GAME CHRONICLE / IS JAPAN COOL?
Revealing Japan’s game culture and innovative history
“Game Chronicle” focuses on the complex world of Japanese games — which draws fans into a whirlwind of excitement and innovation. Video games are the combined product of creators’ imagination and developers’ passion. Wherever game professionals gather, we find team spirit and tireless dedication to product refinement. In this feature, we cover four eras of Japanese games (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s) and 100 topics — including hardware and software evolution, arcade games, latest e-sports, and Japan’s longtime favorite traditional games. We’re also exhibiting a “special collection” of events and anecdotes to enrich the history of Japanese games, so site visitors can better enjoy game culture. Moreover, our “Interview” section features 11 Japanese game industry experts — who reveal the essential appeal of games beloved worldwide.
Fight philosophy revealed by Japan’s first professional gamer
Daigo “The Beast” Umehara
Born in 1981 in Aomori Prefecture. Mr. Umehara is Japan’s first pro player of fighting games, nicknamed “The Beast” outside Japan. He was only 17 years old when he won the international “Grand Championship” title. Moreover, he achieved victory in the EVO — USA’s largest fighting game convention — for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011. In 2010, his name was recorded in Guinness World Records as a professional gamer and the longest winner of prize money in the world.
AloJapan.com