November 28th, 2011

           Dang did we have an early start. Up at 4am to meet in the hotel lobby for 4:30am…But we got to go to the fish market, so it was well worth it! It was a train ride and a bit of a hike away, but once we got inside and started the tour, it was quite intrigueing to watch. They had us on a specific path wearing vests that marked us as visitors and took us to a wherehouse space filled with people and fish. The fish were massive! I think they were tuna, laid out in rows on the floor with the buyers examining them. Then the auctioneers stepped up and the process of buying and selling the fish began. The auctioneers rattled off things in Japanese at a mile a minute, many going red in the face and out of breath by the time the ‘round’ had finished. With subtle hand gestures, the fish were bought and marked by a man with red paint to show who had bought them. It happened very quickly and was an amazing thing to watch. It reminded me of the floor in a stock market, except slightly more organized and with fish.

            We were lead back out into the pre-dawn after two rounds or so of auctioning, weaving through trucks and wagons, past a massive pile of Styrofoam to get back to the office/entry area we began at. Removing our vests we proceeded on our way back to the train and to the hotel, where most of us nabbed a quick breakfast at the convinience store in the basement before heading back up to our rooms. Laura and I ate and proceeded to take a quick nap before we had to meet up in the lobby for the Ghibli Museum.

            It was a train and a bus ride to get there (the bus had all sorts of Ghibli movie themes covering it, which made it extra fantastic), but it was well worth the trek. I was so excited when we got off the bus, admiring the outside of the building and the semi-forest it was located in. The building was adorable – both inside and out, as we discovered. Photography wasn’t allowed insde, but good lordy it was absolutely fantastic. Many of the windows were stained glass featuring characters from the films and the whole building was styled in a way that reminded me of a hobbit hole: all round openings, soft corners, and a wonderfully homey feel.  The first section we walked into displayed a genearal overview of what films the studio had released, as well as some of the things that gave the studio its start. From there, the group wandered in and we each went our own ways, many of us giddy like children in a candy store. The first area Laura and I stumbled upon featured life-size renditions of settings in some of the studio’s best known films: the forest from Princess Mononoke, Sophie’s hat shop, Kiki’s bakery, and even a life-size Cat Bus from Totoro! We spent a while in the Cat Bus, taking a breather and soaking it in before setting out again. Laura and I wandered into a section that was set up like the studio itself, featuring original storyboards, reference books, paints, cells…It was breathtaking to behold. It caught me off guard, just how much work went into the films and how detailed some of the preparatory work was! After taking a storyboarding class during the fall quarter and seeing how rough some of those were, I was amazed at the little details that were included in some of the storyboards available for viewing. Wandering further, we found a mini-Cat Bus for the children, as well as a book and general gift shop. We didn’t stop there until thouroughly exploring the rest of the museum, taking in the sheer beauty of the place and the work it contained. I finished the morning in the stores and the rooftop garden, spending a good bit of money on some pins and the Spirited Away soundtrack, as well as a Howl’s Moving Castle art book. The rooftop garden was pretty, crowned with the robot from Nausica. Many visitors wanted a picture with it, so the space was quite popular.

            I was sad when it was time to leave, but so happy to have spent time at the museum. It really inspired me to create something beautiful with my work and tell a story that is worth telling. I never thought I’d get to see half of what I saw inside, and it is probably the favorite part of the trip thus far. I also love how the movies reach out to children and adults both: the museum was filled with people of all ages, hitting home how meaningful and touching those movies are for people. I want to make something like that, that can reach everyone, no matter their age or gender.

            From the Ghibli Museum, a group of us headed to From Software on a series of buses and trains. Poor Laura and Josh almost got left behind when Laura’s card didn’t work and none of us looked back for her. They made it just in time, so all ended up fine.

            From Software was a brief walk from the train station, in a coporate-style building. We met one of the representatives out front with our hired translator, Noriko exchanging greetings with them both before we began inside. I had done a little bit of research on From Software before attending, stumbling upon an English translation of their website. There introductory power point embellished on what I had learned, adding to it significantly. From is a game development and publishing company, creating games like Aromored Core, Dark Souls, and Demon Souls. They started in 1986 as a software development company and progressed into games from there. They have about 200 people on staff and have done some of their games completely in-house (Armored Core specifically). Beyond console games, they are also working on developing internet games.

            Our speaker broke down the company for us, presenting a diagram representing how From is structured. The biggest departmental separation is seen between their Development department and their Administrative department. Development handles planning, engineers (programmers), graphic design, and sound creators; while the administrative end is composed of producers (those who take care of the commercial/marketing side) and directors (those who take care of the game content). It was interesting to finally have the departmental breakdown of a company explained to me. I knew departments existed, but I never quite understood how they were broken up and defined. It also came a surprise to me, that not everything was in-house. I had never really realized, even in doing my research on Square Enix before the trip, that companies might soely develop a game, but out-source for publishing, or visa versa. I am glad that we visited a company that does so much in-house work first: it allowed me to better grasp a semblance of structure that I can now take as context to other visits.

Mr. Miyazaki on the left, Mr. Yasumori on the right.

            After the introductory presentation, From brought in Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Dark Souls and Demon Souls, and Ogura Yasumori – the producer that handled Dark Souls’ marketing and press release content for the domestic release. We switched to a Q&A type panel, asking Mr. Miyazaki and Mr. Yasumori various questions about his games and the nature of the Japanese game industry as a whole. We primarily focused on Demon Souls, inquiring after how the game was made, what region it was targeted at for release, and other, similar questions. Mr. Miyazaki was very open and modest with us, explaining that Dark Souls was meant to appeal to those who enjoy convential games, and that it was not determined by region. He also explained that they had used a From Software original Library Engine (Dandelion), programming in the C++ language and using 3DX Max as its primary model generator. When we inquired to why a game was released on certain consoles, Mr. Miyazaki and Mr. Yasumori shared a chuckle and a knowing look before explaining that politics sometimes determined which console a game would appear on. They couldn’t go into detail, but we got the feeling that there were some interesting stories there.

            We moved onto broader topics from there, discussing the future of gaming, general tips for those looking to become involved in the industry, and some differences between the Japanese and American industry from their point of view. Mr. Miyazaki feels that the future of gaming is moving away from consoles and more into mobile games. He expressed that many people don’t have time for consoles anymore, and that he expects them to disappear as the industry moves forward. Judging by the chorus of agreement that came from many of my fellow classmates, he may not be wrong. This prediction inspired a hint of panic in my mind, alongside a stubbornness to not give up on consoles. Console gaming is my primary mode of gaming, since I find social/mobile games unfulfilling and cheap, for lack of a better term. I would rather sit down and take the time to get drawn into a story rather than play a quick game on my phone while I wait for the train. As such, I want to work on console games and continue to create the types of stories I love to play. If Mr. Miyazaki’s prediction comes true, then I may end up out of a career. I’m not sure I could go into social or mobile games in any true respect. Only the future will tell I guess.

            Mr.  Miyazaki commented on one of the biggest differences between Japanese game developers and overseas developers: the mindset in game construction. He described the Japanese industry as a constant process of critiquing and rebuilding the game, not quite knowing how it will turn out until they reach the end. In contrast, he explained the overseas mindset as having a prototype to build the game around, with the final product already in mind. After thinking about it a moment, I realized that he wasn’t far off. It also reflects the difference in overall mindset of Japan versus the overseas, though on a much smaller scale. It was an interesting revelation to be party too. Mr. Miyazaki also imparted some personal advice that I felt is so important to hang onto. First and foremost, he told us to be unique. Yes, it’s ok to draw from existing ideas, but he told us to understand why the existing material is the way it is, and to make it our own. He also said to not create something without having reason for it to exist. He was referencing more in-game, but those words really resonated with me for a reason I still can’t put into words. So much of what is created these days is the same or suits the same purpose of something that came before it. What makes something truly unique is telling a story or having a different reason to have said thing exsist. It’s hard to describe, but I feel like his advice, though meant for in-game items, applies a lot further than that for me.

            We wrapped up the Q&A with a presentation of a game that Joscelyn had worked on alongside some fellow DePaul students and some students from Trident University. Matsuri was the name of the game, and featured a 3D take on a 2D sidescroller. I really enjoyed the concept and Joscelyn receive a bit of feedback from Mr. Miyazaki and Mr. Yasumori, which was really cool. Then it was a group photo and a few game signings (Mr. Miyazaki didn’t seem sure what to do with all the attention. He was so modest and humble when it came to his work…It made me respect him that much more) before we were back on the road.

After From Software, it was back to the hotel to kill time until dinner. I hung out in the room with Laura, chatting with a friend back in Chicago before meeting up with Michelle, Josh, and Greg for dinner. We went to this awesome Udon shop and ate our fill on udon noodles and tempura (fried things of deliciousness. I had squid and shrimp) before picking up some beverages and heading back to the hotel. We ended up chilling out in the boys’ room, watching youtube videos and chilling out until we called it a night.