ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines a wide range of titles from a variety of genres, showing different methods of characterization, narrative and gameplay across different kinds of games. It focuses on arcade and console games rather than PC games, many of which were limited to Japan-only release. The book also examines ideology and critique in Japanese videogames, addressing issues of social breakdown, nuclear power and bioethics in a range of genres from the JRPG through to stealth action, fighting games and survival horror. It analyses the problems inherent in the war game genre in Japan, considering the legacies of nuclear attack and Japan's own colonial history. The book illuminates how players encounter Japanese culture through playing videogames from Japan, in terms of material culture and environment, artistic traditions, and the worldview of Japanese designers, shaped by current events.
