These slides presented at "Replaying Japan 2015" on 22th May explains the characteristics of Doujin Game developers in Japan, by analyzing interviews with 76 Doujin game developers.

1. http://www.***.net
Transforming Fields of
Game Development in Japan
-a Comparative Study between Doujin
Game and Indie Game Development-
Nobushige HICHIBE
Ema TANAKA

2. Background 1: Doujin Culture and Market
 “Doujin” is a Japanese word which means a
group or an individual who creates contents.
 comic books, music pieces, animation videos etc.
 Doujin groups can distribute their works at Doujin
events or participatory exhibitions such as
“Comic Market”.
 Doujin members, some are amateur and some are
semi-professional creators, circulate their self-made
content and have fun while interacting at Comic
Market and other similar events.
 Doujin shops also distribute some works of
Doujin on consignment basis to meet a demand
of those who couldn’t participate in Doujin events.

3. Background 2: Doujin Game
Doujin also creates and distributes video
games, which are called as “Doujin Game”
or “Doujin Soft”.
They are usually made for PC (Widows)
and distributed at 0~30$.
 Median of price is around 10$.
“Tsukihime”, “Higrashi When They Cry”
and “Touhou Project” are very popular
Doujin Games.

5. Doujin Shop

6. STG

7. Fighting

8. Action, RPG, SLG

9. ADV, Visual Novel

10. Tsukihime

11. Touhou Project

12. Outline of this paper 1
This paper explains three characteristics
of Doujin Game developers, by analyzing
interviews with 76 Doujin game developers.
Firstly, I will show that the majority of
Doujin game developers could be best
described as “Hobbyist” rather than
“Indie” game developers, not to mention
commercial game developers, because
the majority of them create games not for
making living but for having fun by making
game itself.

13. Outline of this paper 2
Secondly, I will mention that a certain
number of developers have made games
for fun, but they also have been able to
earn living since late 1990s due to
Doujin works distribution platform in Japan.
Thirdly, I conclude that Doujin game
developers gradually have changed their
consciousness and social relationship
since around 2010s to adapt globalization
one of the factors of which is ICT progress.

14. Previous Studies
Parker (2013) reviews indie game studies
written in English for 11 years. It points out
that games made by amateur, hobbyist etc.
before “indie games” are the least
developed area of previous studies.
About hobbyist game development in
Japan,
 Ito (2005) researches the characteristic of
hobbyist games made with “RPG Maker.”
 Picard (2013) briefly describes the history of
Doujin Games since 1980s.

15. Significance of this paper
These researches have focused on Doujin
games, but not on Doujin game
development.
So, little is known about Doujin game
development practice and developers’
consciousness.

16. This paper’s Flamework
Toynbee(2000) “Proto-Markets”
 These are the music production fields where we
can’t explain by logics of economy and music is
often produced from non-economic motivation.
Anthropy(2012), Westecott(2013) “Craft”
 They suggest the viewpoint classifying proto-
markets into two types; craft culture and indie
market.
 Craft culture is the field where many developers enjoy
creating games and don’t make them for making living.
 Indie market is the field where many developers are
interested in making living as well as developing what
they want to make.

17. This paper’s Flamework:
Three Game Production Field
Purpose of developer
Fun,
Interaction,
Expression of
individual
interest
Reputation,
Money
Money
Toynbee Proto-Markets Major
Anthropy,
Westecot
Hobby
Culture
Indie Market Major

18. Data Source (Interview Survey)
Later, I discuss whether Doujin game
developers could be best described as
hobbyist or Indie based on Interview
Survey. I and other Researchers
interviewed 76 Doujin game developers.
 Among them, 68 people are male and 8
people are female.

19. The differences between Doujin
and Commercial Development
Doujin
Development
Commercial
Development
Purpose, Interest
Develop what
developers like
Develop what
players like
Diversity of
developers and
works
√
Autonomy of
development
√
Flexibility of
production process
√
Production period Short Long
Closeness between
developers and
players
√
Possibility of
making living
Low High

20. Similarities between Doujin and Indie
Doujin game development is similar to Indie
game development.
 Diversity of developers and works
 Autonomy of development
 Flexibility of production process
 Production period
 Closeness between developers and players

21. Differences between Doujin and Indie
But they are different in the respect of
interest and purpose.
The interest of most Doujin developers is
for enjoying developing games itself
and interacting with others, not for
earning living.
We can say that Doujin game developers
in Japan could be best described as
“Hobbyist” rather than “Indie” game
developers, not to mention commercial
developers.

22. Making living as “Intended Consequences”
But a certain number of Doujin game
developers can earn living by selling several
thousand or ten thousand copies of their
games regularly as “unintended
consequences”, because Doujin events
including Comic Market and Doujin shops
provide significant opportunities to distribute
their works nationwide.

23. Doujin Contents Distribution Platforms
“Doujin Contents distribution platforms”
have been developed since the last half of
1990s in Japan.
The distribution platforms provide many self-
made content creators of comics, music,
animation etc. opportunity to make living by
selling their self-made works in Japan.

24. Doujin games distribution
Doujin games also have been distributed
and sold in the “Doujin” platform.
 Shops like “Tora no Ana” and others shops
franchise nationally.
 Addition to that, game download distribution
site like “DLsite.com” also sell Doujin Games.
In these platforms, Doujin game
developers could sell their works as much
as in commercial game distribution
platforms.

25. Doujin Shop (Sangatsu-Usagi)

26. Doujin Store (DLsite.com)

27. ICT also effects Doujin Game Development
It, however, should be noted that these
production practice and distribution routes
seem to be slowly changing because of
ICT developments.
The spread of fixed and mobile broadband
network, cloud computing system and
smart devices promote globalization at
various points.
And they also effect Doujin Game
Development.

28. Negative effects on doujin games
Doujin games for PC look expensive
compared with social and mobile games
that can be played free or at a low price.
As PCs with CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
have been decreasing, so many players
can’t play Doujin PC packaged games.
Due to these factors, the sales of PC
Doujin games are considered to decline.
 Some Doujin developers said that the sales of
their PC games have already declined in
Japan.

29. Positive effects on doujin games
Online sales sites such as “Steam”, one of
a global game distribution platform,
provide new opportunity to distribute
Doujin games globally.
 Besides Steam, AppStore, Google Play,
PlayStation Store also increase the chance to
distribute Doujin games.

30. Positive effects on doujin games
And Doujin game developer’s social
relationships with users and other
developers are also changing due to ICT.
Some developers who have built
relationship only nationally so far regard
this change as a new opportunity to
build new relationship with oversea
game developing communities and
users.

31. Changes of Doujin developers’
consciousness and action
In around 2009
 Most of them were interested only in
distributing to Japanese, and not interested
in distributing to overseas players.
Since around 2010, they have been
interested in global platforms and gradually
started to distribute their games to all
over the world through these platforms.
 They also participate in the events for
foreigners and the foreign events like PAX
East.

32. Changes of Doujin developers’
consciousness and action
 The words of an interviewee indicate the change
of their mind: “There is no future in Japan. So
we go global.”

33. Asterbreed(Steam)

34. Touhou @ Anime Weekend Atlanta 2013
出所： https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIkNU2Em7p8

35. Conclusion
Doujin game developers could be best
described as “Hobbyist” in view of their
production practice and consciousness.
The majority of Doujin developers make
games as hobby and don’t earn living by
selling their works. But a certain number of
developers can do it almost unintendedly.
Since around 2010, many developers
have begun to be conscious of global
distribution, and change their mind and
production practice to adapt globalization.

36. Bibliography
 Anthropy, Anna, 2012, Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, Seven
Stories Press.
 Ito, Kenji, 2007, Possibilities of Non-Commercial Games: The Case
of Amateur Role-Playing Games Designers in Japan, Suzanne De
Castell and Jennifer Jenson (eds): Worlds in Play: International
Perspectives on Digital Games Research, Peter Lang Pub Inc, 129-
142.
 Parker, Felan, 2013, Indie Game Studies Year Eleven, Proceedings
of DiGRA 2013.
 Picard, Martin, 2013, The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of
Early Japanese video games, Game Studies, 13(2).
 Toynbee, Jason, 2000, Making Popular Music: Musicians, Creativity
and Institution, Arnold.
 Westecott, Emma, 2013, Independent Game Development as Craft,
Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association,
Vol7, No 11, 78-91.

37. Thank You
The full paper of this presentation will be
included as one chapter of a book titled
Video Games in East Asia (Palgrave
Macmillan).
Nobushige HICHIBE
 Foundation for MultiMedia Communications
 natsunokumo2008@gmail.com
Ema TANAKA
 Foundation for MultiMedia Communications
 ema.tanaka@gmail.com