Duct-Taping Databases, or How to Use Fragmentary Online Data for Researching “Japanese” Videogames

Abstract

The internet provides exciting opportunities for scholars of Japanese videogames. Fans from all over the world passionately collect, order, and share information about their hobby online. In this paper, we will show how we can exploit these potentials for research on Japanese videogames. We call this approach “duct-taping” databases: the integration of information from various heterogeneous, fragmentary online resources with the goal of creating a robust research dataset. We will discuss the potentials and challenges of this approach and show how it allows us to better understand the historical development of Japan’s videogame production.