The 53 Year Old Online Gamer's First IRL Meet-Up - Ch. 9

[MangaDex]

 

[Arin-san]

Why are there so many manga and anime about MMORPG when most Japanese gamers don't even play WOW-type MMORPG? Computer gaming isn't even that popular and I thought everyone already knew that social-type games don't fit with Japanese audiences. It's weird to fantasize about MMORPG when you hate almost all the core aspects of MMORPG, like socializing, trashtalking, or any sort of competitive activity. Yet stories like Sword Art Online are crazy popular. Make up your mind. Do you guys like MMORPG or do you not? I don't understand Japanese people. Weird.

 

[raze2012]

Why are there so many manga and anime about MMORPG when most Japanese gamers don't even play WOW-type MMORPG?

Most people don't make manga or fanfiction or any other kind of creative art. There's your answer.

Also, Japan has several influential MMOs. Phantasy Star was huge back in the day and FF14 is still rising in popularity. DQ10 was also really popular in Japan and I imagine that this manga is loosely made based off DQ10.

 

[Arin-san]

Most people don't make manga or fanfiction or any other kind of creative art. There's your answer.

Also, Japan has several influential MMOs. Phantasy Star was huge back in the day and FF14 is still rising in popularity. DQ10 was also really popular in Japan and I imagine that this manga is loosely made based off DQ10.

The way there is so much successful media based on MMORPG, you would think Japan will gobble up any MMORPG that comes out like it's WoW. But not a single one of those games are even close to that status. It is a well-known fact that Japan never latched onto MMORPG like a lot of other countries did, despite Japanese companies being capable enough to produce an MMO. Their failure in capitalizing this genre is often questioned. Blue Protocol release next month in Japan, we will see if Japan likes MMORPG or not one year from now.

 

[joniaja]

The way there is so much successful media based on MMORPG, you would think Japan will gobble up any MMORPG that comes out like it's WoW. But not a single one of those games are even close to that status. It is a well-known fact that Japan never latched onto MMORPG like a lot of other countries did, despite Japanese companies being capable enough to produce an MMO. Their failure in capitalizing this genre is often questioned. Blue Protocol release next month in Japan, we will see if Japan likes MMORPG or not one year from now.

I feel that you're ignoring FFXIV and Phantasy Star Online being really popular in Japan, alongside others like Black Desert Online. WOW is trash nowadays, and its gameplay never really improved much after MoP.

 

[JJTheWeeb]

The way there is so much successful media based on MMORPG, you would think Japan will gobble up any MMORPG that comes out like it's WoW. But not a single one of those games are even close to that status. It is a well-known fact that Japan never latched onto MMORPG like a lot of other countries did, despite Japanese companies being capable enough to produce an MMO. Their failure in capitalizing this genre is often questioned. Blue Protocol release next month in Japan, we will see if Japan likes MMORPG or not one year from now.

there is the question of vocal minority and interest in things you don't participate in:
there's a bunch of manga about random small hobbies you can have (a decent few about gunpla and some random one i saw about specifically someone roleplaying with transformers figures, but there's also the pretty common hunting focused manga, which is definitvely not an activity many people have).
you don't have to like the thing you're reading to enjoy the stories the setting allows you to tell, like, VRMMOs don't actually exist as they do in manga, there is no "full dive" technology, doesn't mean stories with that don't get written. I personally don't even play video gmes anymore, but stories about video games are always cool to me because i like having stories where people can exist in a fantasy setting but still have stuff like SOL school experiences in the modern world, those are just fun stories to me.

tl:dr, just because a genre is popular, doesn't mean the thing it is associated with is popular as it could just be something the author likes or is something that just allows for stories that people want to see, even if they don't actively participate in it themselves (especially video games that wouldn't be possible IRL (game design in manga is always atrocious, but we can ignore it because not having to think of the logistics makes the stories more fun), or the impossible wholesome online gaming experience, because you don't really see racists in text chat in these stories)

 

[Antinomy]

Feminize and train Ao