Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 22
Shinji Mikami Backs Game Streaming, Says Viewers Satisfied by Playthroughs Saw a Not-Good Game
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 22

Shinji Mikami Backs Game Streaming, Says Viewers Satisfied by Playthroughs Saw a Not-Good Game

3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jun 22

Summary

  • Shinji Mikami said games fail their goal if viewers can watch a full stream and feel satisfied without playing, according to comedian Hidetaka Kano’s account of a June 18 TV interview.
  • Mikami argued developers should build games that still make people want to clear them “with their own hands” even after watching someone else finish them, and told streamers to keep broadcasting.
  • Yuji Horii, creator of Dragon Quest, reportedly gave Kano the same view, suggesting some prominent Japanese creators see streaming as a test of a game’s appeal rather than a threat.
  • That stance cuts against wider caution in Japan: Mages last month barred streaming of Steins;Gate Re:Boot, and a 53-year-old man in 2023 received a 2-year suspended sentence and a roughly $6,400 fine for uploading a full playthrough.

Insights

Will Japan's strict copyright laws ultimately help or harm its global video game industry?
Can a game be designed to be 'unspoilable' even if its entire story is streamed online?
Why do some top creators see streamers as allies while others see them as pirates?