What’s the cultural difference between the West and the East? The consumption of popular “cute” games in the Taiwanese market

Abstract

Based on a model that includes three sub-circuits, i.e. technology, culture, and market, this paper shows that the Asian online gaming market has its peculiarities, which are reflected in the case study of popular “cute” games in the Taiwanese market. Asian-oriented “cute” games are based on the themes of Japanese video game culture and Manga, thus creating an Asian-style amusement, which establishes friendly gameplay and an easy-to-use environment. Two types of “cute” games: girls’ games and children’s games, are well accepted by young females in their twenties and by children in the 10 to 15 age group, who are resident in Taiwan’s urban areas. Asian “cute” games present a form of cultural hybridity, a combination of American digital entertainment and Asian urbanized culture. They have become a form of cultural flow in the regional market, established on the basis of Asian modernity and consumerism.