Oziphantom wrote:Back then there was no internet [...] So you would have a lot of free time to yourself and not much else to do..
What are you talking about ? There obviously was (and there still is) lots of great things to do before without computers or internet, and all the time people spend on the net today would be spent doing other interesting things IRL. Also, my remark was : Since people are expected to work 60 hours per day, how can they have the time to play games at all ? Whether there is internet or not does not change this question - since people had no free time it does not matter whether they'd get bored in their free time without internet.
Students are just as much expected to spend their "free time" studying, not to mention many also have side jobs (according to mangas/animes at least) to earn some cash, so their problem would be the same as full grown adults. Remember, if my understanding is correct this japanese system works entierely out of social pressure rather than an actual, formal obligation. They have to work 40 hours per week, but if they don't do at least 60 everyone else in their company will call them a pussy with all the nasty consequences this have for their carreer. It would be the same for students. Also, the same for holydays - technically employees are granted some holydays as this is a legal obligation, but in practice if they use them, they're called pussies and might loose their job or similar. Even if their job is not at danger in a country where honor is your #1 concern you don't want anybody else to call you a pussy, period. I might have misunderstood the system but that's what I understood.
So this leaves only retired people and young childern with time to play games, but many games are not appropriate for young children.