PSP Mini-nets Show Small Group Potential

Here’s an interesting story from The Wall Street Journal about the growing popularity of the Sony PSP in Japan thanks largely to the Capcom game Monster Hunter. A key feature of the game is its social aspect, primarily engaged using the mini-network features built into the PSP. Groups of friends can gather in one location and play together while keeping others out.

Among Monster Hunter’s fans is Hitoshi Morita, a 37-year-old Tokyo-area architect, who recently went on a weekend retreat devoted to the game. Dividing into groups, Mr. Morita and 14 friends, who included a doctor and a few corporate executives, played the game for several hours at a time.

“It was an opportunity for us to forget our professional titles and social standings and play with each other like when we were kids,” says Mr. Morita, who is already planning another Monster Hunter retreat in September. “I’m not crazy about games, but I love Monster Hunter because of the social aspect.”

Reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane notes the two games in the Monster Hunter series are the best selling PSP titles in Japan, with over 4 million sold. The teamwork aspect of the game has overcome Japanese disinclinations toward social networking thanks to the exclusive capabilities of the PSP mini-nets, according to Kane.

Osaka-based Capcom, better known outside Japan for titles like Street Fighter and Devil May Cry, launched Monster Hunter as an online multiplayer game for Sony’s PlayStation 2 console four years ago. Sales weren’t huge. Many consumers shied away from the game, which was best played with other PS2 users over an online network.

But Ryozo Tsujimoto, the producer of the portable Monster Hunter games, saw a big opportunity for a PSP version because the device could be carried around easily, so gamers could introduce the game to friends. Sales figures soon showed he was on to something.

The possibilities of harnessing the mini-net features of the PSP are striking. Small groups could be set up with the PSP to tackle a project together in an educational game. Excluding other players from the groups would allow a room full of students working on PSPs to organize into teams working on objectives within the game.

References:
Kane, Y. I. (2008, June 24). Game device belatedly clicks. The Wall Street Journal, p.B1. [Online]. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121426677949598525.html