Japanese Gaming Industry Dying?

So, I took a look at the launches of our dear, dear consoles earlier this year. I'm really unsurprised they turned out like a smashed cake. People are getting sick of console bullshit. Insane disc locked content, DLC extortion, stupid ass DRM, the list goes on. People eventually figured out a decent gaming PC (about $700) is about a console and three games. Plus, we have Steam sales, the Indie Gala, the Humble Bundle, and better exclusives. Honestly, what's so great about Halo? When they want to make another weapon they just take two existing ones and make an abomination out of them.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS AND WHICH HEAD ORIFICE DOES IT GO IN?

But this isn't about consoles. This is about Japanese gaming. As you all know Japanese gaming is heavily based on consoles. For this (and among many others) I believe the Japanese gaming industry is collectively going down the shitter. A good word to describe the situation is "stagnant". For example, what's the most innovative game that came out of Japan in the past generation? Dark Souls? Hell no, it only survived because westerners picked it up. Metal Gear Revengance? Nope, Kojima would agree with me.

You see now why things are so dire over there. I think this is due to a combination of greedy, bureaucratic companies doing what they like and an extremely conservative environment that looks down upon independent thought. This is more than just an issue in gaming, this is an issue with Japanese culture in general. Japanese society is heavily based around both conformity and artistic expression. The two sides are by definition opposed and this creates a highly paradoxical and conflicting society. It's no wonder that their youth are going through a massive identity crisis right now. Young, sheltered men are trying to break free and be individuals in an environment that expects them to conform. Things will get a lot worse before they get better in the land of the rising sun. But, as the expression goes: "The darkest hours just before the dawn.".

Even if the Japanese are a largely marginalized people nowadays I highly suggest we keep an eye on their culture and trends, both gaming and otherwise. Things will get extremely hairy there and then extremely strange right afterwards. If everything follows my predictions I hope to see an indie game revolution sometime within my lifetime just like we have here in the west.