The Twitter trend rankings for 2013 in the west were pretty dry in terms of gaming content, but Japanese Twitter users seem to be more interested in our hobby, and that reflected in the local twitter trends. Below you can see the ranking for the most used hashtags in the past year.
- #艦これ (Kancolle, for Kantai Collection, an extremely popular browser game)
- #あまちゃん (Ama-chan, a live action drama)
- #lovelive
- #wbc
- #shingeki
- #ff14 (this is the hashtag used by Japanese gamers for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Western gamers normally use #FFXIV)
- #tv_free
- #railgun
- #vividred
- #c84
While consoles don't appear in the ranking by hashtag, both the PS4 and the Wii U do appear in the top 10 for technology keywords.
- LINE
- 電子書籍 (E-books)
- Kindle
- iPhone5
- Apple
- Xperia
- PS4
- Wii U
While the PS4 managed to inch above the Wii U, they're both pretty much head to head. Interestingly enough they were both above the 3DS, that didn't appear in the top 10 despite being the best selling console in Japan at the moment. PS3, PS Vita and Microsoft consoles also didn't make the list.
The placement of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in sixth position in the overall hashtag ranking is definitely very relevant, and it's just another sign of the successful resurrection of the game. It's uplifting to see a story of rebirth once in a while, in a market so crowded with tales of failure.
[Thanks for the tip: Masashi-ko]