Kickstarter (10 days left!) The Untold History of Japanese Video Game Developers

Hi Everyone,

John Szczepaniak, an editor from Hardcore Gaming 101, Retrogamer, and GamesTM, is going to be writing a new book that focuses on getting a great deal of new information and material from various Japanese developers working in the gaming industry for the last 30 years. His goal is to get as much new material that we never knew about in the most accurate way possible, hiring a professional team of interpreters and translators and going over there to meet and interview many of our favorite Japanese developers face-to-face.

I wanted to pass this along in case there would be any interest in backing this project here, and specifically I've asked to see if he would be able to possibly secure in Interview with Amaya Daisuke as well if this project succeeds and he has told me that Pixel is definitely on a list of developers he would want to interview in this book, so I hope that this project will succeed and I hope that Pixel would agree to do an interview as well because I defintintely feel his comments belong his a book like this.

Anyhow, it's a very interesting project and a noble cause very related to my interests and I'm sure it is related to many of your own interests as well, but he's going to need support if he is to pull it off. I can vouch for this John's work and have been friends with him for a few years now. He's is extremely skilled at researching all kinds of details, so if this thing succeeds it's sure to be a hell of a read and he already has about 40+ developers on board that are interesting in being interviewed and putting him in contact with other game developers for the last 35 years.

The Untold Story of Japanese Game Developers

Here is some additional information that can be found at the Kickstarter page as well.

Project Aim:

A book with more Japanese developer interviews than any other; a wealth of untold anecdotes from Japan's video game history in English.

"There have been many books on video games, alongside an ocean of interview material. There are, however, few which are in English and focus on Japan. Given the global impact of Japanese video games, and the country's rich history which is seldom documented in English, I feel this needs remedying. While there are plenty of books produced in Japan, seldom are they made available in English.

There are so many Japanese developers from over the decades who have fascinating stories, but they don't have the opportunity to communicate with English speaking audiences. Even sadder, renowned developers continue to pass away, preventing further discussion.

My proposal: enact a solution akin to an ocean-bound icebreaker. I'll fly to Japan in September, hire the best Japanese/English interpreters money can find, and then - using my extensive list of contacts - make stuff happen. Interview as many developers as possible in less than three months, with a focus on undocumented information and developers who have never been interviewed before. Transcribe the English interpretation, then edit, design and create the most extensive, most comprehensive, most ambitious book about video games ever envisioned. This epic tome will contain trivia and stories of Japanese video game history never documented anywhere else in English.

I've interviewed over 100 people in the last 9 years. The list of publications I've written for is extensive, my work extremely popular - one of my articles on The Escapist was Slashdotted. Those who frequently read Retro Gamer or Hardcore Gaming 101 will know my work, and the passion that goes into it. I also have the determination and - most importantly - the industry contacts.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Nintendo's Famicom and the MSX home computer - now is the time to create such a book. If you like the idea, please share it. We just need to get the word out there, and make history. The more backers, the bigger this project can be!

Let's make this happen - let's spread the word."
John Szczepaniak.

Pledge Info:

For a Digital Download pledge £12 or more. A printed copy of the book including international postage requires a pledge of just £25.

Limited edition printed copies, signature editions and DVDs containing photos, audio interview recordings and special video footage can be obtained for pledges ranging from £35 upwards.

-Thomas

 

Holy carp it's SkyeWelse :eek:

This project looks really interesting, and it's a shame I can't donate any money. Nevertheless, I'll be following it and I hope Sir Szczepaniak goes far on his mission.

 

Oh my god it's you.

I can't donate money right now, as my wallet seems to consist of several pieces of lint. ._. Will when I can though.

 

Hehe, Oh I'm still around! : ) I'm just a man of many of many hobbies and limited time to work on them all.

Thanks for the posts and interest so far. I'm really hoping this kickstarter is successful. I definitely understand the money situation. I'm finding myself in a similar situation myself needing to sell some things quickly from my collection to in order to do make up some past expenses.

If you know of any other folks who might be interested, please feel free to pass this along. There's only a limited amount of time left to see this through and make it all happen! : )

-Thomas

 

John Szczepaniak? Sounds like a Polish name.

That thingie looks very interesting, but, like Polaris and Chef, I don't have any money... Well, that's a shame, but that doesn't mean I'm not waiting for it!

And hi, SkyeWelse.

 

I was going to pledge for the digital copy, but it looks like UK Kickstarters only take credit, which I don't have. For now I'll give it a few days and see how the funding shapes up.

 

OH!!!! THE CREATOR OF THE FORUMS!!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

-Obligatory forum king suck-up comment-

This sounds like a really cool project. If I was able to, I would donate to this.

 

Glad to see the kickstarter has reached its goal! Certainly, the book will be an interesting read.

I wish those involved luck! And thanks Skye for sharing