I’ve spoken about it during the Dragon’s Crown episode of the podcast, but I find it a shame that there’s a complete misunderstanding of the Japanese culture when it comes to media and entertainment development. Many have spoken to me that if a game is developed with a global market in mind then it should be adjusted to fit a global culture, but I believe this is a pretty heavy task to give someone. It’s not always like asking to change the arcade cabinet from Puck-Man to Pac-Man. Our own media and culture is inconsistent and undecided, and asking a foreign person to adjust their creation, informed by the culture that they’ve grown up in and have been exposed to, in order to conform with ours is a daunting task.

When Hideo Kojima explains that he’s designing a character to appeal to cosplayers and figurine collectors, I understand that it is an act of fan service. Typically when that term is used in the States, it is used to express a thought similar to “material to wank to”. Here, have a character dressed in a skimpy bikini, or a variety of panty shots. Think about that as you rub one out before bed.

This is a gross simplification of the idea, however, as fan-service can change based on demographic. For example, in the American television show Once Upon a Time, the appearance of the character Captain Hook can be viewed as fan service for a female audience while still suiting the character’s personality. A charismatic bad boy that looks gruff enough to be masculine yet fashionable and clean enough to be handsome. In Japanese entertainment, female-oriented fan-service will also typically contain suggested male-on-male scenarios, even if none are actually occurring. If there is a difference between sexual fan-service for men and women in Japan, it is that female fan-service is more clever or subtle.

As I stated, however, there are different kinds of fan-service, and Kojima’s rationale is a reflection of Japanese culture. One of the reasons fan-service can be so prominent in Japanese anime and video games is because the creators involved are, at least to an extent, otaku themselves. They may lack a number of the social ineptitudes that would interfere with their ability to work in such jobs, or they may be just as awkward. It would make sense, however, that the passions otaku feel for the entertainment industry would be shared and understood by the entertainment creators.

Of course, otaku is the most likely target fanbase, and the one I’m most familiar with in terms of Japanese culture. Even so, cosplay and collection are rather big amongst otaku and fandom in Japan, and Hideo Kojima describing the creative process in developing the character is done with them in mind.

In America, it is easily construed as sexist. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. The truth is that in Japan, Metal Gear Solid’s most likely audience and demographic, with or without the scantily clad women, is going to be males. As a result, the fan-service becomes targeted towards males. Or, perhaps, the most obvious fan-service. After all, in the Polygon article especially, Kojima described this sort of development as a concern for the entire game. The character of Quiet is just one example.

In truth, I think the Japanese approach is much more healthy than our own. American entertainment is too busy focusing on the lowest common denominator whenever possible, and when they target niche audiences, it still tends to primarily be with a white male audience in mind, or some poorly written low-budget affair target towards women or minorities.

There is room for fan-service, and there are women out there who cosplay that don’t mind doing it in a skimpy outfit (if you do a Google search I’m sure you’ll find plenty). I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a woman that cosplays that sees Quiet’s outfit and thinks “damn, I’d love to put that together”. Similarly, I do think it’s about time video games started getting more Captain Hooks for the ladies to swoon over as often as men are dreaming of Mai Shiranui.

Most of all, however, I don’t want to force Japanese developers or studios to abandon part of their culture as both entertainers and fans themselves. Fan-service is a communication between the creators and their fans in ways we don’t truly capitalize on in America. The closest we get are inside jokes and pre-order bonuses. Hell, one of the few truly excellent uses of fan-service I can think of is Kevin Smith and his View Askewniverse.

I understand having a problem with the gaming industry and how geek culture perceives women in general. There’s a lot of issues there that make things needlessly difficult for women and even minorities. However, I feel like there’s a misdirection of anger towards anything that can possibly be perceived as sexist or simply ignorant, regardless of culture or motive.

To me, the answer isn’t censorship, which seems to be what many are crying out for. It’s to simply have more options. More shows like Once Upon a Time, or games with the style of Vision of Escaflowne. Of course, in order to manage the latter, you’d need someone that wants to play as the girl instead of the sword-swinging mech pilot prince.

Which means convincing publishers to take a risk on a highly unorthodox sort of idea in order to cater to a market they don’t believe exists.

Crap.