Creative resources of the Japanese video game industry

Although the video game industry may not generally be regarded as a sector offering forms of “haute culture” or refined art, it has become a sizeable industry with pervasive influences on popular culture. The worldwide market for video games is estimated to be at $18 billion. In 1999 alone, 215 million copies of games were purchased in the U.S., which amounts to two for every American household (IDSA, 2001). Despite its ubiquity and its significant influence upon youth culture, however, relatively little is known about the industry and, particularly, the role of creative resources in industry formation and competitive strength. Research on video games so far has emphasized the moral issues and psychological impacts (Loftus and Loftus, 1983; Greenfield, 1984; Kinder, 1991; U.S. Congress, 1994). The industry’s developmental trajectory, which incorporated multiple aspects of emerging technologies in computers, multimedia and the Internet, represents a contemporary synergy of digital technologies, artistic creativity and multimedia entertainment