Japanese Video Games in Singapore: History, Culture and Industry

Globalization of Japanese popular culture is reshaping the global cultural landscape. Some forms of Japanese popular culture (such as video games animation and sushi) are well-received internationally, whereas others (such as pop music, films and TV dramas) are only popular in Asia. Of all forms of Japanese popular culture, video game is perhaps the most powerful due to its strong universal appeal. It has dominated the world market since the mid-1980s. This article uses Singapore as a case study to demonstrate the global popularization of Japanese video games. There has been a boom of Japanese popular culture in Singapore in the 1990s. In particular, Japanese video games, comics and animation have become an integral part of youth culture in Singapore (Ng, March 2000:234—246; Ng, May 2000:44-56; Ng, June 2000:1-14). Video game is a neglected topic in cultural studies. Although there are some basic stud ies of Japanese video games in the Western world (Hayes & Disney, 1995; Herz, 1997; Kinder, 1991; Monopolies, 1995; Sheff, 1993), its impact in Asia is largely unknown. This article is a preliminary study of the Japanese video game culture and industry in Singapore from historical and socio cultural perspectives, focusing on consoles, games and players. Based on interviews, questionnaires and data from newspapers and magazines, this research aims at providing a general overview of the history and impact of Japanese video games in Singapore. All the data and analyses are basic and this is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss any particular issue or theory in details. This paper consists of four sections. The first three sections outline the development of home video game consoles, handheld electronic games and game arcades respectively. The concluding section pinpoints the characteristics of the video game culture in Singapore from a comparative perspective. It also discusses the political, social and cultural implications of Japanese video games in Singapore.