Computer and video games

Take for example South Korea. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s largely due to the after-effects of over-investment during the late 1980s and domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Computer games are huge business worldwide. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. A large number of summer blockbuster films spawn a companion game, often launching at the same time in order to share the marketing costs. Government-industry cooperation, aid from the United States following World War II, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, emphasis on education, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance with extraordinary speed to become the second largest economy in the world, after the U.S. The game and film industries are also becoming increasingly intertwined, with companies like Sony having significant stakes in both. Each prefecture has an administrative bureaucracy.

This is untrue; in the United States, video game sales have exceeded the movies' total box office revenue each year since about 1996, but the movie studios trounce the video game publishers when the movies' "ancillary revenue" is counted, meaning sales of DVDs, sales to foreign distributors, and sales to cable TV, satellite TV, and broadcast television networks. Voters in each prefecture elect a governor and a legislative assembly. There is a commonly repeated, mistaken belief that video game sales now exceed the revenues of the movie industry. The Local Government Law of Japan divides the country into 47 prefectures, which carry out administrative duties, independently of the central government. Retail PC game sales have been declining slightly each year since about 1998, but this fact should be taken with a grain of salt: the retail sales numbers from NPD do not include sales from online downloads, nor subscription revenue for games like MMORPGs. From north to south, these are:. These figures are sales in dollars, not units; unit shipments for each category were higher than the dollar sales numbers indicate, as more software and hardware was sold at reduced prices compared to 2003. The other islands constitute one region each.

It reported that as of 2004:. Honshu, by far the largest and most populated island, is typically divided into five (or more) regions. The NPD Group tracks computer and video game sales in the United States. Japan is commonly divided into regions. In South Korea, computer games are preferred, especially MMORPG games and real-time strategy games; there are over 20,000 PC bang Internet cafes where computer games can be played for an hourly charge. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryukyu and Bonin islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands. Japanese consumers avoid computer games and instead buy video games, with a strong preference for games created in Japan, that run on Japanese consoles (1 reason the Xbox series is less popular). Japan is home to nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands.

Sales of different types of games vary widely between these markets due to local preferences. Japan's varied geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones:. [3]. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons develop from tropical depressions generated near the equator, and track from the southwest to the northeast, often bringing heavy rain. China is not considered a significant market, most likely because an estimated 95% of video games sold in the country are pirated. The rainy season begins in most of Honshu around the 8th of June and ends (tsuyu-ake) around the 20th of July. Other significant markets include Spain, Germany, South Korea, France, and Italy. Japan's main rainy season begins (tsuyu-iri) in early May in Okinawa, and the stationary rain front responsible for this gradually works its way north until it dissipates in northern Japan before reaching Hokkaido in late July.

The four largest markets for computer and video games are the United States, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. Due to severe water pollution, these reefs are now dying. The average age of the video game player is now 30 [2], belying the myth that video games are largely a diversion for teenagers. The waters of the Kuroshio Current also warm the Pacific side of Japan, sustaining the coral reefs of Japan, the northernmost coral reefs in the world. The popularity of computer and video games, as a whole, has been increasing steadily ever since the 1984-1987 drop-off caused by the video game crash of 1983, and the popularity appears to be continuing to increase. The climate is also affected by the seasonal winds, blown from the continent to the ocean in winters and vice versa in summers. This term has now expanded to include any game that has more direct action, with fewer long term objectives, focuses on time limits and, for the most part, shorter in-game levels. Because of its great length from north to south, Japan's climate varies from region to region: the far north is very cold in the winter, while the far south is subtropical.

Arcade games that are no longer profitable to lease can be purchased by private individuals, many of whom then explore the game dynamics by altering the programs in minor ways. Japan's average temperature for the summer time is 30°C, and for the winter, it is 4.7°C. Controls are similar to those available for many consoles (albeit usually as peripherals) and range from the classic joystick and buttons (Pac-Man), to light guns (Duck Hunt), to pads on the ground that sense pressure (Dance Dance Revolution). Japan is a temperate region with four seasons of varying severity--five, if the rainy season is included. These are programmed, equipped, and decorated for a specific game, consisting of a video display, a set of controls, and the coin slot. Hot springs are numerous, and have been developed as resorts. Arcade games, traditionally, are "coin-operated games", played on a standalone device originally leased to commercial entertainment venues. The most recent major quakes include the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake and the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995.

Because they are designed to be played on the go, they were traditionally small enough to carry conveniently in a bag or jacket (the Virtual Boy being an exception to this), but due to their small size, handheld consoles have reduced processing power compared to larger consoles, meaning that games are shorter, and until the release of the Nintendo DS, were largely limited to 2D. Twenty percent of the world's earthquakes magnitude 6.0 and higher are epicentered in Japan. Handheld consoles act as their own controllers, which the player uses to interact with the game, as well as having in-built display and audio output devices. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, occur several times each century. Handheld games are played on handheld game consoles, such as the Nintendo Game Boy line, the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. Frequent low-intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands. Consoles themselves branched off from personal computers around two decades ago, a fact which is still evident not only in the name, but also in many of the peripherals available for many consoles, like the keyboard and mouse peripherals released for the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Sega Dreamcast. Japan is situated in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the juncture of the Philippine Plate, Pacific Plate, Eurasian Plate, and North American Plate.

The player usually interacts with the game through a controller, and video and sound are typically delivered to the player via a television through composite A/V cables, although most modern consoles support additional outputs, such as surround sound, progressive scan, and High Definition setups through the use of component cables. This has resulted in an extremely high population density in the habitable zones that are mainly located in coastal areas. Console games are played on a video game console,or "home console", a specialized computer specifically designed to play games of a certain format. About 73% of the country is mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use, due to the generally steep elevations, climate, and risk of landslides caused by earthquakes, soft ground, and heavy rain. Some of these games, such as Runescape, however, have expanded far beyond this, and can often be considered on the same level as "mainstream" PC games. Japan is the 18th most densely populated country in the world (see also the list of countries by population density). Some are on going user-based games that have no ending. In addition, about 3,000 smaller islands may be counted in the full extent of the archipelago that comprises greater Japan.

These games generally do not share the same magnitude of development costs, depth, or seriousness of PC and console games, and are generally quick to complete by comparison. Naha on Okinawa, in the Ryukyu archipelago, is over 600 km to the southwest of Kyushu. The Internet is also host to thousands of small web-based games, written using formats like Flash and Javascript. The main islands (sometimes referred to as the Home Islands), running from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu (or the mainland), Shikoku, and Kyushu. Online games need to allow several people to play at the same time, so not all genres are suitable; the most popular genres include MMORPGs, FPSs, racing/driving games, strategy games, and sports titles. Japan, a country of islands, extends along the eastern or Pacific coast of Asia. It is now a key feature of modern games, with the inclusion of Internet connectivity in consoles such as the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube (although it was only fully exploited on the Xbox); portable consoles such as the PSP or DS that use Wi-Fi, and in mobile/cellular phones. Japan also has an ongoing dispute with North Korea over its abduction of Japanese citizens and nuclear weapons program.

The first console to incorporate this feature was the Sega Dreamcast. The disputes are in part about the control of marine and natural resources, such as possible reserves of crude oil and natural gas. Online gaming began with PC games, but has expanded over time to include most modern consoles. They are the four southern islands of the Kuril Islands, administered by Russia, as well as the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korean, Takeshima in Japanese), administered by South Korea, and the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai in Chinese), administered by Japan, but claimed by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Online Games are those which are played over the Internet. Japan has territorial disputes over islands that were controlled by Japan before World War II. Ease of software piracy is also a much greater threat with PC games, although console hardware modifications do make it possible to play pirated games on them as well. [1].

Without the proper hardware, the game may perform poorly or not run at all, as opposed to console software, in which the software is designed based on the set hardware configuration of the console. Japan is a member state of the United Nations, the G8, and the G4 nations, and is a major donor in international aid and development efforts, donating 0.19% of its Gross National Income in 2004. One possible explanation for the declining sales of personal computer games in relation to that of consoles can be found within the PC itself: a computer must meet certain minimum requirements such as CPU speed, Random access memory (RAM), system clock speed (MHz or GHz), video card memory, hard drive space, operating system, Internet connection speed (for online games) and other criteria. It seems likely that the law will be amended to permit women to ascend the throne (as eight have in Japan's recorded history). For more information, see sales. The Imperial Household Law of 1947 limits succession to males, but there is ongoing and widespread public discussion of the Japanese Imperial succession controversy. According to the Entertainment Software Association, console games have outsold computer games roughly four units to one in 2003 and 2004 [1]. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, married Masako Owada, who gave birth to a girl, Princess Aiko, in 2001.

There is, however, a continuing movement to get the most popular games to run under the Mac and Linux operating systems, although it is still small. He assumed the throne after the death of his father, Hirohito, on January 7, 1989. Today, most major PC games require a recent version of the Windows operating system to be installed on the computer. Akihito (明仁) is the current and 125th Emperor of Japan. PC games are often more detailed than console games because of early market releases of their external architecture and graphics cards. In academic studies, Japan is generally considered a constitutional monarchy, based largely upon the British system. Video feedback is received by the user through the computer screen, sound through speakers or headphones. Though his official status is disputed, on diplomatic occasions the emperor tends to behave (with widespread public support, it should be noted) as though he were a head of state.

They are played on the personal computer with standard computer interface devices such as the keyboard and mouse, or additional peripherals, such as joysticks. Sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people by the constitution. Personal computer games are commonly referred to as "computer games" or "PC games". He performs ceremonial duties and holds no real power; not even emergency reserve powers. During the last generation of gaming, most major PC game releases have coincided with the release of console versions, and titles initially developed for a single platform are often ported to others if they prove to be successful. The Constitution of Japan defines the emperor to be "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Many games intended for PCs are now just as prevalent on consoles, with many developers creating versions for more than one platform. The Imperial Household of Japan is headed by the emperor.

The final home platform is the PC. The liberal conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been in power since 1955, except for a short-lived coalition government formed from its opposition parties in 1993; the largest opposition party is the liberal-socialist Democratic Party of Japan. The 3 main home video game platform companies are Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, who between them have created seven of the eight home platforms most commonly used today. The Prime Minister has the power to appoint and remove ministers, a majority of whom must be Diet members. Games are not interchangeable between platforms so, for example, Xbox games will not work in your PC. The Prime Minister must be a member of the Diet, and is designated by his colleagues. Personal computers, consoles, handheld systems, and arcade machines are all common. The Cabinet is composed of a Prime Minister and ministers of state, and is responsible to the Diet.

Today there are many different devices, or platforms, on which games may be played. There is universal adult (over 20 years old) suffrage, with a secret ballot for all elective offices. The increase in the popularity of online gaming has also resulted in sub-genres being formed, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The Diet consists of a House of Representatives (Lower House or Shūgi-in) containing 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and a House of Councillors (Upper House or Sangi-in) of 242 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. Most games nowadays are a combination of two or more genres (e.g action/RPG). The Constitution of Japan states that the nation's "highest organ of state power" is its bicameral parliament, the National Diet. The most common genres in use today include platformer, adventure, role-playing game (RPG), first person shooter (FPS), third person shooter (both these are sometimes refered to as shoot-'em-ups), sports, racing, fighting, action (note that this term is abused often), puzzle, simulation, and real time strategy (RTS). Despite a major stock market crash in 1990, from which the country is recovering gradually, Japan remains a global economic power today and is now bidding for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Games, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into genres based on gameplay, atmosphere, and various other factors. assistance, Japan achieved spectacular growth to become one of the largest economies in the world. Although the use of this term is often disputed, as it is considered too vague for the range of concepts it describes, it is currently the most commonly used and accepted term for this purpose when describing video games. After the occupation, under a program of aggressive industrial development and U.S. It includes direct interaction, such as controls and interface, but also design aspects of the game, such as levels and graphics. In 1947, Japan adopted a new pacifist constitution, seeking international cooperation and emphasizing human rights and democratic practices. In computer and video gaming, gameplay (sometimes called "Game mechanics") is a general term that describes player interaction with a game. forces still retain important bases in Japan, especially in Okinawa.

The second generation Microsoft offering, the Xbox 360, will be powered by a multi-core CPU, the PlayStation 3 will be powered by Cell processor technology, and the Nintendo Revolution will allow the gamer to interact with the game via a wireless motion sensing controller and promises more innovations, although full technical specifications are yet to be revealed. Official American occupation lasted until 1952, although U.S. Sony with the PlayStation 3, Nintendo with the codenamed Nintendo Revolution, and Microsoft with the Xbox 360 are all participating in this coming year's "technology race". The war cost millions of lives in Japan and other countries, especially in East Asia, and left much of the country's industries and infrastructure destroyed. The end of 2005 and first and second quarters of 2006 will see the next generation of console gaming in the form of continuing advances in processor technology, graphics technology, design innovation, and even platform specific gaming community infrastructure. Emperor Hirohito, however, was given immunity and retained his title. In Western countries the consoles have had similar levels of success,the PSP sales being slightly bigger, but in Japan the DS has been a huge hit, vastly outselling the PSP. The Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal was convened on May 3, 1946 to prosecute Japanese war crimes, including atrocities like the Nanking Massacre.

The Nintendo DS (DS stands for Dual-Screen) is a highly innovative console, and the PSP is much more powerful and also includes limited media capabilities. The Japanese eventually agreed to an unconditional surrender to the Allies on August 15, 1945 (V-J Day). The other two more technically advanced handhelds to be released in 2004, the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable (PSP), didn't help the N-Gage. After a long campaign in the Pacific Ocean, Japan lost its initial territorial gains, and American forces moved close enough to begin strategic bombing of Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities, as well as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 2004 Nokia released a re-tooled N-Gage, the N-Gage QD which didn't fare much better. Roosevelt demanded that Japan withdraw its forces from China, Japan attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor as well as British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, bringing itself and the United States into World War II. It was criticized for being poorly designed, and flopped. In 1941, after US President Franklin D.

Nokia entered the handheld market with its N-Gage game-phone hybrid on October 7 2003. During this period, Japan invaded China, occupying Manchuria in 1931, and continued its expansion into China proper in 1937, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War, which lasted until the end of World War II. Sega became a third-party developer for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft in 2002. In 1936, however, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, joining with Germany and Italy to form the Axis alliance. Sega realised they could no longer compete, and announced they would discontinue the Dreamcast and no longer manufacture hardware. World War I enabled Japan, which fought on the side of the victorious Allies, to expand its influence in Asia, and its territorial holdings in the Pacific. Nintendo released their successor to the Nintendo 64, the GameCube, and the first all new Game Boy since the consoles inception, the Game Boy Advance. The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taisho democracy" overshadowed by the rise of Japanese expansionism.

Its flagship game, Halo: Combat Evolved, is also available at the system's launch. By 1910, Japan controlled Korea, Taiwan, and the southern half of Sakhalin. In 2001 Microsoft entered the videogame console industry by releasing its new home console, the Xbox. These reforms helped transform the Empire of Japan into a world power, defeating China in the First Sino-Japanese War and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. It was an instant hit and became the best-selling computer game of all time, surpassing Myst. Japan adopted numerous Western institutions during the Meiji period, including a modern government, legal system, and military. The Sims was also released. Subsequently, the shogunate resigned, and the Meiji Restoration returned the emperor to power.

In 2000 Sony released the widely anticipated PlayStation 2. The perceived weakness of the shogunate led many samurai to revolt, leading to the Boshin War of 1867 to 1868. 1998 saw the releases of the Sega Dreamcast in Japan (1999 in the US) and the Game Boy Color from Nintendo. In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States forced the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa. The Saturn was successful in Japan but a failure in North America, leaving Sega outside of the main competition. This period of isolation lasted for two and a half centuries, a time of tenuous political unity known as the Edo period, considered to be the height of Japan's medieval culture. By the end of this period, Sony had dethroned Nintendo, the PlayStation outselling the Nintendo 64. Thus, the country became more isolated than ever before.

In particular, SquareSoft, which had released all previous games in its Final Fantasy series for Nintendo consoles, now turned to the PlayStation; Final Fantasy VII (1997) was a huge success, establishing the popularity of role-playing games in the west and making the PlayStation the primary console for the genre. The Manchus subjugated Korea in 1637, and the Japanese feared an invasion. Nintendo's choice to use cartridges instead of CD-ROMs for the Nintendo 64, unique among the consoles of this period, proved to have negative consequences. They also became more conscious of trade with China, especially after the Manchu conquered China and established the Qing Dynasty. The flagship title, Super Mario 64, became a defining title for 3D platform games. The Tokugawa shogunate, suspicious of the influence of Catholic missionaries, barred all relations with Europeans, except for severely restricted contacts with Dutch merchants at the artificial island of Dejima, near Nagasaki. After many delays, Nintendo released its 64-bit console, the Nintendo 64 in 1996, selling more than 1.5 million units in only three months. Toyotomi reunified the country, and following his death, Tokugawa seized power by defeating his enemies at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, moving the capital to Edo (now Tokyo) and founding the Tokugawa shogunate.

Both consoles used 32-bit technology; the door was open for 3D games. During the last quarter of this century, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu established increasingly strong control over the warring states of Japan. In 1994-1995, Sega released Sega Saturn and Sony made its debut to the video gaming scene with the PlayStation. During the 16th century, traders and missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time, initiating the Nanban ("southern barbarian") period of active commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West (and even China). Basic 3D graphics entered the mainstream with flat-shaded polygons enabled by additional processors in game cartridges like Virtua Racing and Starfox. The "Warring States" or Sengoku period ensued. CD-ROM drives were first seen in this generation, as add-ons for the PC Engine in 1988 and the Megadrive in 1991. Its successor, the Ashikaga shogunate, was much weaker, and Japan soon fell into warring factions.

The PC Engine eventually lost out to the Super Famicom, but retained enough of a user base to support new games well into the late 1990s. The Kamakura shogunate lasted another fifty years. In Japan, the PC Engine's (Turbografx 16) 1987 success against the Famicom and CD drive peripheral allowed it to fend off the Mega Drive (Genesis) in 1988, which never really caught on to the same degree as outside Japan. The shogunate managed to repel Mongol invasions from Mongol-occupied Korea in 1274 and 1281. The NEC TurboGrafx 16 was the first 16-bit system to be marketed in the region, but did not achieve a large following, partly due to a limited library of English games and effective marketing from Sega. After Yoritomo's death, another warrior clan, the Hojo, came to rule as regents for the shoguns. The North American market was dominated by the Sega Genesis early on after its debut in 1989, with the Nintendo Super NES proving a strong, roughly equal rival in 1991. In the year 1185, general Minamoto no Yoritomo was the first to break the tradition of ruling alongside the emperor in Kyoto, holding power in distant Kamakura.

While some of the other systems remained in production until the mid-90s, the Game Boy remained at the top spot in sales throughout its lifespan. Japan's medieval era was characterized by the emergence of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. Although most other systems were more technologically advanced, they were hampered by higher battery consumption and less third-party developer support. The imperial court later moved briefly to Nagaoka, and later Heian-kyo (now Kyoto), starting a "golden age" of classical Japanese culture called the Heian period which lasted for nearly four centuries and was characterized by the regency regime of the Fujiwara clan. Several rival handhelds also made their debut around that time, including the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx. The Nara period of the 8th century marked the first strong Japanese state, centered around an imperial court, in the city of Heijo-kyo (now Nara). Included with the system was Tetris, a popular puzzle game. This paved the way for the dominance of Confucian philosophy in Japan until the 19th century.

In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy, the first handheld console since the ill-fated Microvision ten years before. Through the Taika Reform Edicts of 645 AD, Japanese intensified the adoption of Chinese cultural practices and reorganized the government in accordance with the Chinese administrative structure. See the article on Console wars for additional information on that facet of game history. Nonetheless, for most of Japan's history, real power has been in the hands of the court nobility, the shoguns, the military, or, more recently, prime ministers. The last two decades of game history have been marked by separate markets for games on video game consoles, home computers and handhelds. However, historians believe the first emperor who actually existed was Emperor Ojin, though the date of his reign is uncertain. and many others of today's popular Nintendo genre. It is claimed that he started a line of emperors that remains unbroken, to this day.

The video game crash of 1983, however, produced a dark age in the market that was not filled until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) reached North America in 1985.This presented Americans with games such as Mario Bros. According to traditional Japanese mythology, Japan was founded in the 7th century BC by the ancestral Emperor Jinmu, a direct descendant of the Shinto deity Amaterasu. The late 1970s to early 1980s brought about the improvement of home consoles and the release of the Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision. Though Japan did not appear in written history until 57 AD, when it is first mentioned in Chinese records as the nation of "Wa" (in Chinese, "Wo"), or "dwarf state", these chronicles tell a much different and much more legendary history of Japan, deriving the people of Japan from the gods themselves. He created a system with limited capabilities called the brown box, which paved the way for the next wave of home consoles. The beginning of Japanese historical writing culminated in the early 8th century AD with the massive chronicles, Kojiki (The Record of Ancient Matters, 712 AD) and Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan, 720 AD). The first home console video games, were created by Ralph Baer who is now known as the creator of video games. The Japanese did not start writing their own histories until the 5th and 6th centuries AD, when the Chinese writing system, Buddhism, advanced pottery, ceremonial burial, and other aspects of culture were introduced by aristocrats, artisans, scholars, and monks from Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

The 1970s also saw the release of the first home video game consoles. Most people were farmers; others were fishermen, weavers, potters, artisans, armorers, and ritual specialists. The paddles were white bars with a dot moving between them. Based upon the Chinese model, they developed a central administration and an imperial court system and society was organized into occupation groups (Ritsuryo). One of the best-known of these games is Pong, a simple game simulating Ping Pong. The Yamato court, concentrated in the Asuka region, suppressed the clans and acquired agricultural lands, increasing their power. Arcade games were developed in the 1970s (Pac-man to Frogger) and led to the so-called "Golden Age of Arcade Games". The Yayoi period was succeeded around 250 AD by the Kofun era, characterized by the establishment of strong military states centered around powerful clans.

The first video game was Space War created at MIT in 1962. As the population increased and society became more complex, they wove cloth, lived in permanent farming villages, constructed buildings of wood and stone, accumulated wealth through landownership and the storage of grain, and developed distinct social classes. The first primitive computer and video games were developed in the 1960s and 1970s and ran on platforms such as oscilloscopes, university mainframes and EDSAC computers. The start of the Yayoi period around 300 BC, marked the influx of new technologies such as rice farming, shamanism, and iron and bronze-making brought by migrants from the Korean peninsula and China. . This led to the manufacture of the earliest-known form of pottery in the world. In common usage, "computer game" or "PC game" refers specifically to games played on a personal computer, "console game" refers to games played on specifically-designed set top box, that play through a TV and "video game" (or "videogame") refers to any game played on a device that plays through your TV but also includes PC, Console, Mobile Phone or PDA or other handheld device. Around that time, however, the Jomon people started to make clay vessels, decorated with patterns made by impressing the wet clay with braided or unbraided cord and sticks (Jomon means "patterns of plaited cord").

To avoid ambiguity, this game software is referred to as "computer and video games" throughout this article, which explores things common to both types of game. Weaving was still unknown and clothes were often made of bark. The phrase interactive entertainment is the formal reference to computer and video games. The first signs of civilization appeared around 10,000 BC with the Jomon culture, characterized by a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer lifestyle of pit dwelling and a rudimentary form of agriculture. Usually there are rules and goals, but in more open-ended games the player may be free to do whatever they like within the confines of the virtual universe. Other evidence also suggests that some may have later come by sea from Southeast Asia during a period of migration toward the Pacific Ocean. These terms are not always interchangeable as some games, particularly older games, do not use a video display. Archaeological research indicates that the earliest inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago migrated over land bridges from Northeast Asia about 30,000 years ago.

A video game is a computer game where a video display such as a monitor or television is the primary feedback device. . A computer game is a computer-controlled game that players may interact with. The Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, are southwest of the main islands. PC game sales: $1.1 billion, down 2% from 2003 [6]. The largest and main islands are, from north to south, Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. Console and portable hardware and accessory sales: $3.7 billion, down 35% from 2003 [5]. One of the world's leading industrialized countries, the "Land of the Rising Sun" is composed of over 3,000 islands.

Console and portable software sales: $6.2 billion, up 8% from 2003 [4]. To the west is Korea (North and South), to the north Russia, and to the southwest China and Taiwan. For specific information regarding "console games" or, see console game.. Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nihon or Nippon, literally "sun source") is an East Asian country surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, the Philippine Sea, the East China Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk. For specific information regarding "computer games", see personal computer game.. Van Wolferen, The Enigma of Japanese Power, Vintage, 1990 (ISBN 0679728023). Totman, A History of Modern Japan, 2d ed., Blackwell, 2005 (ISBN 1405123591).

Press, 2003 (ISBN 0521529255). Sugimoto et al., An Introduction to Japanese Society, Cambridge Univ. Reischauer, Japan: The Story of a Nation, McGraw-Hill, 1989 (ISBN 0075570742). Lonely Planet Japan, Lonely Planet Publications, 2003 (ISBN 1740591623).

Norton, 1996 (ISBN 0393314502). Johnson, Japan: Who Governs?, W.W. Japan At A Glance, Kodansha, 1998 (ISBN 4770020805). Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan, Belknap, 2000 (ISBN 0674003349).

Henshall, A History of Japan, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001 (ISBN 0312233701). De Mente, The Japanese Have a Word For It, McGraw-Hill, 1997 (ISBN 0844283169). Press, 1993 (ISBN 0521403529). The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Japan, Cambridge Univ.

(ISBN 4770023847). Japan a Profile of Nation, Kodansha International, 1999. (ISBN 0226195589). Eisenstadt, Japanese Civilization: A Comparative View, University of Chicago 1995.

N. S. Typhoons are common; in 2004 a record 10 typhoons reached the main islands. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season.

Nansei-shoto (Ryukyu) or Southwest Islands: The Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Pacific Ocean: Experiences cold winters with little snowfall and hot, humid summers due to the southeast seasonal wind. Seto Inland Sea (Seto-naikai): The Mountains of the Chugoku and Shikoku regions block the seasonal winds, bringing mild weather throughout the year. Precipitation is light.

Central Highlands (Chuo-kochi): A typical inland climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter, and between day and night. In the summer, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures, due to the Föhn wind phenomenon. Sea of Japan: The northwest wind in the wintertime brings heavy snowfall. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snow banks in the winter.

Hokkaido: Hokkaido has a temperate climate with long, cold winters and cool summers. Lowest elevation: Hachinohe Mine -130 m (-426 ft). Highest peak: Mount Fuji: 3776 m (12,385 ft). Coastline: 29,751 km.

Major islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku. Area: 377,835 km² (including 3,091 km² of territorial water).