The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers
There have been many books on video games, alongside an ocean of interview material. Steven Kent's Ultimate History of Video Games is an excellent example. There are, however, few which are in English and focus on Japan. Chris Kohler's Power-Up is one of the best, while David Sheff's Game Over is another. The only other option is a lifetime subscription to multiple video game magazines.
Given the global impact of Japanese video games, and the country's rich history which is seldom documented in English, I feel this needs remedying. While there are plenty of books produced in Japan, seldom are they made available in English. Famicom History 1983-1994 is one example, and featured eight extremely candid interviews, in both languages. But there needs to be more. There are so many Japanese developers from over the decades who have fascinating stories, but they don't have the opportunity to communicate with English speaking audiences. Even sadder, renowned developers continue to pass away, preventing further discussion: Fukio Mitsuji (Bubble Bobble), Shinya Nishigaki (Climax Entertainment), Kenji Eno (WARP) to name three.
My proposal: enact a solution akin to an ocean-bound icebreaker.
Fly to Japan in September, hire the best Japanese/English interpreters money can find, and then - using my extensive list of contacts - make stuff happen. Interview as many developers as possible in less than three months, with a focus on undocumented information and developers who have never been interviewed before. Transcribe the English interpretation, then edit, design and create the most extensive, most comprehensive, most ambitious book about video games ever envisioned. This epic tome will contain trivia and stories of Japanese video game history never documented anywhere else in English.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Nintendo's Famicom and the MSX home computer - now is the time to create such a book.
This book will not be a nostalgia trip. I am determined to have every page contain at least one previously unknown fact, anecdote or piece of trivia. My passion has always been the undocumented side of games, and regardless of who I speak with, my intention will always be to ask them something no one else ever has. This would truly document The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1748556728/the-untold-history-of-japanese-game-developers
@TheVoxelman on twitter
