How Game Companies Explore Consumer Preferences Across Cultures and Markets: Study of Impacts of Culture on Videogame Preferences in Japan and the U.S
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School of Business |
Bachelor's thesis
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Date
2020
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Mcode
Degree programme
(Mikkeli) Bachelor’s Program in International Business
Language
en
Pages
30 + 4
Series
Abstract
Objectives The main objectives of this study were to find out how much do video game preferences vary between Japan and the U.S and to what extent does the culture of the two countries affect these preferences. The aim of the research is to help indie or small game studios make decisions on how they should approach new markets and find out if they should localize their game before entering a market with a significantly different culture than in their current market. Summary This research looks at video game sales data from Japan and the United States, as well as popular YouTube gaming channels from both countries. The analysis looks at what games are popular in each country and compares the game elements that consumer prefer and looks at if there is a connection between preferred game elements and the surrounding culture. This was done to see how much does culture impact consumer game preferences. Conclusions Both countries shared many similarities in what games are popular in them. However, there are clearly some game elements that are preferred differently due to the surrounding culture. The aesthetics of a game, genre and platform all had differences. Consumers in The U.S play more sports games and multiplayer shooters, which is connected to their culture. Japanese consumers enjoy Nintendo games and role-playing-games (RPG). Furthermore, designing a game around the culture of a certain market can be very successful.Description
Thesis advisor
Lehtonen, MiikkaKeywords
videogame, preferences, culture, Japan, USA