'Non-sexual' Rez trance vibrator was my idea - Mizuguchi

By Tom Bramwell Published 25 July, 2006

Also explains his role on N3.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi has revealed that the Rez trance vibrator was his idea, but that he didn't create it with any particular "sexual meaning" in mind.

Speaking exclusively to our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz during the recent Develop Conference, Mizuguchi also explained his role on Xbox 360 exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights, which he worked on with Korean developer Phantagram.

But let's deal with the USB trance vibrator first. Released alongside the synaesthetic Dreamcast and PS2 shooter, it achieved infamy after a female gamer wrote a rather provocative account of how she and her boyfriend had enjoyed the game together.

Mizuguchi clearly knows about that, too. "That was my idea," he says, grinning, when asked about it. "That was kind of a joke, but a very serious joke. No sexual meaning," he continues. "We always listen to music by ear, and you can watch the visuals moving, the dynamics in Rez, so it's kind of a cross-sensation feeling."

But where's it meant to go when you're playing? "I like to feel the vibration by the foot. So I think it's the feet and the hands. It's a good balance. Some people bite them! I think that's really dangerous, actually..." We're still not sure we believe him.

Mizuguchi also revealed that his role on Phantagram's Ninety-Nine Nights was largely in the conceptual stage.

"My role was the first basic concept - not only the one good guy beats the evil side, but the concept was a vice versa, so you can play both sides, and this is the real war. War is a very difficult thing, it's too real, but I needed to do something to draw the human aspect into my games, but I had no confidence before," he said.

"Finally we had a very high-res, high-definition technology, so I thought maybe we can do it [convincingly]. So I made the first basic concept, and I worked on the basic storyline, and I directed the non-interactive part - the movies - and this is how the collaboration worked with Phantagram."

Mizuguchi doesn't see himself moving wholesale into action-oriented games, though, as he's still devoted to this idea of manipulating "media aesthetics" and music to create "very global" forms of entertainment.

"I want to find challenging new directions, but I feel the same always - what is the base, and what is the human being and the lovely charming point of your game, and worldwide? The human being itself. Games should be very global entertainment, with no border, and no technology limit - a borderless medium."

Elsewhere in the full interview, to be published later this week, Mizuguchi spoke of how he got into games in the first place and the lessons he learned working on early SEGA projects like SEGA Rally, and offered some of his views on next-generation consoles.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • morriss #1 6 years ago

    Rez. Live Acrade. Now.

  • X201 #2 6 years ago

    If Microsoft are on the hunt for another take-over...

    [link url=http://opendildonics.org/
    ]    http://opendildonics.org/
    [/link]

  • skillian #3 6 years ago

    All joking aside, companies should think seriously about this type of thing - the interactivity of video games over a passive medium like film or music means companies are lagging behind when it comes to sex and videogames.

  • Teeth #4 6 years ago

    But can you use it while it's in your pocket?

  • York #5 6 years ago

    He's clearly a dirty old pervert.

  • X201 #6 6 years ago

    skillian, you've hit a very big nail on the head. There will be a massive market for (for want of a better name) sex videogames. Look at the demographics more and more people are living alone, the average PC games player is 29 yeas old. There's money to be made from software and hardware if someone bites the bullet.
    One problem is big US publishers and the problem the US has with sex.

  • ralphwolfenstein #7 6 years ago

    "That was my idea," he says, grinning, when asked about it. "That was kind of a joke, but a very serious joke. No sexual meaning"

    And it's pure coincidence that it comes with an easy-wipe slip case...

  • ecureuil #8 6 years ago

    I love Mizuguchi.

  • scorp #9 6 years ago

    I keep meaning to try that thing out one of these days...

  • Psi #10 6 years ago

    sex video games ? eh?!?! put the pad down and get a bloody girlfriend.

    target market seems to be single men with no hands and too much disposable income.

  • Hunam85 #11 6 years ago

    Sex videogames.....

    /remembers walking into what looked like and innocent looking gameshop in japan
    /still cant sleep
    /tentacles........ *shudder*

  • X201 #12 6 years ago

    "sex video games ? eh?!?! put the pad down and get a bloody girlfriend.

    target market seems to be single men with no hands and too much disposable income."


    I've got one, thanks.
    and I've got some disposable income that I wouldn't mind investing in a games secctor that shows massive potential for growth.

    Look at the porn industry, constantly busy constantly making money. The only reason VHS and the internet took off was because people could get smut in their own homes without the neighbours knowing about it.
    Forget the image of the one handed typists and think of the money you can make out of them.
    They don't have to be out and out sex games, just games that treat adults like adults, e.g, why can't you "get the girl" in a James Bond game? It happens in the film, why not the game?
    There's a market for treating adults like adults, one day someone will exploit the fact and make a lot of money.


    ...but without tentacles or Hunam85 will have more nightmares ;)
    Edited by 1 at 25/07/06 @ 22:43

  • skillian #13 6 years ago

    ^This guy is smart.

    Let me know if you find that opportunity X201!

  • Abscido #14 6 years ago

    games secctor that shows massive potential for growth.

    Snigger.
    Edited by 1 at 26/07/06 @ 00:15

  • Psi #15 6 years ago

    ...the only reason the internet took off was smutt?

    oh yeah i remember that ascii porn was well sexy ;)

  • NegativeZero #16 6 years ago

    Japan has a pretty large sex games market already, you know...

  • Drakron #17 6 years ago

    Yes it does but look at then, they are a niche market with small specialized publishers that work on then.

    Besides you can look at publishers that translated those games, many have end up closing because of costs involved.

    BTW Hunam85 ... that was not very cleaver you know, the majority of hentai games are nothing but dating sims and are "tentacle free", I am getting a little tired of the whole "tentacle rape!" that from my personal playing experience is rather rare.

  • Daikon #18 6 years ago

    Never did figure out how it should be used then. Slide it down your back? Sit on it?
    The plot thickens...

  • Psi #19 6 years ago

    Daikon think tenticle rape and you'll be closer the mark

  • kaleii Verified Editor-in-Chief, Country Manager, Eurogamer Sweden #20 6 years ago

    You sit on it or put it in your pocket, actually.

    The trance vibrator also works with Space Channel 5 part 2 and SOS: The final escape.

  • reality_cheque #21 6 years ago

    ...the only reason the internet took off was smutt?
    The porn industry have pretty much pioneered most of the media technology we take for granted - streamed movies for a good example.

  • Svecke #22 6 years ago

    Me and my gf is looking for one of those.... Anyone know where to get a hold on one? Preferebly not used.... :p

  • kaleii Verified Editor-in-Chief, Country Manager, Eurogamer Sweden #23 6 years ago

    Svecke: E-bay. Just make sure it's a sealed one... ;P

    They cost like 40 dollars or so.