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> For us as Japanese developers, the first time we heard it, it was like a discriminatory term, as though we were being made fun of for creating these games, an

> For us as Japanese developers, the first time we heard it, it was like a discriminatory term, as though we were being made fun of for creating these games, and so for some developers, the term can be something that will maybe trigger bad feelings because of what it was in the past, I'm curious when that was because, having played RPGs on various systems since they first existed, I don't recall ever having it been considered negative; just another style. I don't mean to discount his feelings about the term/issue at all; he (and those he associated with) clearly felt that way. I just find it interesting that there's such a disconnect there.

bigstrat2003 3y ago
Agreed. I have always used it to simply refer to the different style of RPG which developed in Japan. It's not a discriminatory term (at least, not in the pejorative sense) at all IMO. In fact, I prefer JRPGs.
- krapp 3y ago
  It isn't really a style specific to Japan though, which is the point. Undertale is aesthetically more of a JRPG than Dark Souls. We should just be calling RPGs made in Japan "RPGs."
  - mjr00 3y ago
    > Undertale is aesthetically more of a JRPG than Dark Souls. ... and that's exactly why most people consider Undertale a JRPG and basically nobody considers Dark Souls a JRPG? JRPG has not meant "RPG made in Japan" for a long time; it now means "RPG similar to the ones popularized by Japanese developers in the late 80s to mid 90s." Or "Japanese-style Role Playing Games" for short.
  - bigstrat2003 3y ago
    The style originated in (or was at least popularized by) Japan. That's why it's called JRPG. To address your examples: Undertale is a JRPG, Dark Souls is not (it's a WRPG). It's a genre, not a country of origin stamp.
dfxm12 3y ago
I think it is easier to say it is "just another style" when you're not part of the "other" group & when your identity isn't being boiled down to a particular style of menu systems and combat. Also important is that WWII brought a lot of discrimination on Japanese people from the West & US in particular. This was an era where movies, like Back to the Future Part II and Robocop 3 kind of went out of their way to portray Japanese people as evil. Today, it might seem like jumping at shadows, but for someone in their 50s who was developing games in the early 90s, this kind of discrimination would be more fresh in their mind, so getting that label from the US media could seem bad. Today, two way communication is easier, thanks to the Internet, so these confusion points are largely cleared up, and if you watch the video where that quote comes from, Yoshida pretty much goes on to say as much. This isn't brought up in the parent poster's linked article though.

bigstrat2003 3y ago

Agreed. I have always used it to simply refer to the different style of RPG which developed in Japan. It's not a discriminatory term (at least, not in the pejorative sense) at all IMO. In fact, I prefer JRPGs.

krapp 3y ago
It isn't really a style specific to Japan though, which is the point. Undertale is aesthetically more of a JRPG than Dark Souls. We should just be calling RPGs made in Japan "RPGs."
- mjr00 3y ago
  > Undertale is aesthetically more of a JRPG than Dark Souls. ... and that's exactly why most people consider Undertale a JRPG and basically nobody considers Dark Souls a JRPG? JRPG has not meant "RPG made in Japan" for a long time; it now means "RPG similar to the ones popularized by Japanese developers in the late 80s to mid 90s." Or "Japanese-style Role Playing Games" for short.
- bigstrat2003 3y ago
  The style originated in (or was at least popularized by) Japan. That's why it's called JRPG. To address your examples: Undertale is a JRPG, Dark Souls is not (it's a WRPG). It's a genre, not a country of origin stamp.

dfxm12 3y ago

I think it is easier to say it is "just another style" when you're not part of the "other" group & when your identity isn't being boiled down to a particular style of menu systems and combat. Also important is that WWII brought a lot of discrimination on Japanese people from the West & US in particular. This was an era where movies, like Back to the Future Part II and Robocop 3 kind of went out of their way to portray Japanese people as evil. Today, it might seem like jumping at shadows, but for someone in their 50s who was developing games in the early 90s, this kind of discrimination would be more fresh in their mind, so getting that label from the US media could seem bad. Today, two way communication is easier, thanks to the Internet, so these confusion points are largely cleared up, and if you watch the video where that quote comes from, Yoshida pretty much goes on to say as much. This isn't brought up in the parent poster's linked article though.