IT 398/599 Topics in Global IT -- CDM Japan
Assignment #1 (due Friday, Oct 24)

Overview:

For this assignment, you do a background research on the Japanese computer/video games and animation -- the characteristics of Japanese games and animation/anime, and the current issues which the Japanese gaming and animation industries are facing.  Then you write a report, and present it to the rest of the group.

Specifics:

1. You must work in teams of 2 or 3 people for this project; teams of one are not allowed.  You might self-select your team members, in which case you must communicate to us the full roster of the team.  Or if you are not sure what to do, you can ask us to assign you to a team.
2. Each team selects a research topic.  See below for the list of suggested topics.  If you want to do a topic that is not in the list, you must communicate to us to get an approval.
3. Each team writes a/one report on the topic.  The report will be a compilation of the individual sections written by all members in the team, and must be coherent as a whole (that is, the report starts with an introduction, and sections are organized to follow the flow of the context). 
   • After selecting a topic, members in a team get together to discuss the content (i.e., sections/sub-topics), and decide who will be responsible for what section(s).
   • Every member does his/her research and writes one or more sections, for a minimum of 3 pages (worth of text -- without counting figures).
     [To clarify, each/one member writes at least 3 pages (worth of text).]
   • After all sections are written, somebody in the team put them together to create a single, final report (in one file).
4. Use the internet to do your research.  Read industry news, interviews, etc.  You know what to do.  You are also more than welcome to use other information sources such as printed books and magazines.
5. The report must be objective, in particular,
   • Avoid statements which express your personal opinions or reactions.
   • Describe (or even quote) opinions or statements made by industry people (e.g. well-known game developers, anime directors).  Try to get multiple views on a given subject (e.g. "On such-and-such aspect, one person is saying this, while another person is saying that.") 
6. The report must also include relevant statistics (REQUIRED), such as "2007 Sales of Video Games by genre".  For example, "Clash of the cultures" has a statement "Why are American sales charts dominated by the likes of big, burly men with guns, while the Japanese flock towards fanciful RPGs?"  Find the facts/data which support such statements.  If all possible, obtain data for the U.S. and Japan for the same statistic so that you can compare the two countries.  Use graphs, charts, tables etc. in the report effectively to present the statistics.
   For your reference, here are some recent statistics on the game industry: "2008 Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry" and "Edge's Top 20 Publishers 2008".
7. Each team makes a 15-minute presentation on the topic/report in the 2nd pre-trip meeting (tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 24).  All members in a team must contribute in creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Required Reading

Read at least one from below (one(s) of your interest).  These are reports (written by Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO))  on Japanese video games/anime/manga markets, exports and industry business models.  Although you might not use these information directly in your report, they are informative and provide an excellent context for your research.

• JETRO-market_info_game.pdf
• JETRO-market_info_anime.pdf
• JETRO-market_info_manga.pdf

Suggested Topics:

• Gaming-related
  1. Characteristics of Japanese games
     This article, "Clash of the cultures", might be a good starting point.  Although it's only a theory by the author of the article, some of the cultural factors and values raised there may be true or agreed by many people.  Here is another good article which talks about suggested game designs for Western game makers to penetrate the Japanese market.  In your summary, you should focus on a couple of cultural aspects and discuss each one in a relative depth, rather than presenting an array of people's opinions with no elaboration.
      
  2. Developing games for global market
     Japan is the largest exporter of games (software & hardware combined) in the world.  There are a number of aspects and issues involved in developing games for global/overseas market, including:
     • Localization -- changing the content of the games for different languages, cultures, religions, etc. of the target countries or regions.  As an example, here is an article on the gender differences in spoken Japanese.  Here is another article, an interview with Japanese developers who created a DS game with Disney. 
     • Product design -- export "Japanese contents", or create games which have an appeal in the target market (or both)?  For example, here is an article on Sega's strategy for global development.
     • Piracy and copy-rights issues
        
  3. Online games
     Online games have been growing rapidly all over the world.  In particular, East Asia (Japan, China and South Korea) is one of the fastest growing regions of online games.  Do a  research on the market trends, products, user tendencies, country-specific regulations, current issues, etc. with a particular focus on Japan.
     This report by IGDA, "2004 Web & Downloadable Games White Paper" (2mb - pdf), would be a good reference.
      
  4. Other gaming topics
     Here are some other, smaller gaming-related topics.  Pick two or more topics (from below or something you are interested in), and for each one, do research on the market trends, products, user tendencies, current issues, etc. with a particular focus on Japan.
     • Mobile games -- reference: "2005 Mobile Games White Paper" (844kb - pdf)
     • Casual games -- reference: "2006 Casual Games White Paper" (2.2mb - pdf)
     • Arcade games
     • Middleware, Game engines, Development tools -- There are not many middleware vendors in Japan.  Find out why.
     • Demographics of gamers -- Do women play games in Japan?  Kids?  Senior people?  Also, what kind of games do they play (as compared to the games played by American women/kids/senior people)?
        
• Animation-related
  5. Characteristics of Japanese anime
     Japanese anime has distinct artistic styles and deep storylines.  Also in Japan, anime is made for people of all ages (not just for children).  Do an extensive research on the characteristic of Japanese anime on various aspects, for example:
     • characteristics of the art
     • characteristics of the animation methods and techniques
     • popular themes/genres (e.g. mecha, sci-fi)
     • contents -- Does anime contain too much sex or violence?

     Here are some good introductory articles -- Nipponia and Creative Japan.
      

  6. Business models of Japanese anime
     In Japan, anime is a huge business, and it cuts across media -- Many anime is based on manga.  TV anime programs are first broadcasted, then made into DVD's.  Additionally, feature-length films are made on a regular basis.  Theme songs are made into music CD's.  Games are created from anime.  Toys and goods are made from anime characters.  Anime is used even on pachinko machines (no joke!!)  TV commercials feature anime characters... etc. etc.  Those media contents are exported to other countries as well.
     What are the revenue sources of Japanese anime companies?  How is the sales "distributed" among the entities involved?  How does the copy-right/licensing work in this industry (which is called the "Contents Industry" in Japan, encompassing manga, anime, games, movies, music and books/magazines)?
      
  7. Various issues in Japanese anime
     There are a number of issues which the Japanese anime industry is facing, for example,
     • Market saturation (and low quality products)
     • Localization (especially content edits)
     • Illegal downloads, Fansub
     • Piracy

Deliverables:

1. (15 points) The team report.  Every member of a team submits the (same) final report, on COLweb. 
   The report must have:
   • Course number (IT 398/599), Assignment number (#1), and Date
   • Team research topic
   • Full names of all team members
   • Name of the author for each section (i.e., who wrote the section)
2. (5 points) The presentation slides.  Every member of a team submits the (same) presentation file, on COLweb.
3. (10 points) A 15 minutes presentation to be given in the October 24 session (tentative).

Grading:

This assignment is worth 30 points. Complete and well edited reports/presentations will receive at least 20 points. More credit will go to those that provide thoughtful and specific descriptions and explanations.