By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
It was an event that might have slipped under the radar for many. Similarly, the event’s topic—Japanese Video Game Culture—has probably not been given its due from those outside of the gaming industry. To help resolve this gap between a clearly influential phenomenon and the acknowledgment it receives from non-gamers, the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW) held a talk on the University of Washington campus on March 4. The talk, introduced by the Japanese Consul General in Seattle, Consul General, Makoto Iyori, and Washington’s Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, featured internationally known keynote speakers and an expert panel.
The online and in-person event, “Japan Currents: Japanese Video Game Culture Crossing the Pacific,” focused on the unmistakable influence of Japanese video game culture, and Japanese culture in general, on the United States and the world. The purpose of the event, which featured a reception across the hall afterwards, was twofold: 1) to learn about and acknowledge the importance of Japanese gaming on not just culture, but also on economics; and 2) to advise those in the audience who might like to go into the gaming industry. To these ends, a keynote speaker from each side of the pond was brought in, one from Japan and one from the U.S., as well as a legal advisor in the world of technology.
Shinji Hashimoto shares his vast experience in the gaming industry. Courtesy of JASSW. Photo by Maria Niki.
Probably the biggest pull of the evening was the appearance of legendary gaming producer, Shinji Hashimoto, the first keynote speaker. If there is a name in gaming—be it of a company or of a game itself—Hashimoto has likely somehow been involved. And he’s still going. He spoke of his time at Square Enix (when it was still just Square, and then after the merger as well), and notably, his time working on the famous Final Fantasy game franchise. He talked about his desire to retire in his 60s, which was met with protest and comments such as, “What? You’re still young! Keep at it!” and his near immediate hiring at that time by Aniplex Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. “Among multiple offers I received, I chose Aniplex,” Hashimoto said. To help those in the crowd, Hashimoto gave an explanation of the difference between a game director and a game producer. “Directors work to realize dreams,” he said, while producers “support, in every way, these energetic and visionary directors.”
Ryan Payton discusses his sometimes unorthodox methods within the Japan-U.S. gaming business. Courtesy of JASSW. Photo by Maria Niki.
The second keynote speaker was Ryan Payton, the founder of Camouflaj, a Washington native, and recently laid off by Meta (he said he has no hard feelings). Payton’s talk served to really bring home to the audience the near-constant and penetrating influence of Japanese games on American culture for not just years but decades. His example also served as a “what to do and what not to do” when it comes to interfacing with Japanese culture and business. Payton, who spends his time between Kamakura, Japan and Bellevue, Washington, has been something of a rebel in the gaming world—but not so much that he has completely alienated anyone. He’s made some people angry with his brash networking methods, but hasn’t been cut off. Instead, his boldness has given him rewards. Having always wanted to be involved in game development, Payton started sending notes about Metal Gear Solid III to the producer of the game in Japan. Rather than being dismissed, Payton’s suggestions were taken to heart and followed. “Nobody told me to do it. Nobody told me not to do it,” Payton recalled. In Japan, it is more typical not to stray outside of one’s job description. “I was definitely coloring outside the lines.”
Washington’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs emphasizes the importance of Japanese culture to the U.S. economy and culture. Courtesy of JASSW. Photo by Maria Niki.
Washington’s Secretary of State, Hobbs, has been in the headlines for his attention to the gaming world. He explained further as to why he believes that the gaming industry is important not just to gamers, but as an economic powerhouse, and as a cultural influencer. Hobbs spoke of “soft power” and his wish that more people in power would recognize the “soft power” of games. Hobbs went so far as to credit the end of the Cold War not with “hard power” (i.e. weapons), but with “soft power”—culture. Then it was blue jeans and American movies and music. Now it’s Japanese toys, clothing, music, movies, TV, and games. “All those cultural aspects that we take for granted—that is the slow drip of change,” Hobbs insisted. “Unfortunately, we’ve kind of forgotten about that. Even though I don’t want to make this political, there’s certain policymakers who are screwing up soft power right now.”
A question for the panel which consists of (from left) Stephanie Lee, Maya Yamazaki, Ryan Payton, Shinji Hashimoto and Hashimoto’s interpreter. Courtesy of JASSW. Photo by Maria Niki.
Hobbs and others on the agenda identified Washington state as a leader in the gaming industry—in fact, a gaming capital of the world, due to the several gaming companies that have a presence here—Pokémon, Nintendo, and also companies like Microsoft, who makes the Xbox console. During the panel talk, mediated by Stephanie Lee from the Foster School of Business, one of the partners in the event, the legal considerations of gaming were also addressed. Maya Yamazaki, the Chair of the Technology Practice & Video Game Group Lead at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Seattle, addressed the relatively new ins and outs, legally, of gaming. Topics such as copyright and AI came up from the audience, and Yamazaki explained, for instance, that the rules of AI—which are still being ironed out—attempt to ascertain how much creativity is contributed by a human and how much by AI. These are relevant and important subjects.
During the panel, it was nice to see the interplay between veteran Hashimoto and the younger rebel, Payton. The audience asked about the future of gaming—would, for example, all media ever be released at the same time? In other words, games often derive from manga or anime. Then movies and television derive from games. This usually happens in stages—could it happen all at once? Payton was more optimistic about the possibilities, while Hashimoto was more likely to be the voice of pragmatism and remind everyone about manpower requirements, time requirements, or language translation requirements (so in his view, not likely). We are in a new world already, game-wise. We’ve seen games jump from one platform to another. Nowadays, we see countless back and forth between games and other media. People no longer need to purchase a hard copy of a game—everything can be downloaded. This makes other services, such as subscriptions, come into play. Too slowly, maybe, even gaming companies are not catching onto the width and breadth of their market. In one of his final statements, Hashimoto pushed a very Japanese concept—that of monozukuri, or craftsmanship. He hoped that, with all of the changes, game companies would still pay attention to this. “It’s important to have the approach of craftsmanship,” he said. The change from 2D to 3D, for instance, which Hashimito labeled one of the greatest changes to happen in the industry “requires a lot of focus and a lot of care. Spend that time and be a good craftsman.”
For more information, visit https://jassw.org or https://jassw.org/japancurrents2026-game-seminar-recap.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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