In a recent interview with otaku2.com, Japanese model Haruna Anno discussed how she got into gaming, the stigma that games seem to have amongst non-gamers, and why she wants gaming to be an official Olympic sport ...

PG: I also hear you are involved in the campaign to get gaming in the Olympics. Can you tell us more?

AH: I think the image of gaming is still a little dark, like otaku in their rooms without any friends playing games. Like, movies have a lot of violence in them, but no one seems to blame them for youth crimes the way the media blames games in Japan. I think that is part of the negative otaku image. For me, games are pop and cool. I want to show people that gaming isn’t something only lonely people do in dark dirty rooms. That is one reason I try to display my collection this way and keep my room and clothes clean. I want to show people that anyone, even a young girl like me, can play games. Japan invented many of the games loved around the world, but now we have these stereotypes and are losing out to passionate and even professional gamers in Korea and Sweden. Yes, games should be part of the Olympics because players use their minds, skills and reflexes in a trained way others cannot. From now on I want to spread the love of Japanese retro games in Japan and the world. We can communicate this others this way.

Miss Razz via otaku2.com »