Upholding the traditional Japanese principle of respectful interpersonal conduct, the team behind Tokyo Game Dungeon – a prominent Japanese gaming expo spotlighting small-scale and indie developers – has been raising awareness about the issue of “lecturing individuals at game conventions.”
As noted by Game*Spark, the official X account for Tokyo Game Dungeon issued a declaration on May 5, indicating that despite their efforts over the past two years to highlight the problem of “lecturing individuals,” they have not yet succeeded in eradicating the issue at their events. According to their definition, “lecturing individuals” (Japanese: sekkyo ojisan) refers to people of any age or gender who deem it acceptable to barrage developers with condescending, unsolicited “suggestions” regarding their skills and creations.
The most recent Tokyo Game Dungeon gathering occurred just two days prior, and it appears that enough presumptuous critiques took place to prompt the announcement. As the organizers keenly observe, those who partake in such conduct often fail to recognize that they are, in fact, the very lecturing individuals, which complicates efforts to raise awareness. Tokyo Game Dungeon’s endeavors to date have been commendable, however, with the past few years featuring humorous public service announcements that sharply criticize the behavior of these lecturers.
The 2024 iteration stated: “Lecturing individuals, the ones who criticize developers without having even tried their demos, are the No 1. most despised group at game events. If we were in America, you would be shot in the head and told to create your own game.”
The 2025 video is potentially even more biting: “You, the lecturer who attends indie game expos and regards everyone as inferior. We’re certain you graduated from Tokyo University, work at a major game studio, and produce games that sell millions worldwide. Your advice is too precious to be given away freely. Why not join a conference with an exorbitant participation fee and share it with industry colleagues? Then, you can upload it to YouTube so we can watch it while we relieve ourselves.”
It’s challenging to envision a future where arrogant critics will entirely vanish from gaming events, but the organizers of Tokyo Game Dungeon are “deeply exasperated” by the current situation and appear dedicated to persisting with their message.
Mido