The Efficiency and Creativity of Product Development: Lessons from the Game Software Industry in Japan

Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
About the Author
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 A Fundamental Dilemma: Efficiency Versus Creativity
	1.1 A Fundamental Dilemma: Efficiency Versus Creativity
	1.2 Game Software as a Research Subject for Considering the Relationship Between Efficiency and Creativity
	1.3 Objectives of the Study and Reasons for Selection of Cases
		1.3.1 Reasons for Choosing Game Software as a Research Subject
		1.3.2 Overview of the Game Software Business: The Emergence of the Console Game Software Business and its Industrial Structure
		1.3.3 Product Characteristics of Game Software
		1.3.4 Game Software Development Activities
		1.3.5 Characteristics of Game Software Development Activities
	1.4 Aims and Messages of This Book
	1.5 Structure of This Book
	References
2 Literature Review: Innovation Patterns and Evolution of the Industry
	2.1 Literature Review of the Innovation Research
		2.1.1 Changes in Innovation Over Time
		2.1.2 Existing Research on the Impact of Complementary goods
		2.1.3 Problems Left by Existing Research on Innovation Patterns
	2.2 Literature Review of the Game Studies
	2.3 Positioning of This Book
	References
3 Analytical Framework and Research Design: Definition of Innovations, Types of Innovations and the Methods of Empirical Research
	3.1 Definition of Innovation in Game Software
	3.2 Categories of Innovation
		3.2.1 Two Types of Innovation in Game Software
		3.2.2 Measuring Innovation: Product Classification Axis and Operational Definition
	3.3 Analytical Framework
		3.3.1 The Analytical Framework of This Study
		3.3.2 A Framework for Analyzing Innovation Patterns in the Game Software Industry
		3.3.3 Foresight on Innovation in Game Software
	3.4 Data to Be Used for Analysis
		3.4.1 Unit of Analysis for This Study
		3.4.2 Survey Contents and Data Used
	References
4 The Origins of the Game Software Business in Japan: Phase 1: 1983–1989
	4.1 Early days of the Video Game Business
		4.1.1 A Brief History of Nintendo
		4.1.2 The Success of the Family Computer
		4.1.3 Success Factors of Nintendo and the Family Computer
		4.1.4 Market Formation by Nintendo
		4.1.5 Changes in the Medium in the Family Computer
	4.2 Game Software Market in the First Phase
		4.2.1 Overview of the First Phase
		4.2.2 Major Products in the First Phase
		4.2.3 Trends in the Game Software Market in the First Phase
	4.3 Discussion: Platform Effect on Demand Creation
	4.4 Creating New Demand: The Start-Up of a New Industry in the 1980s
	References
5 The Transition of the Industry: Phase 2: 1990–1993
	5.1 The Platform for Phase 2
		5.1.1 NEC-HE’s New Entry and Sega’s New Product Launch
		5.1.2 Strategies of Platform Companies
		5.1.3 Nintendo’s Market Domination, Again
	5.2 Game Software Market in the 2nd Phase
		5.2.1 Overview of the Second Phase
		5.2.2 Major Products in the 2nd Phase
		5.2.3 Trends in the Game Software Market in the 2nd Phase
	5.3 Discussion: The Market Expansion and Establishment of Major Firms After the Late 1980s
		5.3.1 Interfirm Competition in the RPG Submarket
		5.3.2 Similarity in Differentiation: Competition as Interlocution Revisited
		5.3.3 Coexistence of Multiple Dominant Designs
	References
6 The Impasse of Industry in the Late 1990s: Phase 3: 1994–1999
	6.1 The Platform for the Third Phase
		6.1.1 New Technologies Introduced in the Third Phase
		6.1.2 New Entrants and Nintendo’s Products and Business Model
		6.1.3 Results of Inter-platform Competition in the Third Phase
	6.2 The Game Software Industry in the Third Phase
		6.2.1 Overview of the Third Phase
		6.2.2 Major Products in the Third Phase
		6.2.3 The Trend of the Game Software Industry in the Third Phase
	6.3 Decline in Demand Creation
		6.3.1 Where Has Demand Gone?
		6.3.2 The Industry as a Unit of Analysis
		6.3.3 The Future of Industry Research
	References
7 The Innovation Pattern in the Digital Age: The Case of the Game Software
	7.1 Quantitative Understanding of the Transition of Game Software
		7.1.1 Changes in the Game Software by Series Classification
		7.1.2 Establishment of Genres in the Game Software
		7.1.3 The Transition of Million-Sellers in the Game Software Industry
	7.2 Innovation Patterns of Game Software
	7.3 Summary of This Chapter: The Innovation Pattern of the Game Software
	References
8 Factors Behind the Innovation Pattern
	8.1 Factors Originating from Manufacturing Process and Platform
		8.1.1 Media Adopted by the Console Game and Manufacturing Process of Game Software
		8.1.2 Performance Improvement of the Console Game Machines
		8.1.3 Strategies of Platform Folders
	8.2 Market and User-Derived Factors
		8.2.1 Accumulation of Users’ Consumption Experiences and Changes in Users’ Needs
		8.2.2 Factors Originating in the Distribution Process
	8.3 Factors Originating from Game Software Companies
		8.3.1 Product Strategies of Game Software Companies
		8.3.2 Changes in Product Strategy and Product Development Activities
		8.3.3 The Development Productivity Dilemma
	8.4 Changes in the Industry as a Whole: The Consequence of the Development Productivity Dilemma
	8.5 Summary of This Chapter: The Critical Factor of Innovation Pattern
	References
9 The Development Productivity Dilemma and Its Consequences: Effects on Firm, Industry, and Innovation
	9.1 Development Productivity Dilemma
		9.1.1 Algorithm and Data Diversion
		9.1.2 Simplifying the Development Process
		9.1.3 Organization of the Project Team
	9.2 Case Study of the Development Productivity Dilemma
		9.2.1 Overview of the X Series
		9.2.2 The Development Process of the X Series
		9.2.3 Case Interpretation of Company A X Series
	9.3 Development Productivity Dilemma and Changes in Corporate Behavior
	9.4 Industry-Level “Unintended Consequences” that Gave Rise to Innovation Patterns
	9.5 Impact of Digitization on the Development Productivity Dilemma
	9.6 Consequences of the Development Productivity Dilemma
	9.7 Implications of the Development Productivity Dilemma
	References
10 Conclusion
	10.1 Summary of Findings: Efficiency and Creativity
		10.1.1 Innovation Patterns and Factors of Game Software
		10.1.2 Reconsideration of Innovation Patterns and Their Factors
	10.2 Implications of the Findings of This Book
		10.2.1 Creativity and Social Cost of Cultural Industries
		10.2.2 Implications for Other Industries
		10.2.3 The Paradigm of Accumulation, the Paradigm of Prioritizing Growth
	10.3 For Future Research
	References
Data
Name Index
Index
Subject Index