Ono Kenshi, former editor-in-chief of the hardcore game magazine Game Criticism and former representative of the International Game Developers Association Japan (IGDA Japan), an NPO that supports game development and the industry, talks about the game industry in "Ono Kenshi's Game Criticism." In this final episode, he talks about his days since leaving Game Criticism.
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After various events, he left the company and, with it, the editor-in-chief of Game Criticism magazine. This was in August 2000. He had made plans for the next issue, cut the layout, ordered the manuscript, and all that was left was the cover illustration. The reason for his departure was a clash between editorial policy and management policy, specifically, whether to order a cover illustration or not use an illustration and cut costs. Even though it was the president's decision, he didn't think that a plain cover would increase circulation. After that, there was a back-and-forth exchange of words, and he left. It would be a lie to say that he had no regrets, but it was time to move on. He was starting to get tired of making magazines for sales.
What would I do after I left the company? I had plenty of time. Because I left the company due to company circumstances, I received unemployment benefits right away. I moved to the suburbs to save on rent, and spent my days visiting libraries, video rental stores, and supermarkets. I had no plans, but I didn't think I could move to another company, and I didn't intend to do that either. I wanted to do interviews more than stay at the company. Soon, I started getting writing jobs bit by bit, and before I knew it, I was a freelance writer. My annual salary didn't change, but my days off increased. I think I had three or four days off a week at the time. I spent my days enjoying my delayed summer vacation.
I used the time I had to do semi-permanent interviews at game development companies. Saito Akihiro of Dice (at the time), who I had known since my days as editor-in-chief, invited me, and I continued to spend my days hanging out at the company under the pretext of interviewing. Dice had a history of receiving work from Nintendo, including the "Itoi Shigesato's No. 1 Bass Fishing" series, and I was able to hear some valuable behind-the-scenes stories about the production. Sometimes I would introduce people I knew, which sometimes led to new orders. Above all, it was stimulating to be able to observe how games were made on-site. Although the interviews were unsuccessful and were shelved, being able to do fieldwork at a game development company was very useful for my later work.
It was after I left the company that I started reporting overseas. After the release of the PS2, there were whispers of a decline in game users in Japan, but the overseas market began to grow rapidly. I had always admired them, so I began reporting on overseas events such as E3 and GDC. I paid for my own expenses, so I didn't make any money, but it was great to be able to report on the excitement on the ground firsthand. I was surprised to see how the game developer community was thriving overseas and how information was shared across company boundaries. After that, a trend started to bring this culture to Japan, and I became involved in the activities of the International Game Developers Association Japan (IGAD Japan).
I also began interacting with researchers. It all started with a phone call I received on the day I was leaving the company. They were conducting academic research on the game industry and wanted to talk to me about it. While being interviewed, I learned that Nakamura had been turned down by major game magazines, and had called after seeing the colophon of the magazine. He was Akinori Nakamura, who was still a doctoral student at the time, and later became a professor at Ritsumeikan University and served as the president of the Japan Digital Game Association. Eventually, I also had one foot in the door of educating game developers, and before I knew it, I was a university professor. You never know what's going to happen in this world. That's why I really think that once-in-a-lifetime encounters are so important.
In this way, after I left "Game Criticism," my world suddenly expanded. At the same time, the magazine continued to be published until 2006 after I left. That just shows how big the magazine's reputation was. However, even if I had continued as editor-in-chief, I think the magazine would have stopped publication sooner or later, and I would have left the company. In that sense, it was a good time to leave. I have been affiliated with a university since 2020, but I don't know what kind of life will continue in the future. One thing I can say is that at "Game Criticism," I was able to speak freely about anything, without thinking about unnecessary things, at my own responsibility. This was a big deal for me. I would like to continue to maintain this stance in the future.
Finally, this will be the last installment of this series. Thank you for your continued support over the years.
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Ono Kenji Born in 1971 in Yamaguchi Prefecture. After serving as editor-in-chief of Game Criticism, he has been working freelance since 2000. Since 2011, he has been a core member of the non-profit organization International Game Developers Association Japan (IGDA Japan), and since 2020, he has been working hard to develop human resources as a lecturer at Tokyo International University of Technology.
