Do Japanese Girls like videogames?

[sodapple]

皆さん、こんにちは

Here in my country to play vidoegames is for kids, silly and lazy people. Of course except for those who play them, like me And if a girl knows you like videogames forget it she maybe never think you're smart again. Perhaps it's because the culture here but to the girls almost don't like video games I heard in Japan to many girls like videogames so much as the boys...

:shock: is that true? Ah! and also they lile manga and anime too?

またね！がんばれえ！
モ－セ

[Taurus]

I think that depends on the Japanese girl in question. I know my girlfriend had some interest in games before she met me - she used to like playing the odd survival horror. Now she likes the occasional DS game (like Phoenix Wright, for example), but she doesn't tend to play console games, and doesn't like me playing console games too much (even though it's my job - I've already played MGS 4 ).

[JonB]

but they sure like to play games on the keitei's

[markystar]

depends on the girl.

but seems like more adults play video games here than in the US.


i know 3 girls who are video game addicts here. lol.



i'm not really into video games, but on the long flight back to the states, i got really far on Zelda on my DS. awww yeah!
finally!

[Mini_Apocalypse]

Hey im a girl gamer! And i like anime too! But from my experience its the same over here. I work in a gaming shop and about 98% of customers are male. This September im going off to uni to do a Game Develompment course. Im the only female in my year and theres only 5 in the whole uni doing the same course!

However, also from my experience even hardcore girl gamers cant seem to get the hang of first person shooters. So we proberly wouldnt make a good co-op companion anyway

[Jason]

but seems like more adults play video games here than in the US.

There doesn't seem to be the same stigma in Japan that video games are just for kids and nerds like in the US. That's changing here too, though, as the gaming industry is freakin' booming. The Playstation and XBOX have really pushed into the more mature market over the past 10 years or so. This has made it more socially acceptable to be into video games since it's now perceived to be "more mature" by more people. You also have now people who are 25+ who grew up loving video games (like me). I'm sure that's had a hand in it too. It's still a ways from shaking that stigma completely though.

It's an interesting cultural comparison though. Generally in the US, any kind of show of perceived childishness or immaturity is considered the complete opposite of "cool." While in Japan sometimes it seems that the culture pretty much thrives on cute. It's not terribly surprising that video games would be more accepted there.

[markystar]

and games have long been marketing at families here, not children.

so as far back as the old nintendo ファミコン system ("family console"), children have played video games with their parents.

even the introduction of the Wii has seen a boom in "Wii Parties"
basically adults get together and play Wii for an evening, rather than go out as a group.

all the educational and adult-targeted "brain games" for the DS means, that you see tons of adults on trains playing DS Lite. but i noticed when i was at the airport in the US, the only other people playing DS or PSP were kids

i think i've mentioned this before, but the maid bar in my neighborhood has DS Lites, PSP's, PS2, ファミコン, and the main spectacle is a massive projection screen for multiplayer Wii games. Wii Bowling and Super Mario Carts are the big hits.
just don't play tetris with these girls, because they'll take you out in a matter of seconds.

[kc8ufv]

Marky -
When I used to work in a call center, many of my co-workers played various handheld consoles such as PSP or DS, or their predecesors. Then again, it was tech support call centers that I worked in, so most people there would have been considered geeks.

[Ulver_684]

Mina-sama!

I'm not Japanese but I'm also a girl gamer and I have a profile on 1UP (http://Ulver_684.1UP.com) feel free to add me when you sign up!

[untmdsprt]

Hey im a girl gamer! And i like anime too! But from my experience its the same over here. I work in a gaming shop and about 98% of customers are male. This September im going off to uni to do a Game Develompment course. Im the only female in my year and theres only 5 in the whole uni doing the same course!

However, also from my experience even hardcore girl gamers cant seem to get the hang of first person shooters. So we proberly wouldnt make a good co-op companion anyway

I beg to differ on that last statement. I'm a woman and I love the first person shooters. My favorite was actually Splinter Cell, then Metal Gear Solid - Twin Snakes. Also loved the Matrix, and played Doom and Duke Nukem for awhile. An ex-boyfriend was a sniper in the marines, and couldn't hit the right side of a barn in a video game. I had to take over the controls to shoot out something or other so he could continue. He was amazed that I could lead the shot into a moving target. I looked at him like any moron knows that!

Ah, those were the days. Sold everything before I moved to Japan, and never home long enough to consider buying another console. Guess I'm addicted to my DSLR camera now, and want to buy new toys for it.

[spiralspoon]

.

[markystar]

that's me!!!!

and the maid bar i go to is the best one. all the others are pretty lame, imo.
mostly guys go, but sometimes girls go too.
and it's cheaper for girls to go.
they'll call you お嬢様 hehehehehe.


the one i recommend is in shin-nakano.
it's Heaven Revolution (or HR for short).

one of the maids, maniko-chan, is doing illustrations for jpod101.
you can see her drawings in the series "a narrow escape."

here is a link to HR's website:
http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=heavenrevolution
(you can see the main cast's illustrations, from left to right nora-chan, hime-chan, maniko-chan).
here is a link to HR's blog:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/heaven0620/
after you go there, they write a personal message to you the next day in the blog. it's not easy to read because there are a lot of inside jokes and otaku slang, but it's always fun to check out to see what they to you the next day.

they have nintendo wii and MASSIVE screen to play it on. they have PS2, Nintendo FamiCon, if you bring your PSP or DS you can play games with everyone together. the manager is a really cool guy who wants the place to feel like his home and everyone just comes over to hang out and play with the maids. 超楽しいぞ！
i love it! (and i don't watch anime, read manga or do any otaku things - but it's a fun way to practice japanese because nobody there can speak english. and the maids are extremely entertaining).

i recommend anybody who is interested in going to a maid bar, to go to HR and forget the rest. lol.

if you go, tell them marky sent you!! i bet they'll be extra cool to you.