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Session Name: The Localization of Counter Strike in Japan
Speaker(s): Kouichirou Taninami
Company Name(s): Namco LTD.
Track / Format: Game Design

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Overview: Counter Strike is the most popular online action game in Europe and the US. Popularizing this title with the Japanese gaming community was a great risk, considering estimates of active Counter Strike players in Japan total a mere 2000. Probably the most influential step in achieving this goal was to create gaming centers called LEDzones. These are essentially gaming cafes where gamers are networked and play in a plush, unique environment. This lecture addresses two topics: how Namco remodeled Counter Strike to make it more attractive to the Japanese gamer and how Namco approached the Japanese online gaming community. The database in Counter Strike NEO has been designed to record a variety of play information from both the online player and the staff working at one of the LEDzones. This database is able to disseminate statistical analysis on features such as player action, amount of money spent and staff interaction. From these results, Namco hopes to better develop and manage the market of online gaming in Japan.

GDC 2006

Kouichirou Taninami

Namco LTD.

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Game Design

Design