz)
Not because it was a port of a PS3 game with remote play.
Not because it costs twice the price of the PS3 version.
No, it is because it is on torrent sites and every single download constitutes an otherwise guaranteed physical sale that is now lost.
Congratulations Q games on the transition from cool inovative indie developer, to souless money grabbing corporation.
Your blinkered and ignorant viewpoint has just guaranteed I'll never be making a purchase of one of your games.
(and no, I won't be torrenting them either) #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
"How many of those that downloaded the game would have bought it if the couldn't have downloaded it?"
You could never get a true answer to this but it's a recurring thought that I have.
10/20/09
If you change the question to "How many that downloaded it then went on to buy it when they wouldn't have normally" it is a different matter, and in an industry where demos are often expected its much harder to argue against. (Not that I wouldn't give it a shot, I do like debates.) #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
I do this all the time with music and (to a lesser extent) games. It's called boredom, coupled with a wish to try new things.
Incidentally, I already spend all my leftover cash from my paycheck on games and music, so I couldn't "consume" any more even if I wanted to. So where's the harm in trying things you would never buy anyway? #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
It's up to each person to take responsibility I guess. I just wish there weren't so many inconsiderate people in the world. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
I like trying my games before I buy them and while a demo could fix, a demo could also just show the highlight of the game to the player which is why I like to download the game, play it (maybe even all the way through. Did that with Mass Effect and then bought it) but if now my download could be a bad thing to an indie developer then I'm a bit torn apart.
Should I just skip downloading it and thus skipping a possibility of buying the game or should I do it? If it wouldn't have been for the fact that I'm unemployed I might have given it a shot from just watching screenshots and such but as of now when I'm really tight on money, it has to be first unfortunately. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
If you have no intention of buying the game whatsoever, you would be right in saying that piracy technically does not directly harm the developer. However the existence of torrents and its like means that you are helping others to get the game as well through seeding.
I don't mean to come across as judgemental, but if you spend part of your money on games how is it that you end up with time to burn? I think most would argue that because you have the avenue of pirating available to you, you're more inclined to spend your money on other things because you can justify not getting more games due to not having any money, but that's not entirely fair.
If I spent my money on cars and clothes, I couldn't then turn around and say "Well, I can have this Armani sweater that I'm not particularly interested in for free because I don't have any money left to spend on it."
And yes, I suppose digital media is non-rivalrous in consumption while a sweater isn't, but I chose a sweater because they can at least be produced in significant amounts rather than expensive sports cars.
@Wolfenstein: I suppose I have placed rather more of a value on time than some people might, as I've said often that there are more games out that I am actively interested in than I can afford to play, let alone ones that I might check out if I could get them for free.
What you're doing is actually explained in economic theory, with you only purchasing the good when you decide you derive sufficient consumer benefit to offset the price of the good. Pirates aren't quite the same, in that they would have to derive 0 pleasure from the good they're consuming, because they get it for free.
@Emilia: Honestly, I would say try the download and decide on whether you like it or not. I have to admit that I sometimes do the same thing with regards to music (though not often, as I tend to get music from friends) and almost never buy manga that I read online. I think that it's better that the game get some exposure and perhaps a bit of word of mouth advertising than get nothing at all.
10/20/09
10/20/09
The problem that I have with this attitude is this - I work long, long days to make games, as do the musicians and manga artists. You USED to be able to do this and count on only a small amount of piracy. Now you see millions of available torrents within the first weeks of release. These do NOT translate to a large number of extra sales, in many cases less. Why would I want to work so hard to do this if people are just going to enjoy my work without giving me something for all the hours, weekends lost nights away from my family?? So then I stop... and then others stop...
One thing most people here do not realise is that the majority of the games industry is kept afloat by a small number of highly saleable, but not great titles. The smaller indie developers and more (interesting) risky titles do not always make money... if you are taking away from their sales, the desire to put money into these titles evaporates. You can't make art on an empty stomach I'm afraid. And I say this as I read about a bunch more of my good friends get laid off today... :( #dylancuthbert
10/21/09
Similarly with manga, reading magazine scans online of things not available in my country doesn't take away from the sales of the physical weekly magazines - manga is released in volumes based on those sales, not on the interest of readers abroad (as there is no way to gauge that interest). I'm quite interested in what Sony might do with the PSP viewer they showed off though.
Gamers seem to be refusing any system that try to move towards making the game industry more like what the music industry has become, with episodic content and its ilk generally being less well received and DLC regularly being criticised. These are measures game makers need to take to reduce piracy, but they end up causing some people with entitlement issues to justify their pirating...it's one of those Catch-22s. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
Hell, some people would pirate even free games. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
I could understand if the game has monetary value but stealing something that is free to begin with, that is a outrage!:p! #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/21/09
10/20/09
Now I'm fairly sure we probably have relatively few people of a pirate like nature here at Kotaku, so yes, that isn't aimed at people at Kotaku, but more a joke, but this is a serious matter all the same.
Piracy may not be truely as big an issue as we are making it out to be, or anything new, etc etc, but all the same, it's damn depressing, specially with the more indie level games like this. These people take a more active interest in their work.
So, in an effort to put my money where my mouth is, I ask, is this available in the UK yet? #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
Sure we probably have Millions of Pirates.
But other sites probably have Billions! #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
I hope that Shooter and Dungeons continue on this streak of awesomeness. We loved X-Men Legends and Baldur's Gate, and we're hoping that PixelJunk Dungeons has a strong story alongside the RPG goodness. And please, don't make it split-screen or turn-based. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
I do love playing it on the PS3 though, I'd wish that they would add more levels.
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08/28/09
I've been striving to work in the gaming industry. I'm currently living in Japan atm, but I'm just an English conversation teacher. Honestly, I don't see myself going anywhere with this career...My contract ends next March, and I'm not going to renew. It's time to pursue something else.
But first, I really need to brush up on my Japanese. It's quite rusty 'cause I hardly ever use it, even WHILE living in Japan. I'm nowhere near fluency, and I still have much studying to do. -_-;
08/28/09
As harsh as that sounds its pretty true unless you held some sort of management position within said company or did some sort of specialized teaching such as business for example.
But yeah seriously study Japanese since that will be one of the first and most important questions they will most likely ask. Also basically is one of the major points that will make or break an interview.
08/28/09
Good lord.
Part of me loves it, part of me hates it. Even with a good grasp of the language and having visited Japan numerous times, I found adjusting to actually living here rather rough. It's almost shameful to say it's been a year and I feel like I'm just finally getting my footing.
If I had to do it all over again, here's what I'd do differently about this past year:
1-Be a lot more socially active. Get on Mixi, rebuild my support base, invite co-workers to dinner/lunch/booze more often. Though it's hard when everyone's working stupid amounts of OT and just wants to go home. I took way too long to get a decent social base outside of work and the loneliness hurt.
2-Be more proactive in getting help. No one's going to automatically know you need a hand, even when they've been in your shoes.
3-Keep up your health. This is easier in Japan to me. I walk everywhere, rice balls are fast food and they're better than any schlock McD's spits out. The medical system here has taken great care of me, but physical health has a great impact on mental. A friend of mine suggested jogging to my favorite soothing music.
4-Make notes on your differences, see how you can use your perspective as strength.
5-Monkey see monkey do. Emulate the habits of successful people as much as you can. Talk to them. Let them know you're passionate about doing what you do. Be a good listener.
6-I'm seconding Witzbold's suggestion of keeping up appearances. There's a lot of that in Japanese culture. The Japanese use the same word for "pretty" and "clean" for a reason.
7-Enjoy the adventure! Do what you can only do in Japan! Carpe diem wherever you go. See Japan's great cultural treasures. Geek out at Comiket. Eat something raw you've never had raw before.
That's it for my additions, I agree with much of what's been said before.
Thanks for reading!
08/28/09
08/28/09
08/28/09
Wear a motherfucking suit. Since I have seen enough idiots who have tried to get into the industry by dressing like something a frat filled fail college spit out.
Not to mention wear it NICELY.
08/28/09
Same goes for when the interview actually goes down. A lot of times they will have someone in the room whos main purpose would be to watch how you act during the whole interview process.
08/28/09
Is it only okay if you're playing one of their games? lol
Seriously though, i've always wondered this.
08/28/09
Just sit there and wait. Or at least organize your stuff / get mentally prepped for all of what you want to say / answers ready for questions that will be asked.
The reason for this is you should be focused on the interview / mentally prepping yourself for it. It doesnt look good when you are doing something that will make you appear as if you are passing the time depending on who sees you it could appear in a negative light. So its always best to try not to dig yourself into a hole if you can help it.
If you do bring any of that stuff keep it in your bag.
Also turn the mobile phone off, since in a quiet meeting room vibration can be heard and "could" count as a negative mark against you for not turning the phone off.
Also always bring extra copies of the resume / documents that you would like to show for others just in case. Around 5 copies is a safe number. You shouldnt meet more than 5 people anyways on the first meeting. Usually its from 1-3. Second meeting is where more folks will come out.
08/27/09
The piece of advice which seems most prevalent is that speaking Japanese is a necessity for participating in Japanese business. It's a subtle language with a dense cultural barrier and learning it is no simple task.
I thought I was really slick and had an aptitude for it because I was able to pick up a couple (useless) phrases from anime. One year of Japanese in college set me straight.
If you are one of those people who plans on learning Japanese in the indeterminate future, start memorizing hiragana, katakana and kanji YESTERDAY. It's something you can train yourself to learn without any real supervision and it will be an enormous boon when you start tackling actual grammar.
08/27/09
On a sidenote, hirigana is pretty easy to learn as its the most phonetic form to write the language. Katakana and kanji are two I didn't get to touch.
08/28/09
08/27/09
When I was in Japan last year I have to admit that life (particularly office life) is tough there. I saw people working in their offices well into midnight. It's definitely not easy to get used to a culture like that. My friend there told me it was pretty standard to work long hours each day.
This article just re-enforces the fact that this is definitely something that requires a lot of consideration before attempting due to the sheer commitment required to work in Japan's gaming industry. Not just the gaming industry but any industry. A different country, a different culture.
Bravo, Mr. Ashcraft for the good read.
08/27/09
08/27/09
Sure, It might not be easy for everyone, but it's probably the easiest way in anyway. Lot's of schools are looking for teachers all the time.
08/27/09
As for teaching, NOVA wasn't the only chain in Japan. Berlitz is huge and tends to pay better. AEON is easier to get into but I have heard some bad stories. Also lots of private juku (cram schools) use recruiting services to hire people from abroad to work in Japan. I knew a couple teachers who were hired via their university contacts to do JET work but on a private contract. You have to be very careful with contracts... a lot of them can be pretty awful.
Also a common technique is to take a crummy contract and break it after the first year to work at a better school. Some English schools only take people who are already in country and those tend to offer better pay/contracts. Of course your goal theoretically would be to break contract to work in a games company but that might not happen your first year realistically especially if you are trying to learn Japanese at the same time.
If you think you are going to get stuck teaching English for a while you can get a "Teaching English as a 2nd Language" certification that you can do online even will seriously boost your efforts from what I have heard.
With the economy being terrible sure there are less jobs but everyone wants an edge in getting hired... learning English is what will keep a lot of Japanese people competitive in the applications process so I don't think English schools are going anywhere.