How Japanese is Wii? The Reception and Localization of Japanese Video Games in America

Abstract

With control over both store shelves and consumers' consciousness, Japanese video games have dominated the U.S. and global game markets over the past two decades and continue to prosper today. This thesis positions Japanese video games' popularity in America in the global flows of pop culture, and argues that the "Japanization" of pop culture, represented by the "Japanization" of video games, has challenged the cultural globalization process that is taken for granted as hegemonized by the Western, especially American, cultural imperialism. In this thesis I examine the cultural localization process (beyond technical and linguistic localization) of Japanese video games for the U.S. releases, to further demonstrate the transnationality of Japanese pop culture. Meanwhile, I investigate the American fan base for Japanese video games and identify the differences between American and Japanese game players, in terms of cultural preferences of game genres and game play.