Hideo Kojima has been among numerous gaming veterans from Japan to talk about the trouble that the Japanese gaming industry is in right now. He decided to muse on the subject of East vs. West development online.
The Game Industry is very similar. The West is very motivated. The younger generation of Japan is losing, wrote Kojima. The designers and to-be-designers in the West have the focus, ambition, and ability to make their dream become true. So it is not the Japanese technology or culture that is losing, we are lacking the motivation. In contrast, the number of students that study abroad from Japan has decreased. There are very few Japanese students at the prestigious Harvard University, and in MIT. . . zero. The engineering population in Japan may be in jeopardy. We should first review our education system here in Japan.
Kojima shifted his attention to praising Western developers and berating some of his underlings. Lately I have come to conclusion that, with highly motivated foreigners… it doesn’t matter where they are from, working with highly motivated individuals is the only way to move forward, added Kojima. I am tired of taking care of people who do not have the passion. Time is used differently between people who have and don’t have motivation. They are willing to learn and study on their own. A programmer in our studio reads while he is walking, and finishes 2 novels a day. Another genius programmer we have plays COD, at the same time, eats his lunch during break.
The reason why the programmer plays COD during his cherished lunch time is because he likes gaming more than anything. Even if I am busy, even if I have to sacrifice something, I would . . . for movies and books. Saying you don’t have time because of work, using work as an excuse, will not help you grow. Creating abilities, at it’s core, is reliant on your love for the creation, concluded Kojima.
Source: twitter.com/hideo_kojima_en
