Silent Hill f producer Motoi Okamoto has revealed a rigorous reading regimen for the game's scenario team, requiring them to read between 100 and 200 books per year. Okamoto shared this detail during a lecture at Japan's CESA Developers Conference (CEDEC 2026).
Okamoto, speaking on the topic "The Art of Producing Silent Hill," stated that he views extensive reading as a crucial trait for game producers. He considers familiarizing himself with the complete works of any writer he collaborates with as a matter of "basic respect."
The demand for high literacy extends to the entire development team, particularly the scenario writers, who were encouraged to maintain a strong base of external artistic inspiration. Okamoto described this as fostering vital "input" for developers.
This emphasis on broad cultural consumption is a sentiment echoed by other industry veterans. Josh Sawyer, design director at Obsidian, has previously discussed the influence of fine art, cinema, and theater on his work, highlighting the value of inspiration beyond the medium of video games. Similarly, Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu has lamented a perceived stagnation in game music, partly attributing it to new composers drawing too heavily from existing video game scores for their ideas.