Gaming in Aid of Japan

Last week when I turned on my PS3 instead of being greeted by the usual spangly delights offered by the PSN store I found the ‘what’s new’ screen dominated by a simple rising sun insignia and a message encouraging donation to the Japanese Red Cross in aid of relief work following the unbelievable natural disaster that has recently befallen Japan. It seemed an easy choice to liberate that virtual tenner that has been languishing in my PSN wallet for the last few months and put it to a good cause. In fact seeing this message restored some of my lost respect for what was once my favourite brand; not only were Sony doing something very positive and productive, but they were bucking the trend by assuming not all gamers were so desensitised to reality that they didn’t care about serious issues (we’re really not for the record, in fact I’d say the most intelligent, cultured, considerate people I know are avid gamers). Sure, Sony are a Japanese company, so it’s only natural they’d want to help their own people, but as a major corporation they didn’t need to put this cause so far above their profits for such a long period (the message is still there, as of writing, after 2 weeks, and it is reaching a lot of people), so hats off to them.

It feels slightly strange to be writing about such a serious issue on a blog dedicated to an essentially fun pastime, but I think that everyone on here will share the opinion that what happened in Japan is one of the biggest tragedies in recent memory and one that, despite happening so far away, feels very close to home. This is because Japan plays an important part in the creation of and continued cultural heritage of our most beloved art form. Indeed, it’s encouraging to see how the game industry has been galvanised to help, with the efforts of initiatives like Play for Japan (link below) creating a real difference, and even certain members of Ready Up’s own team actively involved in their own fundraising efforts. Anyone in our generation who ever completed a game in the eighties/nineties and saw an honour roll of bizarre names scrolling in front of their impressionable young eyes, had cemented in their mind for all eternity the association of Japan as the birthplace of videogames. The home of everything that was cool with the world including samurais, giant robots and gangsters singing karaoke. Japan is a culture of wonderful extremes; a nation that sealed itself off from the rest of the world for centuries in order to evolve a unique and rigid society, before exploding into a postmodern supernova of creativity and technology in the post-war period. Is it any wonder that for the last hundred years Japan has captivated western dreamers?

Videogames are a modern extension of the same impulse that drove the famous film historian Donald Richie (and dozens after and before him) to become otaku and famously tease out the meaning of Japanese culture to the world, whilst revelling in its vivid otherness. In the last decade western games (including RPGs, hitherto the preserve of Japan) may have sized up to, and in a lot of respects superceded, their eastern counterparts, but there is still something incredibly, indescribably compelling about Japanese games, in spite of (or perhaps because of) their clichés and quirky irreverence. That’s why I’d urge all gamers to support Japan now in its hour of need, so that this tradition and the wonderful people who inspire it can continue long into the future.

You can bid for an array of incredible and unique videogame related items at Play for Japan, a site set up by the Game Industry to support the relief effort, here.

You can also donate cash to the Japanese Red Cross (conducting aid work) here or to the Japan Society of the UK (dedicated to more long term support and rebuilding) here.

Also for a very human look at how things are on the ground in Tokyo and the affected regions check out the video blog of Ian Thomas Ash.