"The third point would be that people out there that want to create something that is very far removed from societal norms and the moral sensibilities of the general public ... They're unfortunate, and I don't want to be grouped in with that group of people."
Given these things, he says, the fact that organisations worldwide are trying to understand people's reactions to violence and classify games accordingly is "something that's good for the industry".
Itagaki goes on to expand on the point that people view things differently to one another by focusing on the different responses to decapitation - something that had to be removed from Xbox title Ninja Gaiden in PAL territories. "[S]ome people might think of [decapitation] as being excessively violent," he admits.
"But say from a Japanese perspective, when you decapitate someone you're killing them instantly. So from a Japanese perspective, with the sword, when you decapitate somebody you're basically giving them a very quick and easy death." He then contrasts this with a belly slit - something he doesn't believe games should include - which leads to a slow and agonising death.
Read the whole thing here.
