An interview with Daisuke Ito from Tebasaki Games talks news
This article was originally featured in the December 2024 issue of Connect.
Chantal Gervais (Tokyo)
Tokyo Game Show is a staple convention in not only the video game circuit, but also on a larger world stage. Alongside Japanese game companies making grand debuts and release stunning trailers, Tokyo Game Show selects 80 indie games to showcase. The games chosen are anything but conventional. Instead, they showcase unique and innovative ideas that are experimental and creative. This is where we find Tebasaki Games, showcasing their first game, コメンテータ, or Commentator. Tebasaki Games is a small indie gaming company, composed of four members with Daisuke Ito sitting at the head as the founding member and creative force behind their inaugural title.
After playing The Reublica Times and Papers Please, Ito (an architect, published manga artist, Minecraft designer, and father of two) was inspired. Already a seasoned storyteller, Ito found a uniqueness in video games that was unavailable in creating manga. “Games offer the unique option of a multi-ending system. This makes it easier to explore sensitive topics by allowing players to see various perspectives,” he said. This new platform appealed to him and facilitated his desire to expose people to a different type of “adult” game. And what is more “adult” than the news?
Currently available for preorder on Steam, Commentator is a visual novel game that places the player in the hot seat as a commentator for a popular news show. During the course of the game, the player is given daily news stories in which players choose the order they will be shown. In addition to this, you will often receive requests such as the priority of a certain news story, from the broadcasting network and will need to gain a positive public rating. As a commentator, the job also includes critiquing the selected news stories, which will affect the public opinion and ever-changing world.
“Japanese TV news has a unique culture that prioritizes emotion over accuracy.”
Playing Commentator quickly reveals it to be a uniquely Japanese game. Often when people move to Japan, one thing they notice in contrast to their home country is how news shows are presented. In Western media, news is typically straightforward and covers topics such as current and local events in addition to shorter segments on politics, sports, and entertainment. Japanese media, however, covers topics with much broader strokes, and with a larger panel of presenters who discuss what was presented. Analyzing the differences between Western and Japanese news, Ito stated “Japanese TV news has a unique culture that prioritizes emotion over accuracy.” Another difference is commentators on a news program are not always experts in a specific field, and there is no need for them to be. Instead, they are there to represent the viewers’ feelings.
This position created an ideal platform to insert a player into. “I felt that the commentator role was perfect for bridging the ‘other side’ of the media and the ‘person side’ of the audience,” said Ito. In creating this bridge players must cross, they are also being asked to recognize different viewpoints, circumstances, and to question things. Whether people should recognize these things, Ito was unsure. “. . . I believe playing the game will naturally lead players to view the media and politics from different or multiple angles.” He went on to further explain “Recognizing different viewpoints and circumstances can spark actions and understanding in ways we might not expect.”
“Recognizing different viewpoints and circumstances can spark actions and understanding in ways we might not expect.”
Commentator carries a serious overtone, dealing with topics such as TV, news, and media. In the last several years, the topics of news, fake news, and media have been discussed at length and thoroughly questioned. When asked about this in relation to Commentator, Ito explained that questioning the media encourages critical thinking, and helps people think past themselves and understand the motives that propel the information they are receiving. In doing so, people are subsequently more informed and less susceptible to being manipulated—ultimately allowing individuals to form their own perspectives rather than passively accept narratives handed to them. “I want to encourage players to enjoy experiences from a slightly different perspective. Everyone has their own circumstances and their own unique challenges.”
At the end of it all and despite the gravity of the subject matter, Ito had a simple message to convey to the players of Commentator. He emphasized that while he defines the game as a “serious” game, “Fun is first, everything else is second.”
The trial version presented at Tokyo Game Show 2024 is available to play online!
Commentator is available to add on Steam Wishlist
If you want to follow Tebasaki Games’ journey as they bring Commentator to life, follow them on social media!
Chantal is the Entertainment Editor of CONNECT magazine. Shopping for stationary and planners brings her great pleasure, despite abandoning said planners after two weeks. You can often find her trying out a new strategy at the UFO catchers.