Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: 2020, new years, Osamu Sato, Tokyo Wakusei Planetokio

Brittany's 2020 Gaming Resolutions: Learn Japanese (Kinda)

Now that 2020 is finally here, I'm all about making some important changes in my gaming life. I'm going to make this year special in several ways, cut out some old habits, and try plenty of new things. That brings me here: to my 2020 New Year's gaming resolutions. I've been thinking about it, and there are a few things I'd like to address now that it's a new year. Here are some of my 2020 New Year's gaming resolutions.

Learn Japanese (Kinda)

Sure, this is probably the same resolution or long-term goal many people have. But I mean it when I say I'd love to finally be able to read and understand Japanese. There are so many gaming-related things I'm missing out on as someone who can't read or speak the language, and it's starting to weigh on me now that I've turned 30.

There's one game in particular, an Osamu Sato joint, that I absolutely must play before I die: Tokyo Wakusei Planetokio, which is pictured above. This bizarre RPG is rife with tons of text that that you'd have to have a modicum of knowledge to read and understand. And while I could watch a video walkthrough to learn it all or follow along, that's nowhere near as fulfilling as understanding the language on my own, which would mean I could translate it for myself.

As a Japanese gaming enthusiast, I'm missing out on several other titles for this same reason. Many of the titles I'm most interested in trying out are Japanese-only, as are games I'd like to try months in advance, on many occasions. The only viable way forward if I ever want to play them is to learn the language. That's a ridiculously difficult undertaking, so I'm setting a resolution of "kinda" learning. I'd like to learn enough to read the basics in a few months, and a few sentences by the end of the year.

Then, and only then, will I feel like I'm truly on the road to learning the language I've wanted to know my whole life for books, anime, movies, and games. Hopefully I'll have made some progress by then.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!