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Masayoshi Yokoyama, one of the main designers of the hugely successful ‘Yakuza’ games, dismisses any comparison to the “Grand Theft Auto” series. The beat-em-up role-playing game franchise has been running since 2005, telling the stories of big-hearted tattooed yakuza struggling with small-time thugs and their ruthless bosses. The new game, titled “Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth”, is set outside Japan for the first time, in Hawaii. Yokoyama believes that it is imperative to think about the impact of violent video games on society. The series was initially a niche affair in Western markets but now achieves 70 percent of its sales outside Japan. The plots of the games in the series have gradually moved away from purely yakuza themes to focus on social issues.
