How one country shaped how the world plays — and what its games say about Japanese life.

Japan's games are having a global moment again — and knowing the stories behind them changes how you play.

By the end

You will be able to trace the history of Japanese game design, spot the cultural ideas hidden in familiar games, and talk about them with real Japanese vocabulary.

Who this is for

Anyone who has ever held a controller and wondered why so many of the games they love come from one country.