Hello? Hello? Konami?

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John Danker

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So just what ARE our options for making some kind of direct influence or being heard by the makers of the game?

Is there a "Dear Konami," line?
Is there a e-mail address that they might actually read?
Do they even really want to hear or care about the opinion of anyone outside of Japan?....or are they just laughing softly as they suck our billfolds dry?

Quite honestly I haven't ever seen a post directly from Konami anywhere saying, "You're important to use, we want to hear your thoughts, concerns, and what you think will make the game better"

Anyone have a site or address that they think / know is monitored my Konomi? I'd love to have access to it.

*EDIT* <laffin> Must have been a subconcious slip there and it was late at night...that's suppose to read ...."You're important to us"....not...."You're important to use" !
 
I consider that the ones that should be worry about our opinions, not only as players, more important as consumers, should be Upperdeck. They are the distributors after all, and must concern about their clients. Our preoccupations should be listened, attempted, and in cases that Upperdeck can't do anything, guarantee that Konami will know what our opinions are, and make an effort to resolve our concerns.
 
John Danker said:
Quite honestly I haven't ever seen a post directly from Konami anywhere saying, "You're important to use, "
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Think that's exactly what they do think:
"You're important to use, we can't take money from your bank account ourselves." :D
 
netwt said:
I consider that the ones that should be worry about our opinions, not only as players, more important as consumers, should be Upperdeck. They are the distributors after all, and must concern about their clients. Our preoccupations should be listened, attempted, and in cases that Upperdeck can't do anything, guarantee that Konami will know what our opinions are, and make an effort to resolve our concerns.
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You would think that wouldn't you, truth be known though UDE has little control over anything when it comes to what's released, when it's released, what text a card has on it, rules, and clarifications. UDE is just as you said, a distributor. They seem to have little more power over items I spoke of than Target has over Hasbro.
 
From Konami's point of view, why should they care? As long as they are turning up stupid amounts of revenue, they'll just carry on the way they are.

Only a boycott outside of Japan will have any effect, and that will never happen.
 
A freind of mine says that the inconsistant rulings, unclear card text, failure to release prom's that people have actually asked for and their obscure resistance to clarify any questions we have is all just a grand plot and revenge for World War II.

While that's not the most politcally correct opinion...ah what do I care? I'm about as politically correct as Chris Rock concert :p
 
John Danker said:
You would think that wouldn't you, truth be known though UDE has little control over anything when it comes to what's released, when it's released, what text a card has on it, rules, and clarifications. UDE is just as you said, a distributor. They seem to have little more power over items I spoke of than Target has over Hasbro.
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That's what I have understood from the various comments and quotes. Although to hear Kevin tell it he is single-handedly battling with Konami to get us better tin cards and rulings.

As I have suggested previously a direct line seems like the only conceivable answer to the problems we have been facing from the beginning. You wouldn't call Target to ask them how to use a Hasbro product, you would call Hasbro. If Konami can make millions of dollars from the U.S. market they can certainly afford a ruling hotline that is bilingual. I think it has pretty much been concretely proven that UDE can not fill this role. As I don't speak Japanese nor having any prior direct dealings with Konami I honestly can't say that Konami can fix the problem (maybe they just ignore everybody in both markets and pocket the money).

Konami's website lists Konami Digital Entertainment - America in Redwood City, CA phone # 888-212-0573. And from the various Konami offices I have spoken with they tell me that questions regarding Yugioh rulings should be handled by that number, but thus far I have only gotten voicemail.

---Update--- The nice Customer Support lady I spoke with at Konami in California said they have nothing to do with the cards and that Upperdeck is the only number she could suggest. She also stated that Konami Japan did not have a Customer Support number she could refer me to. ---

Isn't there a hotline for rulings in Japan? I swear I heard they had a phoneline for answering rulings questions. Then all we would need is someone fluent in Japanese. ;)
 
Yeah, Konami hates us. And UDE hates us, as in we the CoGeople. C...o...geople...? Ahem...

But I also think that Shuiesha has something to do with it, just maybe...
 
Shuiesha is a writting company, they preaty much do magazines and stuff, i dont think they have anything to do with the game.

its basically Konami that does everything and its not just any branch of konami its the KoJ that has stuff to do with it, its not like DDR were you can just complain to KoH.

and arnt we just Gamers? since we are in the city of gamers?
 
Most people have this figured out here. Basically Konami has nothing to do with the non-asian game. They are only involved with the Asian game as far as they are concerned and could care less about other countries. They design cards for that game not are game. They do translate cards but when a specific ruling is concerned they say this is the ruling without explaining it. Live with it.

Myself as a player is tired of it. It took them 3 years to give us cards that came out in the last set of tins. These cards are basically useless now because there are better versions out. Three years ago they would have been great cards. The only way to get something fixed in Yugioh is to tell a UDE employee and they may mention it to Konami 6 months later.
 
I believe that Konami likes the control of the rulings. We are a need to know bases. Apparently we don't need to know. I don't think its right when we get card rulings that says "Konami says so".

But what can we do? Not a thing. Just leave it up to UDE to let us know what Konami says.
 
See I'm not so sure about the "only involved with the asian game" portion. They are the ones making all of the decisions for what we get in the tins, in the game promos, what gets released to us and what doesn't. They are certainly "involved" they just seem not to have a clue that we are unhappy. My theory on this is because UDE is in the middle between us.

It is like having an incompetent manager above you at work. You get assignments without all the details you need because your manager didn't understand what was being assigned by his boss (card rulings). And some of the assignments don't seem to make any sense because the PHB (Pointy Haired Boss for those DRC literate) just completely got the wrong idea when he was in his meeting with the higher ups. So you ask for some clarification that this is actually what you are supposed to be doing. But you have to ask through the PHB so even if he doesn't mind looking like he didn't understand the first time it was explained to him, and even if he did remember to ask the next time he was in a meeting you are still going to wind up with it being relayed back to you through who? The PHB who doesn't want to admit he didn't understand what was assigned in the first place so he's going to treat you like you were the one who got mixed up and he knew it all along (assuming he doesn't screw it up when trying to relay the correct assignment and start the whole mess over again.)
 
The large majority (maybe 95%+) of Yugioh consumers are not gamers of any sort. They don't spend evenings playing D&D. They don't have complete Dice and accesories sets, or anything sort.

From Reading their posts on Pojo, anyone can see that Kevin and Dan are gamers.

So if you're Konami, what reason do you have to listen to those who represent such a small portion of the market?

From UDE's major property (VS system) you can see that they don't have much concern for proper grammar on cards, which is really repugnant to a competitive environment: although when you have the card text right there, one can figure out exactly what the card text does, but proper sentence structure is a mneumonic device, and without it, it can be really difficult to have the card effects in your active memory, and thus one might likely not be able to think of a way to stop an opponent using unfamiliar cards.

So if you're Konami, what reason do you have to listen to what UDE says about Card Texts if UDE can't understand that the cards are played but ordinary people and not Machines/Lawyers?

Konami wants the Card Texts to sound good, and they've done a better job at it then VS system.

To earn the respect of a Japanese Business you need to be able to speak Japanese (as they all learn "English" they feel its only fair). Kevin understands Japanese, but i don't know about other UDE employees.

Kevin argues that they don't really know English, and should listen to a "native" english speaker. The truth is you can't learn good english without being formally taught it. I would find it exteremely hard to believe that Konami would object to UDE's suggestion of changing a "." to a ";" to make a card say exactly what is meant to. (Only the XYZ fusions and Theinen the Great Sphinx use the semicolon.). Also absent is the use of the word "nor". UDE, I would bet, doesn't even suggest these slight changes, that can make the card say exactly what it's supposed to.

So if UDE wants to have an influence on the game they can:
(for those invovled with Yu-gi-oh)
-Hire only people who speak Japanese.
-Hire experts in Marketing, and English grammar too.
-Hire those with good experience in Localisation (Its so much more complicated than just translating.)
-It's Shieusha's game, leave the "gaming" up to them (read: don't hire gamers, they are unnecessary at UDE's end, and Konami has no reason to listen to the gamers on UDE"s side)
-It's Shieusha's Game, leave the legal issues and responsibilities to them. (read: don't hire law school graduates)

BUt instead Kevin just posts on Pojo asking that we point the finger at Konami.
 
they should have more japanese speaking employees at UDE. it would benefit them.

actually anytime you go multi tounge you end up with more stuff.

i have yet to see the spanish yugioh judge test.
 
Whoa whoa there Simba!

This wasn't intended to be a thread to bash all those involved employed by Konami and UDE. It was intended to be a thread with constructive criticism suggesting that there needs to be a more direct line to Konami for it's non Japanese consumers.

I think what you'll learn that is if you point fingers, reduce constructive criticism to personal insults, and attempt to tell someone how to run their business you're likely to get little or nor response.

If you maintain a genuinely constructive tone, conduct yourself with poise and maturity, and offer sensible solutions, things have a chance of changing. Few if anyone will listen to ranting, people have a way of putting up walls and tuning such ranting out very quickly.

I encourage all to voice their opinions and thoughts, I also encourage all to do so in a positive and constructive way. If you know anything about the Japanese culture you know that respect, face, and dignity need to be maintained if business dealings are to be successful. We need to take a lesson from that culture and combine it with our own culture's desire and expecations to want answers to those things we do not understand.
 
I'm afraid we're not to that point yet Dan. At least not where constructive crtisism will be any more effective than outright insults. Sad. But true. I've lost any delusions that Konami is listening to thier consumers. Konami does what they want to, when they want to. This will not ikely change.And the only way it will change, is when control is handed over to someone else. When the powers that be, be somebody else. Until then, all we can do is impotentaly vent our frustrations.
 
The problem with constantly venting frustrations is just that.....it looks like you're just constantly venting frustrations. It's the boy who cried wolf. Just like with any new restricted list that is put out a certain percentage of people will whine, moan, and groan. After a short time it becomes ineffective and goes in one ear and out the other.

If a person stays calm, show well thought out reason, is genuinely constructive in their comments, and maintains thier poise then when they do finally speak out strongly people usually take notice....rather than it being just another rant.

I'm inclined to agree with you on the point that it's not likely to change until control is handed over to new "powers that be" The cultural differences are too extreme for either side to stomach and jell well.
 
Unfortunately Japanese culture does often seem to be a "just do as you're told" culture, in that those in power bark orders and you don't dare question them... might explain why misogysnism is still a common enough issue there...
 
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