Asia > West

[Feralbreed]

This crossed my mind recently. Think about it. When you see a game console, or a PC, or a controller or whatever in a western show or a comic etc; the system is either totally wrong, the controllers are weird or nonexistant (no mouse while playing PC, controller doesn't match system) or the audio doesn't match the video.
And usually, if the show is set in a modern time, people can still be seen playing pong or some shit like that. Some may even go as far playstation....2.

Then again in Japanese shows (anime/manga)... Characters can be clearly seen using the right controllers and playing actual games, and there's not just random bleeps and bloops.

Why are the Japanese so deep fried in gaming culture and we aren't? I don't know the history so well but I'm guessing that gaming originated from Japan and they did those things long before we did. That's the only reason why gaming as a hobby could have such a positive image there.

It's not a problem really, since I don't watch bullshit shows like CSI, but it's just embarrassing and pisses me off sometimes. But the question is why?

And don't get me wrong. I don't like Anime either, but this phenomenon still interests me.

Not to mention that western media portrays gamers as freaks obviously. But I'm kinda okay with that, sometimes you gotta be able to take some criticism too. And I guess they're mostly right, but hey, it's a stereotype.

Let us speculate...

 

[DiMono]

I think I must be watching different shows and movies than you are, because I haven't noticed anything like this. Examples?

 

[Chenrezi]

House. I remember this one particular time on House, where he's playing a Gameboy SP. Somebody asks him what he's doing, and he says, "Level 4."

And then we see a shot of the screen. He's playing Metroid: Zero Mission. Which doesn't exactly have "levels", and certainly doesn't have numbered levels.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

I dunno. That's just how it is. Though there was one fantastically badass exception to this. On one episode of House, the titular doctor could be seen in a patient's room playing on an Xbox 360. You know what he was playing? Ninja Gaiden II. Awesome.

 

[newwiseman]

This crossed my mind recently. Think about it. When you see a game console, or a PC, or a controller or whatever in a western show or a comic etc; the system is either totally wrong, the controllers are weird or nonexistant (no mouse while playing PC, controller doesn't match system) or the audio doesn't match the video.
And usually, if the show is set in a modern time, people can still be seen playing pong or some shit like that. Some may even go as far playstation....2.

Then again in Japanese shows... Characters can be clearly seen using the right controllers and playing actual games, and there's not just random bleeps and bloops and maybe Mario jumping on the screen.

Why are the Japanese so deep fried in gaming culture and we aren't? I can't figure it out, not now at least. Isn't the history of games as long there as it is here, so it's not just because they're 30-years ahead of us is it?

It's not a problem really, since I don't watch bullshit shows like CSI, but it's just embarrassing. But the question is why?

And don't get me wrong. I don't like Anime either, but this phenomenon still interests me.

It's an issue of fair use and copyright laws. In the US a show or commercial has to get permission to show a corporate logo of another company when not stating empirical data, this can mean paying a fee to show the device. Computers go a step further by copyrighting their layouts and interface, so graphic designers are forced to render their own interpretation rather than allow a brand loyalty comparison or run the risk of being sued for some sort of royalty. It's BS but it's the law, here.

 

[thejboy88]

I think it is largely because video games as a medium originated from Japan. They started the thing so it makes sense they would be suited to it than other countries.

 

[Swaki]

oh fuck yeah, that has annoyed me too, even in shows where the character is supposed to be a gamer they get it wrong, big bang theory is a great example, for instance they have no idea how to play halo and in a scene where the joke is that they have alot of games, they list 12 games, and the way they act having 12 games is hilariously outrageous, heck i have 120 on steam and i dont use steam very often since i can get the new games cheaper online, and im sure most people on the escapist would find my steam collection pathetic.

it can really annoy me how they portray gamers on tv, its almost as bad as how they portray gay men (i am gonna loose my shit if they ever make a sitcom about a gay gamer ), but im glad that they do a better job down in Asia, go Asian nerds!

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I've been watching The Big Bang Theory. They have done both, they get it right and they get it wrong.

They've showed the guys Wii bowling and it showed the screen and it was Wii Sports bowling.

But, they have also talked a lot in the show about have Halo night.
Though anytime they show them playing it, they don't show the screen and the sounds are all wrong. The explosions sound weird. In one instance, they invited the girl across the hall, Penny, to join them, and she turned out to be really good at it. They showed sounds of instances where she kept shooting her competition in the head (obviously meaning the sniper rifle), and the sound for the sniper rifle was not a Halo sniper rifle sound.

I'm betting it is the answer already given that the show producers don't want to pay for the rights to show the games on their shows.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

oh fuck yeah, that has annoyed me too, even in shows where the character is supposed to be a gamer they get it wrong, big bang theory is a great example, for instance they have no idea how to play halo and in a scene where the joke is that they have alot of games, they list 12 games, and the way they act having 12 games is hilariously outrageous, heck i have 120 on steam and i dont use steam very often since i can get the new games cheaper online, and im sure most people on the escapist would find my steam collection pathetic.

it can really annoy me how they portray gamers on tv, its almost as bad as how they portray gay men (i am gonna loose my shit if they ever make a sitcom about a gay gamer ), but im glad that they do a better job down in Asia, go Asian nerds!

Damn Ninja! lol. Yeah Big Bang Theory gets it wrong sometimes, but then in other instances right. I bet it is paying for rights.

 

[Sensei Le Roof]

It's probably because they do not want to pay the people who made the stuff to use it in their movie?

I'm inclined to think it's more an issue of they don't care, and they figure most viewers won't know the difference.