Working in Japan

[Azier the Swordsman]

After I graduate in the future from Full Sail, I was considering maybe starting out in Sega of Japan.... however, I would like a wider spectrum of knowledge about working in a foreign country. Specifically, what steps must be taken to get there? (Considering it's years away, I expect to be fully speaking Japanese fluently so the language barrier should pose no problem.)

[Benu]

I want to be a game designer and I really though about thinking it would be cool to work in Japan at game company like that. I did some reasearch and well it's more then just being fluent in Japanese. It would be really hard to get into working at a game company in Japan unless you already are working for say Sega of America and they send you to work at Sega Japan. Then you gotta consider the cost of living in Japan which is very high.

I also found out that really the people that work at game companies in Japan get paid beans compared to what they pay over here. Anyway this is what I've found out by doing alot of reasearch. I could be wrong, so anyone that knows more about this then I do correct me if I'm wrong. I guess your best bet would be to try to get into a game company here that has a branch in Japan and try to get in that way if you really want too. But my advice is wherever God leads you.

[Fsiphskilm]

*laughs* You and Bob

[Saint Kevin]

Interesting take on the porn industry Volt. Could that same reason you gave for that illicit industry also be the reason for their high suicide rate? Anyway, that's just a little off topic.

Interesting thing I found out about working in Japan: English teachers can be hired with ANY bachelors degree and NO knowledge of Japanese to teach or assist-teach English in Japan. Many also claim to give furnished apartments (what counts as "furnished" in Japan I can't say) and a salary comparable to other new teachers in Japan. The only catch I see is the fact that you need to have a strong desire to work in Japan, and an indominable spirit, as learning a new language from scratch (even with the "training" they offer) and the having to adjust to tons of changes can really get you down and make you want to quit.

How this is relevant to getting a job in the game industry in Japan, I can't quite say. But I do know that you could parlay such a 1-year program into a teaching license (if you look for the right program) and maybe an entry level position as a translator/tester for Konami of America (I saw an ad for that job on their website a long time back).

Just some food for thought...

[Azier the Swordsman]

Interesting take on the porn industry Volt. Could that same reason you gave for that illicit industry also be the reason for their high suicide rate? Anyway, that's just a little off topic.

Interesting thing I found out about working in Japan: English teachers can be hired with ANY bachelors degree and NO knowledge of Japanese to teach or assist-teach English in Japan. Many also claim to give furnished apartments (what counts as "furnished" in Japan I can't say) and a salary comparable to other new teachers in Japan. The only catch I see is the fact that you need to have a strong desire to work in Japan, and an indominable spirit, as learning a new language from scratch (even with the "training" they offer) and the having to adjust to tons of changes can really get you down and make you want to quit.

How this is relevant to getting a job in the game industry in Japan, I can't quite say. But I do know that you could parlay such a 1-year program into a teaching license (if you look for the right program) and maybe an entry level position as a translator/tester for Konami of America (I saw an ad for that job on their website a long time back).

Just some food for thought...

Sounds like something to look into....

However, when I get a position in a game company, I'll need something I can PROGRAM, after all, I wouldn't want all the skills I aquired at Full Sail to go to waste....

[Lehn]

However, when I get a position in a game company

That's the spirit!

I don't know much about working in Japan as in office work, but in another year I'll be able to tell you about missionary work.

My suggested reading list: find as many books as possible by Boye Lafayette De Mente. There's two that I know about that deal directly with business (Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business and Business Guide to Japan: Opening Doors...), and the ones that I’m reading right now about everyday etiquette and culture are very good, walking you step-by-step through everything that you will need to know how to do.

Oh, and one of piece of advice to anyone planning on going to Japan, and are doing some cultural research before hand: check the publish date right off the bat for anything that you read. Really. I made the mistake of just picking up a book, called something like Japan Today. Oh, it was about a today... in the late 1950s. I didn't bother to check the publish date until I was halfway through, and finally did after reading that more then half of Tokyo still did not have proper indoor pluming.

[shooraijin]

> ... after reading that more then half of Tokyo still did not have proper indoor plumbing.

lol!

[panegryst]

Azier: everything Volt said was GOLDEN truth. (yes, 24 karat gold honesty.) Japan is not a happy place to live and work unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool collectivist (I am, score 1 for me). As for more concrete things, you will probably have to take and pass the four-part Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). It's tough (to keep gaijin like you and me out, duh). Get help and more info on the test here -> www.thejapanesepage.com



P.S.
And, yes, the (relatively) high suicide rate, porn industry, and crappy (to Americans) lifestyle ARE connected. it's a small price to pay for 50 murders a year and nearly universal collectivism. if you want to argue Nihon PM me

[Yojimbo]

The fact of the matter is Volt and Pane are right. The reality of it is you will more than likely not be able to ever work as a game designer in Japan. This has nothing to do with your abilities just the way the Japanese are. Besides why move when you live in the richest country in the world, where all your family and friends live, where you're not a social outcast by your race, where you can actually afford decent housing, and still on top of it make games. And you can still walk down to Suncoast and your local Japanese supermarket any day of the week.

[Azier the Swordsman]

Hmm... thanks for the info guys. I am starting to consider more just going ahead and starting my own company when I graduate. But since that's a ways away, I'm still going to take awhile to plan.

As for the JLPT, I do plan on taking it someday. Though it will be years before I'm able to. I currently have studied the first ten Kanji, after today, I'll know twelve. (Although there are a select few I haven't studied that I can read; I have anime to thank for that.)

[uc pseudonym]

I had been moving on a straight course up until this point. This thread has given me serious food for thought that could well alter that somewhat. So my thanks to those of you contributing.

[Fsiphskilm]

You're welcome.

[Madeline]

Wow, that's awesome!
My dad works for EA and he told me about Full Sail...
He's also worked with some people who made video games (meaning art, sound, programming, whatever...I forgot. ) in Japan. I heard about one company that was very strict about orginization and cleanliness...I can't remember if it was Sega or not. But you could be fired if your papers were a little bit out of place. Pretty strict...

you have to have a connection. Getting a job in the Game Industry isn't like getting a normal job. In order to even be considered For an interview you better know someone on the inside

Yup. ^^
That's pretty much how it works! Shmoozing is the key.
And I agree with Volt...better to work here.
It's hard enough to work in the American gaming industry!
If you want to get any vacation even here, you have to be a good negotiator while still making sureyou don't get fired in the process.
I hardly get to see my dad...our schedule is really wacked since EA is constant crunch mode. *hopes she isn't talking too much*
*shuts up*
Sorry.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

i must say, I'm america, especially around virginia, california, and maryland. if ya go downtown, you will see tons and tons of liquor stores, and clothing stores, and beauty suppply stores owned by asian (mostly korean infact) owners trying to get by whatever that can, my dad works over 12 hours a day and gets about 6 hours of sleep a day. He leavs around 9 in the morning, and comes home around 1 o clock. while lucky ones become real estate agents or car dealers, it's not an easy job. But these are the older asian parents. And dry-cleaners, which are in the suburbs, but really hard and... well my cousin got a few burns from accidents. It's quite hard

That is also why children are pushed to go to ivy league schools, especially ones like Johns hopkins and become a doctor so a parent's child doesn't have to have the hard like of working in dangerous places like downtown where murders happen all the time.

conclusion: asians expect their employees to work their butts off, and it's really hard

[Fsiphskilm]

Actuall I have a freind,