Fangler Games has covered Japan's largest RTA event, "RTA in JAPAN" for the first time!
We also interviewed the organizer, Mr. Moka.
RTA is growing in popularity in Japan! What is world's eye-taking "RTA"?
Have you ever heard of RTA?
RTA stands for Real Time Atack. It is a way to start a game from scratch and compete to see how long it takes to clear certain conditions.
It is known overseas as "Speedrun" and Speedrun players are competing for time not only in Japan but also in many other countries around the world.
The game has a variety of conditions, such as clearing all the stories, collecting items, etc., until the achievement rate reaches 100%, so there are endless ways to play the game.
Japan's largest RTA event "RTA in JAPAN 2019" will be held.
The venue is Akihabara Handled Square Club in Taito-ku, Tokyo.
"RTA in JAPAN 2019" is an event aimed at further developing such RTA.
RTA enthusiasts can gather together and communicate through exchanges that only offline can offer.
The event will be held for 5 days from December 27th to December 31st, starting at 12:00 p.m. on the 27th and continuing until 20:00 p.m. on the 31st, 104 hours straight, making it a long event.
By the time the Fangler Games reporter arrived at the venue, it was already packed to the point where there was standing room only.
The number of Twitch viewers also exceeded 10,000, indicating the high level of attention paid to RTA in Japan.
The venue is open to the public, but players are required to register and apply in advance.
The games to be played are free, and each player brings his/her own hardware and software.
Some players even brought their own coverings and story files, and many players gained fans not only because of their RTA skills, but also because their talk and stories were popular.
Kii (aKaFuKu), who was present at the event, was one of the participants.
Kii is the vice president of the "Pokemon Snap Society", which studies RTAs using Pokemon Snap.
The society conducts research on various topics, such as the square-head theory and the method of selecting between the alpha and beta world lines.
This time, Kii brought 10 cassettes to promote Pokémon Snap.
Kii-san profiles the owners of the cassettes based on the data left on the cassettes. Cassettes have history, too.
Interview with Moka, organizer!
We interviewed Mr. Moka, the organizer of RTA in JAPAN.
Offline RTA events like RTA in JAPAN have been held under the name "GDQ (Games Done Quick)" since 2010.
In the beginning, we were small, with only one camera and a few other equipment for distribution. However, as the years went by, the popularity of the event grew and it has now become a large-scale event with over 200,000 viewers.
At the time, there was not much interest in RTAs in Japan, and there were no such events at all. However, in the U.S., Japanese players were expected to be active.
I felt a sense of frustration at the lack of popularity of RTAs in the Japanese gaming scene.
I wanted to support such an event when it was held in Japan, but it never happened, so I decided, "If that's the case, I'll organize it myself! I decided to do it myself.
We followed GDQ's lead in not interrupting the distribution of the event from the first day to the last day, and in contributing to society through charity.
RTA in JAPAN started out as a small event, but now it has grown to a scale that I never expected, and it continues to amaze me.
Today, the event continues to operate with the support of a large number of volunteer staff. It is because each and every one of us, players, staff, and spectators, loves RTA that we have been able to develop to this point.
The players take the lead and make the event so much fun. Maybe everyone has been waiting for an environment where they can pour their passion into.
I hope we can continue to expand the fun of RTA with the players taking the lead.
Mr. Moka says he will be at the event as long as he is physically able to be there during the tournament.
Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to give us this interview!
A "player-centered" event supported by many RTA enthusiasts
In addition to Mr. Moka, many other volunteer staff members are involved in running the event, including the venue reception and setting up the distribution environment.
Many spectators stayed after the last train, and some staff members stayed at a nearby hotel to help out, so it is truly the passion for RTA that is the engine of this tournament.
Please also check out the report on the "Pikachu Genki De Chuu" RTA that was being broadcast at the time of the interview, "RTA in JAPAN 2019 "Pikachu Genki De Chuu" in action!", also check it out!