The new e-sport park opened on 20 April in Tokyo and three floors at the base of the landmark Tokyo Tower are now filled with the latest VR devices, game simulators, and other stuff to inspire Japanese gamers to level up their skills.
The reticence of Japanese e-sports stands in contrast with neighbours South Korea and China, where enthusiasm is reflected in the competitive strength of teams in multiplayer PC titles such as “League of Legends”. Despite Japan being the homeland of world famous games like “SuperMario” and “Final Fantasy”, as well as gaming consoles such as Nintendo, Japanese gamers prefer to play at home without any competitive spirit.
“Japan’s e-sports market is growing but still distant compared to overseas. We hope to close the gap”, said Yasuo Hara, president of Tokyo eSports Gate, which developed the Red Tokyo Tower attraction.
Moreover, in April this year eSports High School in Shibuya opened to help gamers and future professionals in the field grow and diversify the gaming media sphere.
The Japanese gaming industry emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Konami, Taito, Capcom, Namco, Square Enix, SNK, NEC, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony Computer Entertainment are just some of the companies that emerged in Japan and paved the way for the gaming industry we know today.