Recent Spate of Video Games Set in Japan Cause Concern For Cultural Sites

[Cpt.Jank]

With games like Ghost of Tsushima, and Assassin's Creed Shadows more recently, being set in various periods across historical Japan, the developers of the games upped the realism by including real-world locations in each of the games. While this has the added benefit of grounding the game and sharing some of Japan's cultural heritage with the gaming world, it has apparently also caused some controversy due to incidents involving vandalism at those very same culturally significant sites across Japan. According to Automaton, the Watazumi shrine featured in Ghost of Tsushima was forced to close its doors to tourists after an "unforgivable act of disrespect" was perpetrated at the site. No additional information about the site was provided by Japanese authorities, but it is assumed that some act of vandalism took place at the religious site.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of [Assassin's Creed Shadows] is now live]

This isn't the first time the shrine has banned visitors from its gates, but this time around, the shrine's officials report having had to contact the police on numerous occasions relating to vandalism and verbal and physical abuse of the management staff by visitors. The day after Ubisoft launched Assassin's Creed Shadows, the developer issued a patch removing destructible assets from religious shrines as a result of concern relating to vandalism of the religious sites. IGN reports that this concern came from none other than Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, who issued a very serious statement clarifying that "Defacing a shrine is out of the question - it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them." He also suggested that these issues may require legal attention. The Assassin's Creed Shadows update removing destructible assets from shrines also made it so that civilians in and around sites of religious significance would not bleed when attacked by the player, reducing bloodshed in the shrines.



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[R-T-B]

I understand their concerns in the real world, but needless to say policing the literal virtual shrines seems a bit silly.

 

[john_]

As someone living in Greece with all those ancient monuments here, I can understand the Japanese. There are plenty of low brain individuals out there thinking that leaving their mark on an ancient monument is a sign of greatness and not a sign of unlimited stupidity. And yes, these people aren't just tourists from countries with little respect to history. I mean, we have seen cases with Greeks being morons next to an ancient monument, I wouldn't be surprised if a Japanese did this "unforgivable act of disrespect" and not some tourist.

I understand their concerns in the real world, but needless to say policing the literal virtual shrines seems a bit silly.

It's not. You can't simply replace it with a copy. It's not the same. Imagine putting Mona Lisa in public display and thinking that if someone in an act of activism was throwing paint on it "well, we can make an exact digital copy, so no problemo".

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Ah more hand wringing over videogames causing real world bad juju.

At least we seem to have moved off the ridiculous "video games cause mass shooting events" dogshyte of the early 2000's.

 

[sbacc]

Ah more hand wringing over videogames causing real world bad juju.

At least we seem to have moved off the ridiculous "video games cause mass shooting events" dogshyte of the early 2000's.

On that case it's 100% warranted, if it wasn't for the game the shrine wouldn't be known to the majority of the public (and wouldn't have received reparation funding from gamers too).

People don't seem to understand the impact of media has over tourism. The first time I went to Fushimi Inari, the famous Kyoto shrine with the Torii tunel, I saw less than 5 people, at that time most Japanese didn't even know the place existed. Nowadays with all the Instagram/YouTube/TikTok fame and with the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, you're realy lucky if you see less than a hundred, and during the day at peek season it's more like a few thousands peoples at the same time....

 

[Ruru]

Is it too much to ask for people to understand the difference between real world and games (or other entertainment)?

 

[A Computer Guy]

Is it too much to ask for people to understand the difference between real world and games (or other entertainment)?

I never understood the fascination with acting out the entertainment one consumes (exception for cosplay). Just because I listened to RAP music in my youth I never actually thought to be a gangster unlike some friends I lost along the way.

 

[Ruru]

I never understood the fascination with acting out the entertainment one consumes (exception for cosplay). Just because I listened to RAP music in my youth I never actually thought to be a gangster unlike some friends I lost along the way.

I've played GTA games since the first one, yet still I haven't gone out to cause mayhem.

 

[R-T-B]

It's not. You can't simply replace it with a copy.

Yeah that's why I said I understand policing the real life shrines/locales. But the digital ones? You literally can replace them, just start a new game or whatever. Its not what people do in the game that is attracting them to go there, its the fact that they are in the game period. And guees what? Get enough people and there'll always be one (or more) idiots.

On that case it's 100% warranted, if it wasn't for the game the shrine wouldn't be known to the majority of the public (and wouldn't have received reparation funding from gamers too).

People don't seem to understand the impact of media has over tourism. The first time I went to Fushimi Inari, the famous Kyoto shrine with the Torii tunel, I saw less than 5 people, at that time most Japanese didn't even know the place existed. Nowadays with all the Instagram/YouTube/TikTok fame and with the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, you're realy lucky if you see less than a hundred, and during the day at peek season it's more like a few thousands peoples at the same time....

Yes, but the only solution to that is not to police a virtual game zone, but to ban digital representation of real world landmarks outright. And that's a bridge too far IMO.

 

[Veseleil]

Hypocrisy level 100.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Didnt the Ghost of Tsushima devs get made permanent ambassadors for the island of Tsushima after the game was released because of how accurately and respectfully they portrayed some of the history and culture of the island?

I mean theres doing it right then theres doing it the Johnny Somali/Logan Paul and Ubisoft way.

 

[Crackong]

Wait Wait,
Before any of that vandalism thing

Ubisoft didn't communicate with the site/shrine owners and basically stole their Intellectual property and profit from it.
And the shrine owners are actively discussing with Japan gov officials about suing Ubisoft.

They put Yasuke to have overnight relationship with a real princess, which was a direct ancestor of the current royal family.
And Ubisoft developer claimed they are 'Filling the gap of history' btw.
The Japanese congress had already started to discuss this and may consider this as an insult to the whole country.

This day one patch is just a bandage but it does not solve a mortal wound.

 

[eidairaman1]

Not much different than Yakuza...

 

[Shihab]

Nowadays with all the Instagram/YouTube/TikTok fame and with the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, you're realy lucky if you see less than a hundred, and during the day at peek season it's more like a few thousands peoples at the same time....

To play the devil advocate here (and I say this while also hating the insolence and entitlement of many "tourists"), that's another way to criticise this stance: cherry picking "games" as a cause to go after while the popularity of a place/venue can surge due to it going viral on any internet-related media, of which the most common aren't games, isn't very rational.

I do very much understand - and fully support- whichever nation any specific site belonged to if they didn't want to have it on one media or another for whichever cultural or religious reasons. A game or a movie could be deemed to be disrespectful in itself/its portrayal, but to blame it for another's actions? This needs much more than just x happened after y was released.

 

[the54thvoid]

Didnt the Ghost of Tsushima devs get made permanent ambassadors for the island of Tsushima after the game was released because of how accurately and respectfully they portrayed some of the history and culture of the island?

I mean theres doing it right then theres doing it the Johnny Somali/Logan Paul and Ubisoft way.

Ghost of Tsushima doesn't get a free ride here. From the news post:

According to Automaton, the Watazumi shrine featured in Ghost of Tsushima was forced to close its doors to tourists after an "unforgivable act of disrespect" was perpetrated at the site.

Regardless, this is all so typically reactionary. Since Instragram travel influencers were spawned into existence, and Tik-Tok vandals rose from the murky depths, the whole world has been a target for assholes being assholes. It even happens with photography hotspots:

Why this Vermont town is banning influencers and tourists from visiting its fall foliage

The select board of Pomfret said an influx of tourism is "causing significant safety, environmental, aesthetic, and quality of life issues."

www.nbcnews.com

This has nothing to do with one particular game, and everything to do with idiots and people trying to flog a dead horse.

 

[sbacc]

To play the devil advocate here (and I say this while also hating the insolence and entitlement of many "tourists"), that's another way to criticise this stance: cherry picking "games" as a cause to go after while the popularity of a place/venue can surge due to it going viral on any internet-related media, of which the most common aren't games, isn't very rational.

I do very much understand - and fully support- whichever nation any specific site belonged to if they didn't want to have it on one media or another for whichever cultural or religious reasons. A game or a movie could be deemed to be disrespectful in itself/its portrayal, but to blame it for another's actions? This needs much more than just x happened after y was released.

I wasn't blaming anything or anyone, just pointing the relation between media and tourism, obviously individuals action are the sole responsibilities of those individuals.
But for the media side of thing not recognising that any depiction of a place or landmark inside any form of media can have an effect over the popularity of such place and that with popularity the chance of bad behaviour raise is naive at best...

 

[Caring1]

I've played GTA games since the first one, yet still I haven't gone out to cause mayhem.

Maybe you haven't he he he

 

[kondamin]

Start throwing the book at those that don’t behave in Japan like SG and a number of other nations rightfully does and every nation that has ever growing problems with tourists misbehaving during their holidays.

a video game is a video game though.
i don’t jump on turtles because I could in Mario.


side note, this is not a tpu appropriate topic

 

[Bwaze]

I'd say this is silly.

The attacks on various holy and culturally significant sites in real world weren't done as a copying of acts from a game. There are more tourists due to popularisation of sites, and this of course raises the possibility of acts of vandalism - but then you have to control everything - appearances in movies, other media like books, travel blogs etc...

Quite another debate is should the "disrespectful acts" towards holy and culturally significant sites be allowed in virtual world, fiction, movies, books? But this seems to me very extremist view - sure, have a culture that adhere to that. But forcing it globally? What will be next, no depiction of women without covering head to toe because otherwise you disrespect large portion of world's population? No depiction of pigs whatsoever? No blasphemy, of any religion? The list can be endless.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Ghost of Tsushima doesn't get a free ride here. From the news post:



Regardless, this is all so typically reactionary. Since Instragram travel influencers were spawned into existence, and Tik-Tok vandals rose from the murky depths, the whole world has been a target for assholes being assholes. It even happens with photography hotspots:

Why this Vermont town is banning influencers and tourists from visiting its fall foliage

The select board of Pomfret said an influx of tourism is "causing significant safety, environmental, aesthetic, and quality of life issues."

www.nbcnews.com

This has nothing to do with one particular game, and everything to do with idiots and people trying to flog a dead horse.

It seems vandals need a public *****ing (or other deterrent) to slow the roll of such behavior.

 

[AusWolf]

This is sad. I expected more from the Japanese, to be honest. I don't even understand the motivation here.

 

[john_]

Yeah that's why I said I understand policing the real life shrines/locales. But the digital ones? You literally can replace them, just start a new game or whatever. Its not what people do in the game that is attracting them to go there, its the fact that they are in the game period. And guees what? Get enough people and there'll always be one (or more) idiots.

I see your point. I guess they believe that being able to do damage in the digital shrine could make someone, with single digit IQ, to consider trying the durability of the real shrine. While it doesn't make much sense to people with at least high double digit IQ, the same way war games haven't turned the planet into a huge battlefield, .....better safe than sorry I guess.

 

[Assimilator]

This is sad. I expected more from the Japanese, to be honest. I don't even understand the motivation here.

The Japanese have a massive stick up their collective a** regarding their so-called "culture", which includes the Yasukuni Shrine that is basically a memorial to war criminals.

 

[Veseleil]

The Japanese have a massive stick up their collective a** regarding their so-called "culture", which includes the Yasukuni Shrine that is basically a memorial to war criminals.

Hypocrisy level 100.

 

[Assimilator]

side note, this is not a tpu appropriate topic

Don't worry - someone will get offended at something another person posted because it's impossible to have a debate in 2025 without that happening, that person with undersized genitals will report the "offending" post, and the mods will come along to shut the thread down.

Begs the question why mods don't, y'know, just prevent obviously inflammatory news articles from being posted at all and avoid the problem entirely... but I have long given up on trying to fathom the logic behind editorial decisions made on this site.