Hideki Kamiya thinks Japan should be proud of ‘JRPG’ and wants to use ‘J-Action’ | VGC
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The PlatinumGames exec addresses recent criticism of the term, which has been accused of being discriminatory…

He added: “So when it comes to the term ‘JRPG’, this is something that ties into this – these are RPG games that, in a sense, only Japanese creators can make with their unique sensitivity when it comes to creating these experiences. “I think it’s certainly something that should be celebrated moving forward, and someone should actually aim to make a ‘king of JRPGs’ game to express that. As Japanese game creators, we’re very proud of the actual term JRPG.”

We asked Kamiya if he’d be offended if people started using the term ‘J-Action’ to describe games like Bayonetta. “On the contrary, I’d be very proud if you used that term,” he replied. “It’s more focused than the broad genre of action, and it highlights the unique elements that only Japanese developers can make. So yeah, if you wanted to do that, go for it, we’d be proud more than anything else.”

Adding J- prefix to Japanese pop culture is not a new thing, we already have endearing terms like

  • Jpop (Japanese pop music)
  • Jrock (Japanese rock)
  • JAV (Japanese Audio Visual collective)
  • Jdorama (Japanese TV drama)
  • Jmetal (Japanese metal music)

I would definitely welcome Kamiya calling his games J-Action.

  • Ilflish@lemm.ee
    0·
    1 year ago

    I disagree with both article and your point. The J is unhelpful when we can just label them turned-based action. This is just an issue of grandfathering a genre which means very little, is incredibly decisive and even unhelpful. It’s easy to imagine someone who like Final Fantasy may like a game like LISA. But harder to suggest someone who like ~~Final Fantasy ~~ Dragon Quest will like Kingdom Hearts, Demon Gaze or Disgaea. Just split JRPGs into mechanical genres. Turn-Based Action, Action RPG, Turn/Tile-based Strategy.

    This issue extends to more genres (Generally RPG and Action) but I think it’s probably the easiest one to start moving away from

    • ampersandrew@kbin.social
      1·
      1 year ago

      There are plenty of turn based western RPGs that aren’t JRPGs, like the brand new Baldur’s Gate 3. If a game is a JRPG, I’m expecting an ensemble cast who each have their own special abilities and weapon type, and they each level up in more or less exactly one way, which I can’t control. Instead, I customize them through equipment, if at all. Dialogue may have choices, but it’s usually between choice A and choice B.

      In a western RPG, I may have a party of characters or only control one, and when I level up, I get points to spend in whichever attributes I think I’ll get the most value out of for the build I’m going for. These skills may result in skill checks that open up different avenues for solving problems in the game than if I had invested in other skills, and these skill checks may come up in dialogue.

      Of course, J or not, the reality of the world is not so binary, and many games have some but not all of these traits or make them more difficult to define, but the J does tell me something.