JAPAN: Virtual beetlemania as insect video game arcades boom in Japan
- 00:00:18
- ITN Source
JAPAN: Virtual beetlemania as insect video game arcades boom in Japan
A nation of beetle lovers, insects in Japan are often more popular than dogs or cats as pets, especially for kids. Almost every child has had the experience of playing with rhinoceros beetles or stag beetles or making them fight against each other. And now, a different sort of beetle is gaining popularity among the young. These don't eat watermelon rinds or hibernate -- they are virtual beetles and do everything the insects do (and more), and have children and adults alike catching the video game bug. "Mushiking (pronounced MOO-SHEE-KING) -The King of Beetles" is an arcade game manufactured by SEGA corporation in which players make virtual beetles battle for supremacy. It combines the collecting beetle cards with a video game playing. A player inserts a 100 yen coin (1 USD) into a machine, and receives a card with a picture of a giraffe Stag beetle, Hercules beetle or some other variety beetle. the machine uses the data recorded on the card to display a computer-graphics representation of the beetle. Incredibly lifelike graphics and hollywood movie-like action extravaganza have captured the interest of beetle fans young and old. Since it was launched in January 2003, the game has blossomed into a new craze in Japan with more than 13,500 game machines installed in 5,200 video game arcades and shopping centres across the country. As of September 2005, more than 256 million game cards have been sold and dispensed through the machines. The game has also spawned some 500 varieties of merchandise ranging from notebooks to clothes and has even been turned into a TV cartoon series. A movie is due out next winter. On weekends, children - often accompanied by parents - are lining up in droves to play Mushiking at amusement arcades and shopping centres to play the wildly popular game. Mushiking World Plus in Soga, Chiba prefecture near Tokyo is a virtual beetle mecca, where a huge variety of beetle models are displayed and champion beetles are crowned at weekend tournaments. "My father also has some beetle cards so we often trade them each other and talk about what is the best combination of the cards to win the game," said 9-year-old Atsushi(AH-TSOO-SHEE) Uda (OO-DAH), an elementary school student. The game is mainly targeted at the 4 to 12 year age group, but it has some adults addicted as well. "This game is useful as a communication tool between the family through which I can teach how to win the game and how to behave decently after victory," said Masaaki Watai, a 35-year-old company employee. Asked about the reason of the success, Sawashi (SAH-WAH-SHEE) Sakaguchi (SAH-KAH-GOO-CHEE) Sega's spokesman said it was because all the beetles on the screen and cards were based on the real bugs. "All beetles appearing in the game are based on real creatures which parents of the children are familiar with because they once captured and raised. So the joy of the game can be shared by whole family," said Sakaguchi. The arcade game is also popular in Singapore, the Philippines and Taiwan and there are plans to introduce it further abroad.
ITN Source | September 30, 2005
