Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the idea of ‘Japanese Culture as Playable Object.’ It analyzes Katamari Damacy as an example of nostalgia and kitsch, considering the idea of Japanese culture itself as a global and marketable product. The book explores the distinctive vision of the Japanese past in Okami, created with a narrative focus on traditional Japanese legend and the use of visual signs such as written Japanese characters in the art background. It focuses on the representation of Japan in the fighting game genre. The book also examines character construction to show the privileging of Japanese characters over others, and the binary construction of Japan versus America that appears time and time again in the genre. It examines ‘Ideology and Critique in Japanese Games,’ as videogames express the concerns that Japanese people have about life in their country.