tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69451079030451291022024-03-15T18:09:35.802-07:00Video Games as Literature: Essays by Kirsten RodningAn academic approach to analyzing video games in a literary context.Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-43899843406235718022024-01-12T15:32:00.000-08:002024-01-25T08:22:29.854-08:00Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games edited by J. Robert Lennon and Carmen Maria Machado (Review)<p><i> Thank you to the editors at Graywolf Press for <a href="https://myforestlibrary.com/policies/" target="_blank">gifting me an advance review copy</a> of this book. Links to books or other products may contain affiliate links whereby <a href="https://myforestlibrary.com/policies/" target="_blank">I may earn a small commission</a>.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>
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<i>Critical Hits</i> is a thoroughly new take on the growing video game writing genre in that a variety of authors have come together to write individual personal essays where they relate their gaming lives with other aspects of life, literature, and individual topics of interest. When I first heard about this book I was thrilled to be able to read and review it, as the premise sounded perfect for me, but now that I have the book in my hands I must say it has far exceeded my expectations and will be added to my list of all-time favorites.</p><p><br /></p><p> Since <i>Critical Hits</i> is a collection of essays and stories, I feel that it can't necessarily be reviewed as a whole body and I will instead review a few of the stories that stood out to me individually. I do want to note on the book as a whole, however, that one thing I noticed which could be a problem for some readers is that the stories have no qualms about sharing spoilers for the video games they are discussing. To read this book the audience must either not be bothered by major spoilers, or they must have already played every game mentioned in the book. I am personally somewhere in between. Thankfully I have already played many older AAA titles that are mentioned, such as <i>The Last of Us</i> and <i>Dragon Age: Inquisition</i>. But newer games, like <i>Assassin's Creed: Valhalla</i>, are still on my (enormous and ever growing) backlog. As a person who does not like to have stories spoiled, this did cause some difficulty for me while reading the book. </p><p><br /></p><p>The first section of the book I'd like to discuss in detail is the Introduction by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860265.Carmen_Maria_Machado" target="_blank">Carmen Maria Machado</a> and the first story, "I Struggled a Long Time with Surviving" by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8203394.Elissa_Washuta" target="_blank">Elissa Washuta</a>. Both of these works felt intimately relatable to me. Machado's description of her family's feelings about video games -- her mother's disdain and eventual relaxation of the "no video games" policy for the little brother was directly parallel to my own experience growing up. Like Machado I was a late bloomer when it came to experiencing games, though certainly not by choice. I felt seen not only by this description of her life experience, but also by the specific experiences that Machado describes with various games -- experiences that again almost directly mirrored my own. Washuta's "I Struggled a Long Time with Surviving" was similarly relatable for me. The story begins with the statement: </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Summer is here again and I miss my friends. I don't mean the real ones I've forgotten to talk to because I have no news to share but symptoms. I do miss them. But I'm referring to my imaginary video game friends, my good influences who never produce anything but spiked bats and health kits and other things they carry to keep them alive. (3)</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> In these four brief sentences Washuta has summed up the reason that I spend the vast majority of my time playing video games AND the reason I see my "real life" friends only once a year, at most: I am sick. I can't go out, and people are too bummed to come visit me. But my video game friends (like Joel and Ellie, friends I share with Washuta) are always here when I need them. Upon further reading, I discovered that Washuta actually has exactly the same condition I have, with many of the same symptoms, including a mysterious heart condition. For me, personally, it is comforting to know that another writer is out there sitting in front of the TV, suffering with the same debilitating symptoms that I have, and possibly playing the same game I'm playing (it is probably time for me to play <i>The Last of Us</i> Remake). Others with chronic illnesses may also find comfort in this story, and in those first few words. It feels like community, and somehow our video game friends are a part of that community. </p><p><br /></p><p>In the story "Mule Milk," author <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18144948.Keith_S_Wilson" target="_blank">Keith S. Wilson</a> links an eclectic variety of topics to Final Fantasy VI. I was completely wrapped up in Wilson's story, connecting race and nature and otherness to protagonist Terra's struggles in Final Fantasy VI. Wilson asks, "What is nature? I've been wondering, because Black poets, even those who write explicitly about nature using the word <i>nature</i>, are seldom considered nature poets" (38). I consider myself to be a <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2022/09/gaming-and-environmentalism.html">nature writer</a>, and I think a lot about who is considered a "Nature Writer" and who is simply a person who mentions nature in their writings and studies. Therefore I really vibed with Wilson's essay. I also appreciate that he mentions a love of <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2015/08/my-name-is-kirsten-and-im-fan-of.html" target="_blank">pigeons</a>, an animal that I, too, could wax poetic about to a complete stranger on the street. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many other stories in this anthology moved me, including an essay in comic format by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4078358.MariNaomi" target="_blank">MariNaomi</a>, but as this review is already quite long I think I need to wrap it up. TLDR: I would say that from cover to cover this book is worth reading in full and I would recommend it to anyone I know personally, including my closest and dearest relatives, friends I haven't seen in decades, and even my <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2014/12/things-people-say-im-proud-that-my.html">racist uncle</a>, who could learn a few things but may also find that he secretly enjoys some of the stories.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>This review can also be read in full on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5866945776?fbclid=IwAR1bCps6PUB3CBg4fYe3nO-fDixUEgnrzGOy_CrWx807rGuNdeuhyBmU6EU" target="_blank">Goodreads, linked here</a>.</i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<center><script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> </center>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-32541717312598290152023-08-07T07:07:00.001-07:002023-08-07T07:07:32.019-07:00Southern-Fried Gaming Expo 2023: Exploring "Georgia's Largest Arcade"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/117416433@N05/52239205533/in/album-72177720300790672/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="1C3A6588"><img alt="Photo of two adults in colorful, 80s themed clothing playing vintage and retro arcade games." height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52239205533_561142e3f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo ©2022 Juan Jusino</td></tr></tbody></table><center><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></center><p><br /></p><p>I spent this past weekend, July 28th-30th, at <a href="https://gameatl.com/" target="_blank">Southern-Fried Gaming Expo</a>, Atlanta's most underrated gaming convention, and wow, it did not disappoint. SFGE is:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Atlanta's homegrown fan convention focused entirely on gaming, Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE) is a family-friendly event celebrating the history and modern-day cultural impact of arcade games, pinball machines, tabletop & RPG gaming, and video games. With over 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, Attendees can enjoy over 500 arcade, pinball machines, and video game consoles on free play, which for one weekend creates "Georgia's Largest Arcade." SFGE is pleased to host additional areas of interest including celebrity guests, vendors and exhibitors, and to foster a spirit of friendly competition with a new focus on tournaments and esports. (<a href="https://gameatl.com/" target="_blank">gameatl.com</a>)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p> This year (actually, this week!) I'm turning 36, and the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo couldn't have revealed itself to me at a more perfect time. I went to <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2023/07/momocon-2023.html">MomoCon earlier this year</a> and while I had a lot of fun, I also felt like I was a lot older than most of the other people there. Admittedly, I don't watch anime very much anymore and my main focus when attending conventions is gaming-related activities. Enter Southern-Fried Gaming Expo, a convention that has already been running for a decade but that I have only just discovered. This is a convention made specifically for people like me -- older and younger gamers alike who are into gaming more than anything else. At SFGE I was surrounded by thousands of games and thousands of gamers. I finally felt like I was home. </p><p><br /></p><p>There were so many things to do at SFGE that it was impossible for me to experience everything, but I feel like I got to do a good variety of activities. Here's a rundown of all the things I got to do while I was at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo.</p><p><br /></p><p>The very first thing I did when I arrived, before I even picked up my badge and became an official attendee of the con, was to pass the table of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2841197/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Samantha Kelly</a>, current voice actor of Princess Peach and Toad in the Super Mario franchise. When I realized that she was alone and there was no line to talk to her I did a huge double take and went back to say hi! I then proceeded to bombard her with pictures of my dog, whose name is Princess Peach, and she graciously looked at them and made the appropriate "aww" sounds. </p><p><br /></p><p>After picking up my badge and gaining my bearings in the tabletop gaming area, I headed over to the Cosplay Contest. I wasn't an entrant this year (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IzLdjlD02s" target="_blank">click here if you do want to see one time I entered a costume contest</a>) so it was fun to sit back and see all the incredible gaming-themed costumes. The awards were given to the following cosplayers:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Best Kids Costume: Benjamin as Pyro from Team Fortress</li><li>Judge's Choice #1: Snapdragon as Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango</li><li>Judge's Choice #2: Emily as Zelda from Tears of the Kingdom</li><li>Best Group: Kay and Bill as characters from Arcane: League of Legends</li><li>Best in Show: group from the Ragnarök franchise</li></ul><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDFM7z84iwbT5Ow4obJwuLtMqdHwAkzRzCduJ4Np0uW85d8vUHnzvfbtlQT6lLRNchcI2YySnh0GF51KMnfLl7HvFcLs4Rz7z9nIz7w9hJYTLar6zuaBVHTu7FSgACu6-xEZdPzZXEDdQhwrPqSh2M0-5HC7CFvohca_3rKHfcyhg88A5keRHy6mAJx8/s1908/SFGE%20Costume%20Contest%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photo of group of cosplay contest winners onstage, with the judges on either side of the winners." border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1908" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDFM7z84iwbT5Ow4obJwuLtMqdHwAkzRzCduJ4Np0uW85d8vUHnzvfbtlQT6lLRNchcI2YySnh0GF51KMnfLl7HvFcLs4Rz7z9nIz7w9hJYTLar6zuaBVHTu7FSgACu6-xEZdPzZXEDdQhwrPqSh2M0-5HC7CFvohca_3rKHfcyhg88A5keRHy6mAJx8/w640-h480/SFGE%20Costume%20Contest%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo ©2023 Kirsten Rodning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>After the cosplay contest was over, I finally had some time to check out the vast, seemingly limitless space that held the arcade games, pinball machines, and exhibitors. I rushed straight to the <a href="https://projectpinball.org/" target="_blank">Project Pinball Charity</a> booth because I had heard that they were demoing a new disability accessible controller for pinball machines, created by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094682732127" target="_blank">Inclusive GameWerks</a>. I got to play a Jurassic Park pinball machine without having to stand up from my wheelchair, which was really impressive! Most of the other pinball and arcade games I played required me to be standing, which of course took a toll on my chronically ill body. It was really refreshing to be able to sit down and still successfully play some pinball. Check out my Instagram posts for more on this experience.</div><div><br /><center></center></div><p></p><br />
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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvTo076uGia/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kirsten R. 🔜 #SFGamingExpo (@videogamesaslit)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>After this point, I finally was able to just pick a few pinball and arcade games and play. Some of my favorites that I checked out included a Spaceballs homebrew machine made by John Marsh, some seriously old pinball machines from the 1930s that were provided by the people at <a href="http://www.historyofpinball.org/" target="_blank">History of Pinball</a> (who knew such cool games existed when my grandparents were kids?!), and a Mandalorian pinball machine! I also checked out some booths that were selling games and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvaDzYaOo01/?img_index=1" target="_blank">found a few that I needed for my collection</a>: <i>Clue</i> and <i>Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?</i> on Sega Genesis. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you're interested in attending Southern-Fried Gaming Expo in future years, you can follow them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/southernfriedgamingexpo" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sfgamingexpo/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to stay up-to-date on announcements. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you enjoy reading my posts, watching my videos, or following my social media, consider <a href="https://www.patreon.com/videogamesaslit" target="_blank">becoming a Patron</a> to help Video Games as Literature continue to educate for years to come!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><br><center><script type='text/javascript' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> </center>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-48467241390842157652023-07-06T22:18:00.015-07:002023-07-06T22:25:54.127-07:00MomoCon 2023: Video Games as Literature 102<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you were unable to make it to MomoCon in Atlanta, GA over Memorial Day Weekend, the video of our <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2023/05/momocon-2023-panel-announcement.html" target="_blank">Video Games as Literature 102 panel</a> is now available on YouTube! You can watch it below or <a href="https://youtu.be/T1wrz-R-RvQ" target="_blank">follow this link to get to the original YouTube page</a>. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T1wrz-R-RvQ" width="442" youtube-src-id="T1wrz-R-RvQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><center><script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script></center><br /><center><a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7017938&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videogamesaslit.com%2F2023%2F07%2Fmomocon-2023.html&utm_medium=widget">Become a Patron</a></center> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-74432425554496078882023-05-09T22:38:00.006-07:002023-05-09T23:25:23.853-07:00MomoCon 2023 Panel Announcement<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIIjn37JFr3Y1woj8vzelpgW17353rvJrgeA48XPJY6MH4Q2L5aINGeJ3J02J6VC8SbwCkQwE-Xw0PMr4pWt-e9gfUEDwvSBVlq8jpJk4XKtd96yqDeh4BC27nAz7JvrSj29D2zqPY8A8vU-xS2tTmUulmw8_l6YbQZ3rPemvZ_wLFS0b4CGis926/s1080/Video%20Games%20as%20Literature%20102%20Panel.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Announcement image for Video Games as Literature 102 panel at MomoCon" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIIjn37JFr3Y1woj8vzelpgW17353rvJrgeA48XPJY6MH4Q2L5aINGeJ3J02J6VC8SbwCkQwE-Xw0PMr4pWt-e9gfUEDwvSBVlq8jpJk4XKtd96yqDeh4BC27nAz7JvrSj29D2zqPY8A8vU-xS2tTmUulmw8_l6YbQZ3rPemvZ_wLFS0b4CGis926/w400-h400/Video%20Games%20as%20Literature%20102%20Panel.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p>Announcement: for the second year in a row, Video Games as Literature will have a presence at <a href="https://www.momocon.com/" target="_blank">MomoCon</a> in Atlanta, GA! MomoCon is "an all-ages geek culture convention" taking place in <b>Atlanta, Georgia, May 25-28, 2023. </b>Keep reading for more information on the panel, entitled "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2041131149551332" target="_blank">Video Games as Literature 102</a>," and on MomoCon in general!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFSzzrekldNk7-37WWK6vjb7V6ngPP7fbS6HfQv2vpdHR-jCknS2_vz9CDV_cRRWFpEKvYmF95-YRiS2HVoiKS5KY6mpjaAPdRpih2OWzQrd4tMLIE7glTm6d1WSYbFe1TQpt7u3-u_LaxV-ZI5prUSf5l4SeHZbypVUsHOYi96GNnPJ5n044_TbJ/s850/momocon%20logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Momocon logo" border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="850" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFSzzrekldNk7-37WWK6vjb7V6ngPP7fbS6HfQv2vpdHR-jCknS2_vz9CDV_cRRWFpEKvYmF95-YRiS2HVoiKS5KY6mpjaAPdRpih2OWzQrd4tMLIE7glTm6d1WSYbFe1TQpt7u3-u_LaxV-ZI5prUSf5l4SeHZbypVUsHOYi96GNnPJ5n044_TbJ/w400-h156/momocon%20logo.png" width="400" /></a></div><b>MomoCon</b> is one of the largest fan conventions in Georgia (and possibly in the entire southeast?). You can <a href="https://www.momocon.com/about/" target="_blank">read more about MomoCon here</a>. Fun fact: I attended the very first MomoCon back in 2005 and have been going almost every year since! <a href="https://www.momocon.com/convention-schedule/" target="_blank">Click here to see the event schedule for MomoCon 2023</a>. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>The <b>Video Games as Literature 102 Panel </b>will be at <b>1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 28th</b>. You can <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2041131149551332" target="_blank">click here to add the event to your Facebook calendar</a>, or <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MGNvMXRpdGpoczEzcTFqM2YyMGdncG00cjEgcmluZ3dyYWl0aDEwQG0&tmsrc=ringwraith10%40gmail.com" target="_blank">click here to add the event to your Google calendar</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p>The panel will also be streaming on <b>Instagram Live</b>, so if you can't make it to Atlanta please follow the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/videogamesaslit/" target="_blank">Video Games as Literature Instagram account</a> to watch online!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't forget to download the <b>MomoCon app</b> so you can stay up-to-date on any changes or other events at MomoCon! You can <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mo.mo&hl=en_US&gl=US" target="_blank">download the Android/Google Play app here</a>, or <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/momocon/id599665172" target="_blank">download the Apple app here</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p>Please keep in mind that because I am high risk due to chronic illness, face masks and social distancing (when possible) are requested in the Video Games as Literature panel. MomoCon is not requiring masks this year for the <a href="https://www.momocon.com/protocols/" target="_blank">general event</a>, but masks will be appreciated by our panelists. </p><p><br /></p><p>I can't wait to see everyone again this year at MomoCon! </p>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-19010648971137886672023-04-22T07:32:00.001-07:002023-04-22T07:32:33.658-07:00Gaming and Environmentalism: Opposing Goals? Some Thoughts for Earth Day 2023<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55xr5etoxnMBK9fXKuVdNDL5zUeAdI6-A-flO0EEKlNrJGIeO7JRU4ONjphaqVHHGybNoMcJr2l12vnEkj1R8J7I7MQHqLDUcI9mwu8XarIIDcUvi_pS8u3tpBN8zoAp3DfIToJwqMpiOmOcB0EheopyqwTO1uUgkFneYpTHu1aJSC7VoGvgBZnuZ/s1920/planet%20zoo%20panda.jpg"><img alt="Screenshot from Planet Zoo, features a panda eating fruit." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55xr5etoxnMBK9fXKuVdNDL5zUeAdI6-A-flO0EEKlNrJGIeO7JRU4ONjphaqVHHGybNoMcJr2l12vnEkj1R8J7I7MQHqLDUcI9mwu8XarIIDcUvi_pS8u3tpBN8zoAp3DfIToJwqMpiOmOcB0EheopyqwTO1uUgkFneYpTHu1aJSC7VoGvgBZnuZ/w400-h225/planet%20zoo%20panda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div> Recently I've been enjoying the heck out of <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/703080/Planet_Zoo/" target="_blank">2019 PC game Planet Zoo</a>. Planet Zoo is a simulation game by simulation masters <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/developer/FrontierDevelopments" target="_blank">Frontier Developments</a>, who are known for their earlier games Roller Coaster Tycoon, Planet Coaster, and Jurassic World Evolution. I had played Jurassic World evolution a few years ago, and I've been excited to play a game about, well, modern animals. Part of the appeal of this game, for me, is its educational aspect. Planet Zoo includes a "Zoopedia" with detailed descriptions of all of the animal species you can include in your zoos, along with information boards that you can erect around your zoo that provide real information about ecological issues like poaching, the <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/sapiens/1406" target="_blank">amphibian extinction crisis</a>, climate change, and more. This is a game that I would have loved to own when I was a kid, back when my primary option for nature-based educational games was The Amazon Trail (which I have written about more than once on this blog, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2014/08/how-amazon-trail-made-me-smarter-than.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2020/10/tracking-down-that-mysterious-jungle.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Now, I was a very proactive learner in my youth, and even if I hadn't had access to early video games I would still have been pouring over encyclopedias and non-fiction books, while holding mini fundraisers in my front yard (I netted a few quarters from neighbors, which then went into the donation box at the <a href="https://aqua.org/" target="_blank">National Aquarium</a>). But many kids don't have access to the resources that I had as a child for various reasons, and I believe that educational games are integral to raising concerned youth with active critical minds (one of my favorite examples was the time <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2014/08/how-amazon-trail-made-me-smarter-than.html" target="_blank">video games made me smarter than my science teacher</a>). </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXymnAMPJGH1upuWBXsg-u4XAO5mcNL7aO9hVsbBUUqODs0dS16uBZjSGvHClVpi5L-eD-YhySg9BHF4t5cZIKHD2YMFI-_YUE5oiNHKDKd3w3DKPqQhZTKlKlc9k__ZxtLuiOW88_lSJggRv2dEc1MpC9oEwfwlJQ7QiMeBq0N5rNeqQDsybJgyc/s1920/planet%20zoo%20black%20and%20white%20ruffed%20lemur.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot of the animalpedia entry on Black and White Ruffed Lemurs from the game Planet Zoo" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXymnAMPJGH1upuWBXsg-u4XAO5mcNL7aO9hVsbBUUqODs0dS16uBZjSGvHClVpi5L-eD-YhySg9BHF4t5cZIKHD2YMFI-_YUE5oiNHKDKd3w3DKPqQhZTKlKlc9k__ZxtLuiOW88_lSJggRv2dEc1MpC9oEwfwlJQ7QiMeBq0N5rNeqQDsybJgyc/w400-h225/planet%20zoo%20black%20and%20white%20ruffed%20lemur.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Animalpedia entry on Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs from Planet Zoo</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>While I love educational games and the impact they have on kids (and adults!) in this modern age, in the back of my mind I am always concerned about the environmental impact of using electricity-dependent technology for environmental education, or for leisure, work, or any other things that we do with the computers we are so dependent on. So in this post I will explore the pros and cons of gaming while staying environmentally conscious and provide some details readers can use to make their own choices about their impact on the environment. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first question I want to answer is: how large is the impact of gaming technology on our limited resources (namely electricity consumption)? If you're a modern console user, <a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/ps5-power-consumption/#:~:text=The%20official%20power%20rating%20of,around%20200%20watts%20while%20gaming" target="_blank">Eco Energy Geek</a> has some answers for you: "The official power rating of a PlayStation 5 Disc Edition console is 350 watts, while the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition has a power rating of 340 watts. Normally the console will draw a lot less than this – expect to use around 200 watts while gaming." (<a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/ps5-power-consumption/#:~:text=The%20official%20power%20rating%20of,around%20200%20watts%20while%20gaming" target="_blank">Source</a>) This is an average estimate, based on testing and on Sony's official statements about energy consumption, for how much electricity is used while the console is in active use. If you're like me, however, you're probably also concerned about how much electricity is being used while your console is in so-called "rest mode." Eco Energy Geek also answers this query: "In rest mode, the PlayStation 5 draws around 1.5 watts. Even when completely switched off, if plugged in the PlayStation 5 will draw 1.3 watts. The only way to stop it from drawing any power is to completely unplug it. You can change the settings for Rest Mode from the PS5 menu." (<a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/ps5-power-consumption/" target="_blank">Source</a>) </div><div><br /></div><div>The above information doesn't account for the energy used by your television, however. Fortunately Eco Energy Geek also accounts for TV data: "The average TV uses 57 watts of power, so combined with the PS5 when gaming they would draw around 260 watts total. Most TVs draw between 27 watts and 134 watts, while the PS5 uses between 50 and 200 watts when switched on, depending on what you’re using it for." (<a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/ps5-power-consumption/" target="_blank">Source</a>) If you want more detailed information about specific types of televisions and how they use electricity, check out the full article from <a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/ps5-power-consumption/" target="_blank">Eco Energy Geek</a>. The same article also draws comparisons between the PS5 and the other leading consoles on the market. As one might expect, the X-Box is comparable in energy consumption, but the Nintendo Switch uses a SIGNIFICANTLY smaller amount of energy. If you're really concerned about using the most energy efficient gaming console, the Nintendo Switch is the way to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're a PC gamer, the numbers are not quite as simple. Because no two PC gamers use exactly the same components (processors, hard drives, monitors, or even keyboards), energy consumption estimates can vary widely. <a href="https://www.ecoenergygeek.com/gaming-pc-power-consumption/" target="_blank">This article entitled "How Many Watts Does A Gaming PC Use?"</a> crunches some numbers on energy consumption from various different PC components. </div><div><br /></div><div>What does all of this mean, though? Let's take a look at something most of us use: air conditioning. While some homes still don't have central air conditioning, in the year 2023 the vast majority of Americans and residents of countries with similar economic standing use central heating and cooling systems. According to <a href="https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/sustainable-living/how-much-electricity-does-air-conditioning-use">InspireCleanEnergy.com</a>, "On average, a home air conditioner can use about 3,000 watts of electricity an hour. If you have it on all day, that's 72,000 watts of electricity a day! However, running it on the 'fan-only' mode will only consume about 750 watts an hour." Looking at these numbers, on a very hot day when your air conditioner is running constantly, your PS5 will use less than a tenth of the amount of electricity that your air conditioner is using. This basically shows us that the best way to cut back on electricity consumption is to play games while you suffer through the heat and keep your air conditioner on fan-only mode (and since I live in the deep south, I have a LOT of experience with suffering through the heat!). </div><div><br /></div><div>In the next post, I will take a look at materials used to make consoles and other gaming necessities and possible misinformation one might learn from various supposedly eco-friendly video games. I will also delve a bit deeper into why nature-based video games are so important. Stay tuned, the next post will be available to read on Arbor Day: April 28, 2023!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><center><script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> </center>
Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-46900428501081095922023-02-03T14:00:00.004-08:002023-02-03T14:21:33.193-08:00Tales of Arthuria: Arthurian Legend Gets the JRPG Treatment in Tales of Berseria<p> If you follow <a href="https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit" target="_blank">Video Games as Literature on Twitter</a>, you may have seen my recent tweet about how, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2021/03/final-fantasy-hamlet.html">once again</a>, it took me several eons to realize that a literary retelling was staring me right in the face. The tweet states, </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Oh sure, I wrote my master's thesis on Arthurian legends, but it still took me a year to connect the dots and realize the villain in <i>Tales of Berseria</i> was supposed to be a version of King Arthur. 😂😭 (@videogamesaslit Jan 24, 2023 <a href="https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit/status/1617762174138716160">https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit/status/1617762174138716160</a>)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p> I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes when I'm gaming I turn off the critical part of my brain and just focus on having a relaxing gaming session. I'm sure we all do that from time to time. It finally hit me when I started playing Tales of Zestiria that this duology (Berseria is a prequal to Zestiria) is filled to the brim with Arthurian references, if not direct retellings of the Arthurian stories. Had I started the games in their release order I may have picked up on this sooner, since Zestiria seems to be a bit more transparent in its Arthurian inspiration. Nevertheless, as I did write several papers and my <a href="https://kb.gcsu.edu/english/1/" target="_blank">Master's Thesis</a> on Arthurian legends, I probably should have picked up on this a long time ago. Since I haven't yet finished playing Tales of Zestiria, the details I share in this post will be limited to what I've encountered in the games so far (I have finished <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, at least). Beware spoilers, especially spoilers about characters and character development in <i>Tales of Berseria</i>. This post will be similar to my previous one about <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2021/03/final-fantasy-hamlet.html">Final Fantasy XV and Hamlet</a>, and I will focus mainly on characters who are equivalent to figures in Arthurian legend. Spoilers start now.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Arthur/Artorius Collbrande, AKA King Arthur</b></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC4F1M4CfBEldgct7N77ni9POn-0Ak7kLW1x8fl_ptTXC6AvU1yXX_u3v9yL3iVscxpk3ihoIYeUEs305NeHBdCgxUN_AI143q-FZgdZdDuhq_9NabVtUROla-L13-gHoUxgdUnrLgy7BQAOpDU1yhqd7j4wqx9cfS8gRbYHylsJ_niSPTSpP0jKI/s960/Berseria%20Artorius%20Collbrande%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Artorius Collbrande, a man with a long blonde ponytail, raises a sword and has a serious expression on his face. There is light shining down on him from somewhere above." border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC4F1M4CfBEldgct7N77ni9POn-0Ak7kLW1x8fl_ptTXC6AvU1yXX_u3v9yL3iVscxpk3ihoIYeUEs305NeHBdCgxUN_AI143q-FZgdZdDuhq_9NabVtUROla-L13-gHoUxgdUnrLgy7BQAOpDU1yhqd7j4wqx9cfS8gRbYHylsJ_niSPTSpP0jKI/w320-h180/Berseria%20Artorius%20Collbrande%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This character is an obvious and typical depiction of King Arthur, and yet I was stumped for the entire year that I played <i>Tales of Berseria</i> because, unlike the illustrious King of the classic literature, he is the villain of this story. <i>Tales of Berseria</i> deftly turns the story of King Arthur upside down and shows <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Arthur" target="_blank">the death of Arthur</a> as a necessary act to save humanity.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Velvet Crowe</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6km1cVqB9xefud646AbKejedyEyqfedfjOKjFGynxVwbn4dKia7q9QI0UF5yumYPzxeWrkYCXMR7vR4_6hIYENUyZIJ4LWhQ4ZWaBsKKN0asZ61tebnACUDWA4WXCwjTDpnIL_oZF2sE1yjLLb0czNpw_zObkvMzb8bziWdAjrONtF26TtvoP8jzL/s1008/Berseria%20Velvet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tales of Berseria Velvet Crowe, a fair-skinned woman with very long black hair and torn, skintight clothes." border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6km1cVqB9xefud646AbKejedyEyqfedfjOKjFGynxVwbn4dKia7q9QI0UF5yumYPzxeWrkYCXMR7vR4_6hIYENUyZIJ4LWhQ4ZWaBsKKN0asZ61tebnACUDWA4WXCwjTDpnIL_oZF2sE1yjLLb0czNpw_zObkvMzb8bziWdAjrONtF26TtvoP8jzL/w254-h320/Berseria%20Velvet.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br /><p>The game's protagonist, though maybe not a hero, Velvet seems to be an amalgamation of two or three Arthurian characters. The most obvious is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordred" target="_blank">Mordred</a>, King Arthur's ill-begotten son who was conceived that one time Arthur accidentally slept with his sister (isn't classic literature fun?). Mordred is most often depicted as the instrument of Arthur's undoing, as many of the legends have him giving Arthur his mortal blow. Velvet's violent tendencies and hunger for revenge tie her to Mordred in the legends. But in <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, she is Arthur's sister-in-law (usually referred to in the game as his sister). She does also resemble two of King Arthur's sisters: Morgause (Mordred's mother), and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_le_Fay" target="_blank">Morgan le Fay</a>, King Arthur's most magical sister. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Knights of the Round Table</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>In <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, Artorius surrounds himself with close companions called exorcists. These characters can be equated to King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Some of these characters have obvious ties to Arthurian figures, while others are a little less clear. Shigure Rangetsu, for instance, takes on some of Lancelot's qualities, but is not a true recreation of the character. His most Lancelot-like characteristic is that "His sole joy is to fight tough opponents and seems to enjoy it when his opponent is stronger. He will never turn down a new challenge whenever it arises" (<a href="https://tales-of.fandom.com/wiki/Shigure_Rangetsu" target="_blank">Source: Tales of Wiki</a>). Other exorcists will be covered in more detail below as their characters are more clearly tied to specific Arthurian characters. If you want to learn more about King Arthur's knights, I can verify that <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/" target="_blank">Monty Python and the Holy Grail</a> is a surprisingly accurate account of these characters in that it focuses on their most ridiculous qualities as written in the original medieval texts.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Eleanor Hume</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMcDl1da09BoWggUMpWTqPoGWeZYNxKeVoWkDt-FlyUSrpO7vgUDGTeQB-rfRewUrLmub3yGceGfCvEWRtkawP5PaZhekafYi7pON6kuJziIOFI4uM3uQFtPKkT1Z9hNSVPrCRbKRW07JoCRMdp4i84v6i9ht9MoFvaCm-NM1iE1ZwMoXydVjoYRK/s350/berseria%20eleanor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Eleanor Hume, a woman with pale skin and red hair, fighting with a spear. She wears a blue, silver, and gold outfit." border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMcDl1da09BoWggUMpWTqPoGWeZYNxKeVoWkDt-FlyUSrpO7vgUDGTeQB-rfRewUrLmub3yGceGfCvEWRtkawP5PaZhekafYi7pON6kuJziIOFI4uM3uQFtPKkT1Z9hNSVPrCRbKRW07JoCRMdp4i84v6i9ht9MoFvaCm-NM1iE1ZwMoXydVjoYRK/w206-h320/berseria%20eleanor.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p>Eleanor Hume may be the most fascinating character in the game, not only because she has an unusual connection to Arthurian Literature, but because her character is actually based on a real-life philosopher: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume" target="_blank">David Hume</a> (b. 1711 d. 1776), founder of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humeanism" target="_blank">Humeanism</a>. In <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, Eleanor begins the story as one of Artorius's exorcists. Artorius teaches his followers that the most important thing in the world is "reason" which he posits is the opposite of emotion. In fact, late in the story Artorius uses his magic to remove emotion from all (or almost all) of the people in the towns nearest to him, and this causes a large number of problems that the protagonists must set out to solve. Eleanor's character development arc in the game sees her changing gradually from a undiscerning follower of Artorius's teachings on reason, to an individual who thinks for herself and sees the importance of human emotion. Her eventual justification for opposing Artorius is that people need their emotions and she won't let him take them away. This thinking follows the writings of her namesake, philosopher David Hume, whose beliefs are described as follows:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>An opponent of philosophical rationalists, Hume held that passions rather than reason govern human behaviour, famously proclaiming that "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions" (Hume, David (1739). <i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180712120258/http://www.davidhume.org/texts/thn.html" target="_blank">A Treatise of Human Nature</a></i>. London: John Noon). (Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p>Both Eleanor and David Hume believe that emotions, or passions, are essential to reason, and you cannot have true reason without emotion. </p><p><br /></p><p>Eleanor is also connected to Arthurian Literature, albeit in a somewhat tenuous way. Eleanor's given name was very popular in the middle ages: "The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine" (<a href="https://www.behindthename.com/name/eleanor" target="_blank">Source: Behind the Name</a>). By the time Thomas Malory wrote his book <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780199537341" target="_blank">Le Morte d'Arthur</a>,</i> which served as the primary inspiration for most modern retellings of the Arthurian tales, the name Eleanor had been a popular one for several centuries. Instead of using the name Eleanor in his book, however, Malory latched onto a new name that was very similar to Eleanor: Elaine. Malory uses this name for several different characters is his book, to the point that "Elaine" is almost as confusingly common in Arthurian legends as the name "Mary" is in the new testament of the Christian bible. According to Behind the Name, </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>[Elaine] appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation <i>Le Morte d'Arthur</i> Elaine was the daughter of Pelles, the lover of Lancelot, and the mother of Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian epic Idylls of the King (1859). (<a href="https://www.behindthename.com/name/elaine" target="_blank">Source: Behind the Name</a>)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Melchior Mayvin AKA Merlin</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMIqtEzvn20GXCR_q6oXku60gIQn0KHKPngfaGV1Ndrox7waT_xDRyJizPU1RwGO0Tnfx3_tX6LfO2HKu_iIWCDvvnVh9Ln2gcNZNc39d3EU6TCUCzdLobWW55JsYph40yqIbbh-lVuVOSr1vTf21x2fztgOo5o6-jVOqtfe_60DxHhxuQrwRmrea/s504/Berseria%20Melchior.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Melchior, an old man with a long beard and a wide-brimmed hat. He is stroking his beard. He wears a white robe and a monocle.." border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMIqtEzvn20GXCR_q6oXku60gIQn0KHKPngfaGV1Ndrox7waT_xDRyJizPU1RwGO0Tnfx3_tX6LfO2HKu_iIWCDvvnVh9Ln2gcNZNc39d3EU6TCUCzdLobWW55JsYph40yqIbbh-lVuVOSr1vTf21x2fztgOo5o6-jVOqtfe_60DxHhxuQrwRmrea/w292-h320/Berseria%20Melchior.png" width="292" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>One of Artorius's primary allies is a very, very old man named Melchior (the wiki says he is 130 years old). He is an expert magic user and one of the final obstacles in the protagonists' quest to defeat Artorius. He very clearly fits the visual stereotype that most people will recognize as Merlin, or as any generic wizard (Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore -- who can tell them apart when they're all old men with long white beards?). Some older gamers like me may even notice his monocle, which proves that he is a wizard (<a href="https://youtu.be/DxzZTKhGjLc?t=269" target="_blank">this is a joke from an old video</a>). Melchior's age also lends to the idea that he is a recreation of Merlin, as Merlin is said to age backwards, or to be immortal, depending on which story you read. In either case, his age is mysteriously connected to his magic. The most notable aspect of Merlin's story that comes into play in <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, however, is the way he is finally defeated in the legends, which brings us to...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Magilou Mayvin AKA Nimuë</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg22EfpAXcHeqyz63r4rNcjRloW1hbG_IzMw4jSDjsin-NHHt5ZmokG0YDS0fc4ympLU3OJ1YVTV3wqDrtvL9KyhZMmacQdl5u9HpO6NGry4CiSfbnHKNqakIz4PNhiUsvQfYQkvQjslZ6E6M_E1oQgx9ioXCN_nbYD8dMD5s3ic1iO8SvumAwoIhQ/s350/berseria%20magilou.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Magilou is a blond woman with a pink witch outfit, including a big pointy hat. She has a mischievous look on her face." border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg22EfpAXcHeqyz63r4rNcjRloW1hbG_IzMw4jSDjsin-NHHt5ZmokG0YDS0fc4ympLU3OJ1YVTV3wqDrtvL9KyhZMmacQdl5u9HpO6NGry4CiSfbnHKNqakIz4PNhiUsvQfYQkvQjslZ6E6M_E1oQgx9ioXCN_nbYD8dMD5s3ic1iO8SvumAwoIhQ/w206-h320/berseria%20magilou.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Magilou is Velvet's most mysterious companion: especially early in the story, no one knows her age, her real name, what motivates her, or even why she is present in the party. All they know is that Magilou is a self-styled witch who wants to <a href="https://youtu.be/T5yiTVXseZM?t=12" target="_blank">leave her past behind her</a>. Similarly, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake" target="_blank">Nimuë</a> (or Nymue, Nyneue, Nyneve, Nynyue, among countless other variations) has always been a very mysterious figure to medieval storytellers, historians, and modern scholars alike. The important connection between Nimuë and <i>Tales of Berseria</i>'s witch Magilou is that Nimuë is often portrayed as being Merlin's apprentice, who ultimately defeats him by <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780060548254" target="_blank">trapping him inside a magical cave</a>. By the end of <i>Tales of Berseria</i>, players learn that Magilou was once daughter and student/apprentice of Melchior, and she is pivotal to his defeat. Nimuë is also often said to be the identity of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake" target="_blank">Lady of the Lake</a>, who is most well known as the guardian of King Arthur's sword, Excalibur. The Lady of the Lake is often portrayed as being a number of different magical women, not only Nimuë, and this tradition is carried on in the "Tales of" games. </p><p><b><br /></b></p><b>Lailah, The Lady of the Lake</b><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0OBU-r3Q7XlSvP-Cj6XBtkCT2lAyXZdVTTfGC_S6zUge4HoS0BA1tPeJPB34eNvDyQMlSXfz_-RrcdZFqH7GAvzsE0bLWOm7gh4nREqP0oPgCfzzhFFKbCiIi7IK34jAUV3TzLxjT4LWTahvrG1mVcUFvM8_B_R821fS_V0PtUMZgZ1aGsb6GmN2/s1280/zestiria%20lailah.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0OBU-r3Q7XlSvP-Cj6XBtkCT2lAyXZdVTTfGC_S6zUge4HoS0BA1tPeJPB34eNvDyQMlSXfz_-RrcdZFqH7GAvzsE0bLWOm7gh4nREqP0oPgCfzzhFFKbCiIi7IK34jAUV3TzLxjT4LWTahvrG1mVcUFvM8_B_R821fS_V0PtUMZgZ1aGsb6GmN2/w320-h180/zestiria%20lailah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Lailah is a major character in <i>Tales of Zestiria</i>, which takes place several centuries after the events of <i>Tales of Berseria</i>. When players first encounter her, she is the guardian of the <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780399225024" target="_blank">Sword in the Stone</a>, a device that is taken directly from Arthurian legends. Though the townspeople can't see her, they worship her as the Lady of the Lake, an apparent title that has been passed on to Lailah from a mysterious predecessor. Lailah is there when Sorey, the protagonist of <i>Tales of Zestiria</i>, attends a festival in which people attempt to pull the sword from the stone, usually with no success. This may sound familiar, as you have probably either seen the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057546/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Disney movie <i>The Sword in the Stone</i></a> (based on the T.H. White classic) or heard the legend. Like young Arthur, Sorey is able to pull the sword from the stone, in this case with the help of Lailah (whom he can see while others can't). </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Tales of Zestiria</i> is full of other, smaller references to the Arthurian legends. Many place names come from Arthurian names, such as the <a href="https://www.gamerguides.com/tales-of-zestiria/guide/walkthrough/part-1-the-path-of-the-shepherd-2578/galahad-ruins" target="_blank">Galahad Ruins</a>, <a href="https://www.gamerguides.com/tales-of-zestiria/guide/walkthrough/part-1-the-path-of-the-shepherd-2578/bors-ruins" target="_blank">Bors Ruins</a>, and other dungeons named after knights, and city names like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin" target="_blank">Taliesin</a>, which is actually named after an early medieval bard whose work was recorded in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Taliesin" target="_blank">famous manuscript</a>. The castle <a href="https://www.gamerguides.com/tales-of-zestiria/guide/walkthrough/part-1-the-path-of-the-shepherd-2578/roundtabel-palace" target="_blank">Roundtabel Palace</a> is of course a reference to King Arthur's round table, though I noticed that the table we see inside the palace is actually rectangular -- perhaps as a nod towards the greed of the men sitting around it (Arthur's round table was supposed to be a circle so that no one could sit at the head of the table -- everyone at the table was equal). </p><p><br /></p><p>Did you notice any references to Arthurian literature that I missed? Please share your observations in the comments!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Suggestions for Further Reading</b>:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://kb.gcsu.edu/english/1/" target="_blank">"The Horse and the Heroic Quest: Equestrian Indicators of Morality in Lancelot, Don Quixote, and Tolkien"</a> by Kirsten Rodning</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780199537341" target="_blank">Le Morte d'Arthur</a> by Thomas Malory</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780441020836" target="_blank">The Once and Future King</a> by T.H. White</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780060548254" target="_blank">The Crystal Cave</a> by Mary Stewart</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div><center><script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> </center>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-18338684662131395082022-11-21T14:16:00.003-08:002022-11-21T14:16:54.361-08:00This Way Madness Lies: My Game of the Year?!<p> <b><i>This Way Madness Lies</i></b> is the latest game from developer <a href="http://zeboyd.com/" target="_blank">Zeboyd Games</a>, creators of indie classics like <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/107310/Cthulhu_Saves_the_World/" target="_blank"><i>Cthulhu Saves the World</i></a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/256460/Cosmic_Star_Heroine/" target="_blank"><i>Cosmic Star Heroine</i></a>. When I heard that Zeboyd was creating a game based on the works of Shakespeare -- starring magical girls -- I literally jumped for joy. Then I asked for a review copy. I couldn't imagine exactly how a game about magical girls in the stories of Shakespeare would work, but I knew it would change my life for the better. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X-Dku0-SKSPViF49KVsUOs9_PJJISIzRgFQcPhkT-Zo-54sS9gXl1mFwlDM5AjVseFDblSO6hTPyuMYc55mZdID4EB331EvMDRUezoj8eu7s6dtQQ2xZeyhTk6tLHVxFscSPAe1HylKE_otWOsIHad5VSJuhZ2li95so0mYEDatwsEgnmeIxPr7T/s460/twml.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X-Dku0-SKSPViF49KVsUOs9_PJJISIzRgFQcPhkT-Zo-54sS9gXl1mFwlDM5AjVseFDblSO6hTPyuMYc55mZdID4EB331EvMDRUezoj8eu7s6dtQQ2xZeyhTk6tLHVxFscSPAe1HylKE_otWOsIHad5VSJuhZ2li95so0mYEDatwsEgnmeIxPr7T/w400-h188/twml.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>If you've been following this blog for any amount of time you are probably aware that I have spent a lot of time writing about <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/search/label/Shakespeare?&max-results=20">Shakespeare's influence</a> on the video game medium. In fact, earlier this year I wrote about the <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2022/05/hamlet-video-game-genre.html">vast quantity of games that are based specifically on <i>Hamlet</i></a>. <i>Hamlet</i> is all but absent from <i><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1318970/This_Way_Madness_Lies/" target="_blank">This Way Madness Lies</a></i>, and I suspect that's because the game's creators knew that the bard's other plays needed a bit more attention in the video game realm. I was impressed by writer Willow Boyd's knowledge not only of the contents of Shakespeare's plays, but of the scholarship and historical discussion surrounding the plays and their author. I studied Shakespeare throughout college and two levels of graduate school but I still learned a thing or two from this game. Truly (verily?) the game's writer is a genuine bardolator. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZ1mfZp_qmjaYCCTfkbGwT_CR05NR6BQUQtFE5xAzOPKQ6gXthnKmLLStepek1M6um1rFu-gY0kZF5NI_sU_FpAj1qCKISRzPYEuV4KxKL0jycR89xCETbcqsBXvlVrrs4QQw9wENtId-x7RJyZlydP637BKYagoxQivENto0Pcpcq9-5hYotyIQr/s1920/bardolator.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Imogen saying, "It's a real term, look it up."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZ1mfZp_qmjaYCCTfkbGwT_CR05NR6BQUQtFE5xAzOPKQ6gXthnKmLLStepek1M6um1rFu-gY0kZF5NI_sU_FpAj1qCKISRzPYEuV4KxKL0jycR89xCETbcqsBXvlVrrs4QQw9wENtId-x7RJyZlydP637BKYagoxQivENto0Pcpcq9-5hYotyIQr/w400-h225/bardolator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The most notable aspect of <i>This Way Madness Lies</i> that a new player will undoubtedly appreciate is the soundtrack. Immediately upon starting the game and viewing the opening menu, players are hit with a truly rocking symphonic metal banger, which I had to sit and listen to several times before I was willing to move on to playing the actual game. From this menu players can navigate to the credits, which show that the music was composed by Joshua Queen, while the vocalist is Sarah Queen. Note that I still have this song stuck in my head as I'm writing my review, and I haven't even played the game today. The soundtrack throughout the game is just as good, and I felt nostalgic for the <i>Persona</i> series as I was listening to the soundtrack of <i>This Way Madness Lies </i>-- perhaps it was an influence? </p><p><br /></p><p>After the musical score, my favorite aspect of the game is its referential humor. Not only are there clever little quips about Shakespeare, but in true Zeboyd Games style there are lots of references to older games by the same developers, and to their favorite sleeping god, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2016/11/the-cthulhu-mythos-in-sci-fi-and.html">Cthulhu</a>, and his otherworldly brethren. Every piece of dialogue in <i>This Way Madness Lies</i> is dripping with my kind of humor (mostly cheesy), so I couldn't help but have a big grin on my face throughout the 14+ hours I was playing the game. </p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshFyGmtuP-jEOsMBhzJW3jZzzlLCu96hryIri86lYy7EzxlI_ZwEd69bMKSRSMLGjUJa6jTXhfuVNSS1HasNg8_QXpDil4_qzWnSgqTo2a6oVE8bRMsy42VqcSJt53nTPoankkU6NHJWtteVVuO-00LCWlh2XZR4s3TtTypL0L8DzgwnFHOcEWgs/s1920/twml%20I%20bite%20my%20thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Rosalind, a character from This Way Madness Lies, says, "I bite my thumb at you, plant monster!"" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshFyGmtuP-jEOsMBhzJW3jZzzlLCu96hryIri86lYy7EzxlI_ZwEd69bMKSRSMLGjUJa6jTXhfuVNSS1HasNg8_QXpDil4_qzWnSgqTo2a6oVE8bRMsy42VqcSJt53nTPoankkU6NHJWtteVVuO-00LCWlh2XZR4s3TtTypL0L8DzgwnFHOcEWgs/w400-h225/twml%20I%20bite%20my%20thumb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I can't consider this review complete without mentioning the beautiful pixel art. Each character is incredibly detailed and unique and players will get to see these details on full display every time the protagonists complete their magical girl transformations -- a necessary staple of the magical girl genre.</p><p> </p><p>While I loved this game with all my heart, I would be lying if I said I didn't have any less than positive thoughts, however small. First: accessibility options are practically nonexistent. HOWEVER: I didn't find that I personally needed any accessibility accommodations in this game. I played the game with a controller and selected easy mode, and those seemed to be all the accommodations I personally needed. The game was very easy for me and I had no difficulty with controls or with my ability to see or hear the game. That said, I am only somewhat low vision and I suspect there are players who would benefit from some accessibility options like different text sizes and fonts, etc. The developers have been very good about updating the game after listening to their players, however, so accessibility options may be added in the near future (or they may already have been added as I haven't played the game in the last few days). </p><p><br /></p><p>I enjoyed the decision to start the story in the middle of the action -- we don't have to slog through origin stories for our magical girls, and I approve of that decision. I do wish we had a bit more background and character development for the girls, however. Is it too early to hope there will be a sequel or prequel to <i>This Way Madness Lies</i>? </p><p><br /></p><p>To answer my question in this post's title: yes, I would say that <i>This Way Madness Lies</i> is my game of the year for 2022. Does that mean I am comparing it to titles like <i>God of War</i> and <i>Elden Ring</i>? No, because I didn't play those games. I tend to spend most of my time playing more niche titles, so my closest runner-up that I played this year would be <i><a href="https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/kirby-and-the-forgotten-land-switch/" target="_blank">Kirby and the Forgotten Land</a></i>. But I can't deny that <i>This Way Madness Lies</i> moved me in a way that I haven't been moved since the first time I played Supergiant's<i> <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2016/01/exploring-new-forms-of-narrative-with.html">Bastion</a></i>. It wasn't just the Shakespeare angle that hooked me -- I genuinely connected with the characters and the world of the game. I felt like this game was made for me, specifically, and that's a rare feeling. I greatly look forward to seeing where Zeboyd Games goes from here.</p><p><br /></p><p>I received a copy of <i>This Way Madness Lies</i> for free in exchange for an honest review.</p><p><br /></p>
<center><script type='text/javascript' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script></center>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-5309751853230848202022-11-02T15:54:00.001-07:002022-11-02T15:54:31.029-07:00Welcome to #SciFiMonth 2022!<p> <span> </span>It's Sci-Fi Month! Every November a bunch of blogs, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/search/label/sci-fi%20month?&max-results=20">including this one</a>, celebrate <a href="https://twitter.com/SciFiMonth" target="_blank">#SciFiMonth</a> and read science fiction books, play Sci-Fi games, and generally geek out. This year is the tenth anniversary of the event! It's hosted by <a href="https://onemore.org/2022/10/23/countdown-to-scifimonth/">OneMore.org</a> and <a href="https://deargeekplace.com/sci-fi-month-2022-time-for-take-off/" target="_blank">Dear Geek Place.</a> </p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://twitter.com/SciFiMonth" target="_blank"><img alt="Square banner that says Sci Fi Month 2022" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi535MHVwTyydYXnLANn57DwEBFjqmLlx3Fyn2tsgYsbsSVE0iQGs5IV8ZA-6w8V3u1N_ywnEvN7XFUB_WlNRmTciQoMbmyC8OqRcoiMoxogpA35-FTqoQLKYokMYqiTdKnnhzCOpm-oHL5G7_d2PkDnapOIxJiZLngVkUWzEaXPZ3FibnTZRkUvQnL/w320-h320/1.webp" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Artwork by Simon Fetscher</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div><span> </span>As usual, I plan to have a fairly chill month since I am also participating in <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/ringwraith10" target="_blank">Nanowrimo</a>. Last month I boasted on Twitter that I was thinking about doing a Resident Evil marathon, but since that has fizzled out for me I will probably focus my time on different games. I have been wanting to get into the Star Ocean series for a very long time, and I think now, during Sci-Fi month, and so near the release of the latest Star Ocean installment, would be a great time! Now, I know that different people have different opinions on where I should start in the Star Ocean series (I did some research on social media), but since the PS3 game, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, is within easy reach I plan to "dive in" with that one (pun totally intended). If that doesn't fill up all of my gaming time for the month, I will probably also go back to trying to finish Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which I have already started a blog post draft on. I need to stick to my resolution to finish a Tales series game this year, so I will also keep working on beating Tales of Berseria. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQDe9s0Rk2jJNyCXpebkuFhusjR00AfmRdkjhXwCb5iLtbmPVZPIF9xIyyF5Rs0qWamCyXiWa677iVJtAxQIBxU91HrD-R5QiSp30z58iTzyuaFsbm2ISrzjXgiAs0GMExxDwUUBQOMc9MlCfg6cfvEZ0ob5Jt8HYX8_MX7M-oNj01UduGz7Ayvrw/s1758/star%20ocean%20tlh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of Star Ocean: The Last Hope on Playstation 3" border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="1533" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQDe9s0Rk2jJNyCXpebkuFhusjR00AfmRdkjhXwCb5iLtbmPVZPIF9xIyyF5Rs0qWamCyXiWa677iVJtAxQIBxU91HrD-R5QiSp30z58iTzyuaFsbm2ISrzjXgiAs0GMExxDwUUBQOMc9MlCfg6cfvEZ0ob5Jt8HYX8_MX7M-oNj01UduGz7Ayvrw/w174-h200/star%20ocean%20tlh.jpg" width="174" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWBcpWO1ky1JHhuEjsDiUuPy8hjdt2ngH5Aw6MZe4UYSyTDeGETW-um4c1b5PUnFO2vSFF8kmFevWSlqdYYiLky0GYVXRmDjLyn8JQxfVguC2-LPOySm2MPu2qU3OsJcZotPis4oeMoZaQT3vpqRD9XZbCeqs6K5CPLP_KPDAN1a0Uty6OeUFh2aI/s1500/ac%20odyssey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover art for Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on Playstation 4" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1181" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWBcpWO1ky1JHhuEjsDiUuPy8hjdt2ngH5Aw6MZe4UYSyTDeGETW-um4c1b5PUnFO2vSFF8kmFevWSlqdYYiLky0GYVXRmDjLyn8JQxfVguC2-LPOySm2MPu2qU3OsJcZotPis4oeMoZaQT3vpqRD9XZbCeqs6K5CPLP_KPDAN1a0Uty6OeUFh2aI/w158-h200/ac%20odyssey.jpg" width="158" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoR2kqy5npfN-ZFzfZS10PBAmQFf8CTO4_tQw_WQpzwYBPTLAii4lnGk00JT8RBu-nyF2FiHpL1kF4JltU1L-VKmSs_ZyYDqYMAXmT6WcaF4JeZkYoSPm_lOfbCev9gRoeNb828TRAQxgZvnwZLs65JhUEU4pTy2n8ownuO3H1zGFAqyao9GgiyJ4/s1900/Tales-of-Berseria---PlayStation-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1900" data-original-width="1525" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoR2kqy5npfN-ZFzfZS10PBAmQFf8CTO4_tQw_WQpzwYBPTLAii4lnGk00JT8RBu-nyF2FiHpL1kF4JltU1L-VKmSs_ZyYDqYMAXmT6WcaF4JeZkYoSPm_lOfbCev9gRoeNb828TRAQxgZvnwZLs65JhUEU4pTy2n8ownuO3H1zGFAqyao9GgiyJ4/w161-h200/Tales-of-Berseria---PlayStation-4.jpg" width="161" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><span> As far as reading goes, I'm not sure what all of the books I read this month will be, but I will try to stick to the Science Fiction theme. The first one I'm reading for the month, which I started last night, is </span><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9781250317315" target="_blank">Victories Greater Than Death</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4918514.Charlie_Jane_Anders" target="_blank">Charlie Jane Anders</a>! The story is really different so far -- which is always a good thing! I'm only a few chapters in so my full review will be forthcoming. There is an official #SciFiMonth readathon taking place, in which participants will be reading <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780062936042" target="_blank">The Galaxy, and the Ground Within</a> by <a href="https://bookshop.org/contributors/becky-chambers" target="_blank">Becky Chambers</a>. I haven't read the rest of the series in which that book takes place, so I might be skipping the readathon this time. <div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for more #SciFiMonth updates! And happy gaming/reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you enjoy my work and would like to support this blog, feel free to check out the links below.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div><br />
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Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-73974281553918260722022-08-23T05:00:00.118-07:002022-08-23T05:00:00.143-07:00The Outer Worlds Explores Space While Grappling with Human Consumption<p> After my <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2022/06/momocon-2022-panel-video-now-available.html">panel at Momocon back in May</a>, several audience members came up to me and asked if I had yet played The Outer Worlds. A segment of my presentation had been about <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2014/07/fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-post.html">Fallout: New Vegas</a>, and my fellow gamers wanted to make sure I had played Obsidian's latest game. I hadn't, and though I had heard of the game I surprisingly didn't know that it was developed by Obsidian, or that it was such a similar game to their Fallout entries. I immediately bought the game and started playing, and I am so glad that I did! Though The Outer Worlds seems to have slipped under the radar of much of the online gaming community (perhaps because, like many a Fallout game, the game's initial release was filled with bugs and errors, though these were later <a href="https://theouterworlds.wiki.fextralife.com/Patch+Notes#:~:text=The%20Outer%20Worlds%20Update%201.5%20%2D%20March%2016th%2C%202021&text=Murder%20on%20Eridanos%20will%20release,%22Murder%20on%20Eridanos%22%20DLCs." target="_blank">fixed with a patch</a>), it is a very fun, well-written entry into the annals of science fiction gaming that asks tough questions about morality and human consumption while endearing the player to the many characters and colonies in Halcyon. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvqa1XoCXaux9QC0ijyV0sNVQ_ZnwmP5188bC4_jnauJaLxV_150Djhhq9DOdmR80WopCNl-uw4mBew2pfhTMdRYAX9X5MHqYF18EPtDJs8Es8_i5-7aIMGZRFqrabgxu_-4UMliqnM4DFxoG2SCjpThsFTxZDCJnrP1bJ6XQSBSARKRV-gu6qdB/s1920/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20engineer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image of Parvati from The Outer Worlds fixing an engine." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvqa1XoCXaux9QC0ijyV0sNVQ_ZnwmP5188bC4_jnauJaLxV_150Djhhq9DOdmR80WopCNl-uw4mBew2pfhTMdRYAX9X5MHqYF18EPtDJs8Es8_i5-7aIMGZRFqrabgxu_-4UMliqnM4DFxoG2SCjpThsFTxZDCJnrP1bJ6XQSBSARKRV-gu6qdB/w400-h225/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20engineer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Like Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is set in a future that feels oddly vintage, which draws the player's attention to the cyclical nature of history -- humanity will always be doomed to repeat its mistakes. In the case of The Outer Worlds, humanity's mistake is extreme consumption -- consumption of food, fuel, and other necessities, but also frivolities like clothes and guns. There's even a parody version of the NRA that highlights the modern American urge to own lots and lots of guns (<a href="https://youtu.be/esu7iNWBVjg" target="_blank">see a short video of this parody interaction here</a>). </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-outer-worlds-review/" target="_blank">Some reviewers</a> may have felt that the anti-capitalist overtones of the game were too overt and caused the story to drag, but personally I feel that if you want to get a message across, sometimes you have to metaphorically hit your audience over the head with it, and Obsidian does this with side-quests that you really don't have to complete if you don't want to. I promise, it's okay to skip a few side quests. Really.</p><p><br /></p><p>My favorite part of the game, however, had nothing to do with the overstory about consumption and greed, and instead had everything to do with party member Parvati's sweet, romantic side-story. I want to say it's rare to see a story in a video game about an asexual, homoromantic major character, but that wouldn't exactly be true. The truth is that before The Outer Worlds, I had <i>never</i> seen an asexual, homoromantic major character in a video game. That level of realism and complexity in an LGBTQIA+ character almost never exists in fiction. The only other time I have even read a story about an ace protagonist in a relationship was when I read <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9798200415342" target="_blank">Claire Kann's <i>Let's Talk About Love</i></a>. Other books with such characters do exist, but these types of relationships are rarely seen in video game romances. This is no case of queer baiting, in case you were wondering. Parvati very clearly communicates her sexual identity to the player, who then even has the option of telling Parvati that they, too, are asexual. See the below screenshots for examples of conversations about sexuality that the player can have with their companion:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Screenshot text: "That's - well, it's tripped folks up in the past. Folks I thought cared about me for me. What if she's not okay with that? What if she IS, but then, later, she's not?" Player answer: "We have that in common, you know. I'm not interested in physical affection either."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXME2WnnN9VSAyp72PzT6-DjPPfDCeA9b3OTiOKtaM5He_POgzy1eSPU9QgiibhAfyrfrT6GR3_Moz-Pq7lEnIs0qPgBZ3sfYCxz31-Gjlu8VP62pp2v01XqjBVbK-hsokeLZ1a6f2ggiq20OXDVb1beWHpFOew3YjLiWW0qaIZvhsFNwn3TKFyHwx/w200-h113/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20conversation%201.jpg" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWb3RJO5wvQfhtn3gwAkgmQJtYwaW5fbrKgRF_ijPf-t-CsF6MF5dN3ZN-l3dRc3HnX9Gw3YlGB5Ao45ARWLUefrRXiBXmXdK7pSrUG434i6qMoHQIngWjNCQu7-gnq7_QqEnWNM6Bq3dvebkVkWqTzefmbSf9-FBPEt-JKWsOPHNaxfHEPQ0WC0A/s1920/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20conversation%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot text: Parvati: "You- you're not? You're like me?" Player: "Well, I'm cooler, but yeah."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWb3RJO5wvQfhtn3gwAkgmQJtYwaW5fbrKgRF_ijPf-t-CsF6MF5dN3ZN-l3dRc3HnX9Gw3YlGB5Ao45ARWLUefrRXiBXmXdK7pSrUG434i6qMoHQIngWjNCQu7-gnq7_QqEnWNM6Bq3dvebkVkWqTzefmbSf9-FBPEt-JKWsOPHNaxfHEPQ0WC0A/w200-h113/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20conversation%202.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj11Sk7th0hkZFmylttT-lXUbNqstlmeFJewqmCnhotk_Eagao0oOEwdmmU6Pz3AjKd93GiSdkUsdkaTJsPHHinJw-AhSjenb1go5WGV-TcSXlxsRxZyaYrdSMzwUSZoQxuO4Xa90SEdPUbtsoRyyMoPFPhRHiYoeX6Z4CNdIN1ZFtwUDjT7s-dBn-/s1920/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20physical%20stuff%20conversation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot text: Parvati: "I'm not much interested in... physical stuff. Never have been. Leastways not like other folk seem to be. It's not that I can't? I just don't care for it."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj11Sk7th0hkZFmylttT-lXUbNqstlmeFJewqmCnhotk_Eagao0oOEwdmmU6Pz3AjKd93GiSdkUsdkaTJsPHHinJw-AhSjenb1go5WGV-TcSXlxsRxZyaYrdSMzwUSZoQxuO4Xa90SEdPUbtsoRyyMoPFPhRHiYoeX6Z4CNdIN1ZFtwUDjT7s-dBn-/w320-h181/outer%20worlds%20parvati%20physical%20stuff%20conversation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Without spoiling the romantic side story that is Parvati's companion quest, I will say that Parvati and her girlfriend meeting each other, dating, and getting to know one another truly warmed my heart. This may end up being one of my favorite video game moments of all time. </p><p><br /></p><p>What were your favorite moments in The Outer Worlds, and which characters warmed your heart? Let me know in the comments!</p><p><br /></p><p>Please don't forget to follow this blog on <a href="https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/videogamesaslit/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and/or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/videogamesaslit/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> for updates!</p><p><br /></p><br />
<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-67769481271866083512022-06-02T18:40:00.000-07:002022-06-02T18:40:39.545-07:00Momocon 2022 Panel Video Now Available!<p> Momocon 2022 was so much fun, even if I ended up only going on Thursday. I ran my very first Video Games as Literature panel on Thursday night, which has been filmed and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLX84WGPnkE" target="_blank">uploaded to YouTube</a>! If you weren't able to make it to the live presentation, you can watch the video below. Please let me know if you have any technical problems with watching the video, and thank you for watching!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="290" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SLX84WGPnkE" width="481" youtube-src-id="SLX84WGPnkE"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>If you're interested in more multimedia on Video Games as Literature, check out this podcast episode I was invited to speak on: <a href="https://supergamerpodcast.com/2022/05/16/new-super-gamer-podcast-115-better-than-any-kings-horse-with-kirsten-rodning/" target="_blank">NEW Super Gamer Podcast 115 – Better Than Any King’s Horse with Kirsten Rodning</a>. You can also find the Super Gamer Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.</p>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-90104250228731991442022-05-23T14:30:00.005-07:002022-05-23T14:48:00.017-07:00Hamlet: A Video Game Genre<p> Over the last decade, as I've worked on this blog and thought deeply about literary video games, I've noticed a trend: a lot of video games specifically reference or recreate the world and characters of <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780743477123" target="_blank">Shakespeare's <i>Hamlet</i></a>. Something about this particular play fascinates the minds of readers, academics, and game developers more than any other Shakespearian play, and perhaps even more than any other work of literature. Below are just a few examples of games that recreate or expand upon the story of Hamlet, that brooding Danish teen and his doomed family and friends. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><b>Elsinore</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYLmsTdYMb_2XQY7mMzQ5xsBVohGsM27fQeP5T9CoHD8QHCZRF1p3nYZg31EYXElRJuxYvTNChrhJlGEZeTCRlMuUD8LT_Xw5xvTT5hWgrZr_dG2WKoh74FkluoHv5dDXMGIQhDPrTX3u2TA1aY1gE9tlTpC9dSPqfZOHN6gxYiLpmsa_62CZqcE_/s1920/download%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Horatio saying, "Ah, the good and fair Lady Ophelia. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYLmsTdYMb_2XQY7mMzQ5xsBVohGsM27fQeP5T9CoHD8QHCZRF1p3nYZg31EYXElRJuxYvTNChrhJlGEZeTCRlMuUD8LT_Xw5xvTT5hWgrZr_dG2WKoh74FkluoHv5dDXMGIQhDPrTX3u2TA1aY1gE9tlTpC9dSPqfZOHN6gxYiLpmsa_62CZqcE_/w320-h180/download%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://elsinore-game.com/" target="_blank">Elsinore</a> is one of the most surprisingly remarkable and touching literary games I have played to date. It is a very true retelling of <i>Hamlet</i>, but through a time-travel element it manages to not only expand upon the original story, but also fully flesh out all of the characters Shakespeare created. For example, most people hold very little love for Polonius, Ophelia's father, when they read or watch the play. He is usually seen through Hamlet's eyes as a somewhat useless old man who no longer has a real purpose in the world. Because Elsinore is played from Ophelia's perspective, however, we get a chance to see Polonius from a different angle: as a caring father and a diligent servant of the late king. All of the play's characters receive similar treatment -- since we are not expected to experience the story in the few hours it takes to put on a play (though, yes, <i>Hamlet</i> is quite a long play), we as gamers get an opportunity to spend longer periods of time with each character and learn more about them as people. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a side note, another work of literature that I have noticed has influenced a large swath of modern games is the Legend of Zelda video game series. I admit it's very strange that I have written several posts and articles about the influence of the Zelda franchise on other games, but I have not yet written specifically about any Zelda games, though I profess that Ocarina of Time is one of my favorite games. Elsinore is no exception to this trend: the time travel elements in the game are almost definitely intentionally based on the time travel found in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. If you don't believe me, take a look at the character Peter Quince, himself an anachronism in the world of <i>Hamlet</i>. Quince is a character from <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9781501146213" target="_blank">Shakespeare's <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i></a>, and seemingly has no business in Ophelia and Hamlet's story. Players soon find, however, that Peter Quince is aware of the time travelling, and of everything that is happening to Ophelia. Does that remind you of anyone? One might almost expect Quince to introduce himself to Ophelia with the line, "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" I'm speaking, of course, about the Happy Mask Salesman from Majora's Mask -- the character who guides Link through his chronologically confused story.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqtU-lBFd7y8YMBQdhKoHIMeYwtiDekPLEYvBcK_CO_FRrAHXGVSa2pYgscqG1f8BqJ4C6XtTAbJ-prElcIUV7yXUm8kjCIUx6Gg7Qu1Rs3ktOrAvqI3zG5IhP4nxhPZAt9z4kmbuT3aSJN2eZemGVaPowRBxSayyoCO_Z4Y1wM2OHkxgDO9L3FhU/s1280/the-happy-mask-salesman-fi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1280" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqtU-lBFd7y8YMBQdhKoHIMeYwtiDekPLEYvBcK_CO_FRrAHXGVSa2pYgscqG1f8BqJ4C6XtTAbJ-prElcIUV7yXUm8kjCIUx6Gg7Qu1Rs3ktOrAvqI3zG5IhP4nxhPZAt9z4kmbuT3aSJN2eZemGVaPowRBxSayyoCO_Z4Y1wM2OHkxgDO9L3FhU/w320-h162/the-happy-mask-salesman-fi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Happy Mask Salesman <a href="https://zeldauniverse.net/2020/12/05/bombers-notebook-the-happy-mask-salesman/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdNUrfp-pvL_YpUHy0N1Ss9z2ngF4FhKuLaOHKFPRuFoCV-Qp5PzUGYpxF7Y8f3oeXwEfPEO_HomR0jwln_TdOkNlMR3fp8xd5mH9DM6meUF0jhiwJjODMub6ApWvJpYRLFdp2BY8eknhBIgJesbHrNv_Q_Kc3-IiUrWRNGxm0RoYv6FRH-d9byGn/s1920/download%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdNUrfp-pvL_YpUHy0N1Ss9z2ngF4FhKuLaOHKFPRuFoCV-Qp5PzUGYpxF7Y8f3oeXwEfPEO_HomR0jwln_TdOkNlMR3fp8xd5mH9DM6meUF0jhiwJjODMub6ApWvJpYRLFdp2BY8eknhBIgJesbHrNv_Q_Kc3-IiUrWRNGxm0RoYv6FRH-d9byGn/w320-h181/download%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Quince reveals his knowledge of current events in Elsinore.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div>Quince's uncanny resemblance to the Happy Mask Salesman is likely intentional, and we see him wearing many different masks to represent different characters when he puts on a play, solidifying his similarities to the Mask Salesman. <div><br /></div><div>Elsinore is a lovingly crafted game that pays homage not only to Shakespeare, but to literary pop culture in general. Play this game in detail to find all kinds of surprising references -- I won't spoil them for you!<br /><br /><br /><div><div><b><br /></b></div><b>To Be or Not To Be</b></div><div><b><br /></b><div>One game that I already <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2015/02/to-be-or-not-to-be-hilariously.html" target="_blank">reviewed back in 2015</a> is To Be or Not to Be, a choose your own adventure style retelling of <i>Hamlet</i>. To Be or Not to Be is a <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/324710/To_Be_or_Not_To_Be/" target="_blank">game</a> based on a <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18693/9780735212190" target="_blank">book</a> based on a Shakespearian play... in other words, it's my favorite type of literature! While Elsinore takes the story of <i>Hamlet</i> seriously and tries to expand upon the existing world and characters, To Be or Not to Be takes <i>Hamlet</i> in a much more fun, and often silly, direction. Yes, you can play the game as though you are reenacting the play, and make all of the choices that would lead to the story ending as Shakespeare intended... or you can become a pirate. It's your choice! Check out the link below to browse or buy a copy of the original <i>To Be or Not to Be</i> book (the affiliate link will give me a small commission if you decide to make a purchase):</div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<script data-affiliate-id="18693" data-sku="9780735212190" data-type="book" src="https://bookshop.org/widgets.js"></script>
</div><div><br /></div><b>Final Fantasy XV</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVeAzgKUrxEnZvondqZyXfCrIGCUriW2miISbuw5idOa8UV8FkJjFZCdQRDAXGgCm7S2I0wkvEUVWBn768HAPV6coNAyy2VE5fyvUkmBhwmR5U8OrBLC2mIK1uP8tNm1HtqwJeDScUPqCNYmYV4ZRf3U2U_0LbF2cN9c7MoceIY7GzQ9s3WBuPjXZ/s1567/FFXV1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A group photo of Noctis and his bros in front of a fancy rock." border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1567" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVeAzgKUrxEnZvondqZyXfCrIGCUriW2miISbuw5idOa8UV8FkJjFZCdQRDAXGgCm7S2I0wkvEUVWBn768HAPV6coNAyy2VE5fyvUkmBhwmR5U8OrBLC2mIK1uP8tNm1HtqwJeDScUPqCNYmYV4ZRf3U2U_0LbF2cN9c7MoceIY7GzQ9s3WBuPjXZ/w320-h181/FFXV1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Ah, Final Fantasy XV. If you've played it, you either love it or you hate it. I personally fall into the former camp. Many who play Final Fantasy XV may not be aware that it is a direct retelling of <i>Hamlet</i> (or, at least, as direct as a Final Fantasy game can possibly be). Even I, who have studied Shakespeare for decades, took a frighteningly long time to realize what was going on and where the game was headed (certain death). It wasn't until I made the connection that the primary villain looks and sounds a lot like Scar from The Lion King (also a retelling of <i>Hamlet</i>) that I started to put the pieces together and realize that this Final Fantasy game was a direct Shakespeare retelling. When that happened, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2021/03/final-fantasy-hamlet.html" target="_blank">I made a blog post to share my revelation</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><b>... And More</b><p></p></div></div><div>There are so many more games that reference <i>Hamlet</i> or even take the majority of their stories from Shakespeare's most beloved play that I can't possibly mention them all. Below I list a few other games I have found that draw inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Can you think of any others? Feel free to mention them in the comments!</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Don't Starve: Hamlet</li><li>Hamlet or the Last Game without MMORPG Features, Shaders and Product Placement</li><li>Vagrant Story</li><li>The Lion King (Sega Genesis and SNES)</li></ul><div>Also note that many other Final Fantasy games follow Shakespearean themes. Final Fantasy XII's Balthier behaves as though he believes himself to be a Shakespearean hero. <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2013/11/final-fantasy-ix-and-shakespearean.html">Final Fantasy IX draws inspiration from several of Shakespeare's plays</a>, especially Romeo and Juliet. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>ICYMI, I will be talking about Hamlet in video games and much more at Momocon on Thursday! <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2022/04/momocon-2022-announcement.html">Click here to find more information about my Momocon panel</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://follow.it/videogamesaslit?action=followPub" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Follow this blog button." border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="275" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcneNPes2RnCVLYGiLwsDvp_Mxoa19ftQ_aL3AY9qETfn0NFpMoukTFXMo66w3nh3evySyGLKGlNHpPnd80r77LV2EnvQVadXViClitbqCYaK9b1kH37V6wrHICZEqnmmxPWgaBvvBvzueaXG5pELCnXDsgcUWYy-Z1WSj6VZpM48cslcwdKDWk9FV/w200-h36/14.png" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-11456621519772013472022-05-03T13:52:00.001-07:002022-05-03T13:52:26.558-07:00Wyrd & Wonder 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://onemore.org/2022/04/05/even-more-wyrd-and-wonderful/#more-17971" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Drawing of a wolf made of branches. Text says Wyrd & Wonder: Celebrate the Fantastic 1-31 May" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacvjxK9YVX49MRBGCrd8_waaHptzX4O2O-B_bNOciLkioBqERbpng933xfJlcKIx8sKQbz3mzcv0rHQ1Jx3FQ7zHGepIwVlyXuP1ZL0QCldcj3lm3cQq5HIt-WWr6BMC9GXsbZwIr0L7M3jqVp0yIL4bI3XikT7VOhhE2PmZA_JbTAkKlxYGPEtkV/w400-h400/instagram-or-blog-button-2%20(1).webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once again I will be participating in <a href="https://onemore.org/category/special-events/wyrd-and-wonder/" target="_blank">Wyrd & Wonder</a> this month! Wyrd and Wonder is an annual blogging event where a variety of bloggers come together to discuss fantasy literature. I, of course, will be taking this theme in my own direction and will discuss not only fantasy books, but also fantasy themed video games. May will be a busy month for me, as I am also preparing to <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2022/04/momocon-2022-announcement.html" target="_blank">run a panel at Momocon</a> at the end of the month, so I may not do as much for Wyrd & Wonder as I would like this year, but I will definitely be participating in the <a href="https://onemore.org/2022/04/05/even-more-wyrd-and-wonderful/#more-17971" target="_blank">group reading</a> of <i>The Darkest Part of the Forest</i> by Holly Black. I've been excited to read this particular book for a while now and I'm glad to finally have a good reason to do so! If you are interested in participating in the group read, you can click below to purchase the book through an affiliate link, which will give a small commission to the Video Games as Literature blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>
<script data-affiliate-id="18693" data-sku="9780316536219" data-type="book" src="https://bookshop.org/widgets.js"></script><br /><div>You can also follow the <a href="https://twitter.com/wyrdandwonder" target="_blank">Wyrd and Wonder Twitter page</a> for more information on upcoming discussion topics, events, and articles! <div><br /></div><div>Thank you to the hosts of this event, <a href="https://deargeekplace.com/" target="_blank">Lisa</a>, <a href="https://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie</a>, <a href="https://thequaintbooknook.com/" target="_blank">Ariana</a>, <a href="https://adancewithbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Annemieke</a>, and of course <a href="https://onemore.org/" target="_blank">Imyril</a>! Thank you also to <a href="https://www.123rf.com/profile_chic2view" target="_blank">chic2view</a> for this year's logo image.</div><div><br /></div>
<br />
<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> </div>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-52454439840534495192022-04-23T05:30:00.040-07:002022-04-23T05:30:00.151-07:00Announcement: Video Games as Literature Panel at Momocon 2022 in May!Announcement! I will be running a panel on Video Games as Literature at Momocon 2022! Momocon is "an all-ages geek culture convention" taking place in <b>Atlanta, Georgia, May 26-29th, 2022</b>. Keep reading for more information on my panel, entitled "Video Games as Literature 101," and on Momocon in general!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.momocon.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Momocon in Atlanta logo" border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="850" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskju-ZCqNyldL-5MbOzimBjiC2762e5N9PvSgJnCpLlBQ4Pa4tLMwG480K_a7-EuQ6uirqEtOXwA8kfiQ4eCg0AkkY5456swu4Orvx5jmBrM0iFzDJzSgkxx-eCrtnhFp0JyXiXzeh9FUQuGe0b2-tcL3UDDc9s3ZiV1xhN1GKlbsvKQNWmD4dTMN/w400-h156/momocon%20logo.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Momocon is one of the largest fan conventions in Georgia (and possibly in the entire southeast?). You can <a href="https://www.momocon.com/about/" target="_blank">read more about Momocon here</a>. Fun fact: I attended the very first Momocon back in 2005 and have been going almost every year since! This is the first time I'll be running my own panel.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Video Games as Literature 101</b> will be happening on <b>Thursday evening at 8:30pm</b>. (That's Thursday May 26th) in <b>Panel Room 208</b>. See the full <a href="https://www.momocon.com/convention-schedule/" target="_blank">Momocon schedule here</a>, and don't forget to download the Momocon app if you're going! Trust me, it will be extremely helpful. The panel will include discussion of Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy (multiple series entries), and more! Feel free to come with questions and thoughts about any literary games you want to discuss.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am also planning to <b>stream the panel on Instagram Live</b> for accessibility purposes for anyone who is unable to attend in person due to disability/illness or any other reason. Don't forget to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/videogamesaslit/" target="_blank">follow Video Games as Literature on Instagram</a> to see the live recording. Keep in mind that it will be taking place Thursday, May 26 at 8:30 pm Eastern Time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of disability, please remember that <a href="https://www.momocon.com/protocols/" target="_blank">masks are required at Momocon</a>. I am still high risk, so I am only safe at Momocon as long as everyone follows the masking protocols! Thank you for keeping me alive to blog another day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know in the comments if you have any questions! I can't wait to see you at Momocon!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<script type='text/javascript' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-56246335246981126912022-02-15T01:00:00.004-08:002022-02-15T01:24:57.144-08:00Don Quixote and Gaming Disorder<p> "Gaming disorder" is a relatively recent diagnostic invention by psychologists who believe that too much gaming is evidence of a mental illness. According to the World Health Organization, </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. (<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder" target="_blank">Source</a>)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p>As an introvert who naturally abhors social interactions, I was immediately skeptical of this newly invented diagnosis, and as an academic who spends a lot of time researching societal impressions of disability, I feared that this diagnosis would be yet another method doctors could potentially use to discriminate against their marginalized patients (which is <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774166" target="_blank">surprisingly common</a>). I also immediately thought of Don Quixote, a beloved character from the early 17th century who, like many modern gamers, faced discrimination and scorn from his peers simply for enjoying less popular forms of literature.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQOWMQnLwL6WScombbmKuMVwTLp4_B3ImN3DbC5ikS6YrpmnBxw9qxnGMrFfAfC6yaxYcwOy04630J9OF69xM5iWYRM_Bzpqi3_3j0AWw7dktOHuGo9psn0HL35yjioLDK27HedF-rb0ps0qzzV88I_QCA6yngH2Dmi7hzMW72GG4_lB1FjM4FTc3W=s1000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQOWMQnLwL6WScombbmKuMVwTLp4_B3ImN3DbC5ikS6YrpmnBxw9qxnGMrFfAfC6yaxYcwOy04630J9OF69xM5iWYRM_Bzpqi3_3j0AWw7dktOHuGo9psn0HL35yjioLDK27HedF-rb0ps0qzzV88I_QCA6yngH2Dmi7hzMW72GG4_lB1FjM4FTc3W=s320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Original Don Quixote Illustration by Gustave Dore</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i>The History and Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote </i>was first published by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605. If you're like me and can't easily do mental math with big numbers, this was 417 years ago, the same year that William Shakespeare wrote <i>King Lear, Macbeth, </i>and <i>Antony and Cleopatra </i>(<a href="https://www.biography.com/news/shakespeare-tragedies-macbeth-king-lear-antony-cleopatra-plague" target="_blank">source</a>). Yet, even though over four hundred years have passed, Don Quixote's story is remarkably similar to current events and social beliefs, including the idea that video games are a far lesser, cruder media than "high" literature and film. There is no diagnosis that labels readers of books or watchers of film and television as mentally ill, but if you prefer to spend your time playing video games you may be at risk of receiving a mental illness diagnosis (please keep in mind that I do not believe that there is anything wrong with being mentally ill. I do believe that false diagnoses can divert resources from people who really need them, and will muddy the waters when activists are trying so hard to destigmatize mental illness). (This article copyright 2022 Kirsten Rodning.)</p><p><br /></p><p>In Don Quixote's case, video games wouldn't be invented for a few hundred years, but he was labeled mentally ill by his peers simply for reading the wrong genre of books. Even Cervantes, the author who invented Don Quixote, seems to look down on his protagonist for this reason, writing, <br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Be it known, therefore, that this said honest gentleman at his leisure hours, which engrossed the greatest part of the year, addicted himself to the reading of books of chivalry, which he perused with such rapture and application, that he not only forgot the pleasures of the chace, but also utterly neglected the management of his estate." (Cervantes 44)</p></blockquote><p> </p><p>Very early in this large saga, Don Quixote's "friends" decide they are fed up with his literary preferences, and march to his house to burn his books while he is asleep:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>[H]is friends came, and demanded of his niece the key of the closet in which those books, the authors of his misfortune, were kept, and she delivering it with great cheerfulness, they went into it in a body, house-keeper and all, and found upwards of an hundred volumes, great and small, extremely well bound [. . .] "There is not one of them, replied the niece, which deserves the least mercy, for they are all full of mischief and deceit. You had better, therefore, throw them out of the window into the court-yard, and there set fire to them." (Cervantes 75)</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Don Quixote shows us that society always has, and always will view some forms of media as being more worthy than others. Nowadays the books that Don Quixote loved so much and was hated for are actually considered to be stuffy old classics. So if your friends and relatives look down at you for playing video games, feel free to tell them that you are a modern day Don Quixote, and that one day those games may very well be considered stuffy classics, too.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more reading on Don Quixote, check out my thesis<i> The Horse and the Heroic Quest </i>linked <a href="https://kb.gcsu.edu/english/1/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Works Cited:</p><p>“Addictive Behaviours: Gaming Disorder.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 22 Oct. 2020, https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder. </p><p><br /></p><p>Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel. The History and Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote. Translated by T. Smollett, Modern Library, 2001. </p><p><br /></p>
<br />
<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#4fa885', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-30756440867264529462021-12-30T05:00:00.018-08:002021-12-30T05:00:00.141-08:00Vita Island Game Club: An End-of-the-Year Retrospective<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8ObZLCO071whNpb97x6xTUdUXagShot4HUbZJuHUc8OYZsbvikq0bXwItZpz0OVtDCVUjHNkX9jauooX1oX-iWljg_L5829MgPM9iYNp9oBJ4iIjjURT4K5UNvb1cwM7aq9SBxRIgS4rjGbfL50ZPbCguVF-wB0BoBQRMePWTe0WY6VNvFj9g-j-D=s1133" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Header image for the Vita Island Game Club december pick, which features a player's choice game." border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1133" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8ObZLCO071whNpb97x6xTUdUXagShot4HUbZJuHUc8OYZsbvikq0bXwItZpz0OVtDCVUjHNkX9jauooX1oX-iWljg_L5829MgPM9iYNp9oBJ4iIjjURT4K5UNvb1cwM7aq9SBxRIgS4rjGbfL50ZPbCguVF-wB0BoBQRMePWTe0WY6VNvFj9g-j-D=w640-h356" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In early 2020, <a href="https://twitter.com/GideonOnGaming" target="_blank">@GideonOnGaming</a> had the great idea to start a virtual game club. The concept is similar to a book club, but instead of reading books we all play a chosen game and discuss it online at the end of each month. Naturally, I was thrilled to sign up! Anything where video games are treated as the literature they are is going to be right up my alley. Gideon has said that, "T</span>he general idea was a way for us to try to fit more Vita games into our catalogue. A way to encourage ourselves and others to play the Vita games we may have missed." Personally, the club has been a way for me to keep playing my Vita even after most gamers have moved on to other consoles.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because we are all diehard fans of the Playstation Vita, we decided to focus our club on games that can be played on the Vita. This doesn't mean that you have to actually play said game ON your Playstation Vita, however -- if you own the game on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Steam, or any other platform, it is perfectly acceptable to play on your platform of choice. The Vita Island Game Club doesn't judge! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The concept of "Vita Island" was first discussed on the podcast <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7v379AdOMY8bhzAqWvF5MY" target="_blank">PS I Love You XOXO</a>, and has come to represent Vita players who feel stranded on a desert island by lack of support for the console from Sony, as well as lack of a large player community (though the community that does exist is quite dedicated!). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In February 2020, we played our first game: Claire. Over the months we played a great variety of games, all short enough that they can be comfortably finished within the month. The games we played in 2021 are as follows:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">January: Rayman Origins<br />February: Odin Sphere<br />March: Papers, Please<br />April: Superbeat: Xonic<br />May: Ys I<br />June: Drive Girls<br />July: Fighting Climax<br />August: Russian Subway Dogs<br />September: Mary Skelter Nightmares<br />October: Dead Nation<br />November: Uncharted: Golden Abyss<br />December: Player's Choice (Catch up on a game you didn't finish.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p>For this end of the year retrospective, I asked members of the Vita Island Game Club to talk about their experience, especially with a favorite game we played this year. Below are the responses I received.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-PF8gTuBtz0ovvik-KZ4sQbThBRv7BF09Nn3Sa6Fx7BM2qNxTQtTo5tf7mX5BUSaDTAd7zzIqRUHFIkG0ti3aMYcqck8bzxF1OvIOAVb2MdFRHQey2Gu3wYarm7J0djPncSou70nI8S7YfVqCCwWMj6WmMiTWs_o8HqyHHnA6W132hj4lkqjHBPus=s1364" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1364" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-PF8gTuBtz0ovvik-KZ4sQbThBRv7BF09Nn3Sa6Fx7BM2qNxTQtTo5tf7mX5BUSaDTAd7zzIqRUHFIkG0ti3aMYcqck8bzxF1OvIOAVb2MdFRHQey2Gu3wYarm7J0djPncSou70nI8S7YfVqCCwWMj6WmMiTWs_o8HqyHHnA6W132hj4lkqjHBPus=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From <a href="https://twitter.com/GideonOnGaming" target="_blank">@GideonOnGaming</a>:</p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The appeal of the Vita Island Game Club is it encourages me to try games I otherwise wouldn’t have or encourages me to play a game I haven’t been able to fit it into my gaming regimen. One such game is<b> Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax</b>. I’ve played Street Fighter x Tekken and DOA5 on the Vita but had not played any of the 2D fighters. While I enjoy fighting games, I tend to stick to the 3D ones because the 2D fighting games seem to cater more to the “serious” fighting game community, which I am not part of.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">I was pleasantly surprised at how accessible Fighting Climax was. I only ended up playing through the arcade mode a couple of times. I didn’t get proficient at the fighting but I was able to cheese my way through battles easily enough. It seemed like one of those games that if you fought against someone who knew what they were doing you wouldn’t be able to land many hits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">I was unfamiliar with a vast majority of the characters on the roster which is an ensemble cast of existing characters from multiple properties. Learning about these characters lead me to some unfamiliar anime like Shakugan no Shana and The Devil Is a Part-Timer. This was an unintended benefit of the game. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">I was able to play an online match with another member of the Vita Island Game Club. While the connection wasn’t great, it was a fun experience. Aside from the couple of matches with the VIGC member I was unable to find a match, which is not at all surprising. A benefit of the VIGC is a willing group of people who are currently playing the same game as you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">While I probably won’t put any significant time into Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax in the future, I look forward to the next time the VIGV chooses a fighting game to play.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMR-Imqc0whNYXtfz56vGacFHXvxEwkuI3TP--DGQGCuRSHiUlGiEW3NlVtsi35fW1XiZGr-H9QduaggUt9Xs_rBp0T-s89DyQ69gQeGGttybV_DX_QFf1A7nHyVHyM9cJ96pf2KAIEdTeiPMh18YJJmOl6prz3ny7QYunw9dARmy-A2SN85ByUfwu=s1500" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1500" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMR-Imqc0whNYXtfz56vGacFHXvxEwkuI3TP--DGQGCuRSHiUlGiEW3NlVtsi35fW1XiZGr-H9QduaggUt9Xs_rBp0T-s89DyQ69gQeGGttybV_DX_QFf1A7nHyVHyM9cJ96pf2KAIEdTeiPMh18YJJmOl6prz3ny7QYunw9dARmy-A2SN85ByUfwu=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From <a href="https://twitter.com/Dustman_B" target="_blank">@Dustman_B</a>:</p><blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">When it comes to the Vita Island game club there are two things that stand out to me.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> 1. It's a great community with some wonderful people I'm very happy to have met.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> 2. It really makes me play games I've overlooked or hesitated playing in the past.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">I had previously played a few of the games that we played this year, and while they were still fun to go back to, the game that really made me shake my head asking myself why I didn't play it sooner is <b>Uncharted Golden Abyss</b>.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Yes that Uncharted. A game widely regarded as a system seller and known as one of the best games on the Vita, that I've owned since 2012. I put it off, because I generally really have a distaste for touch control. I heard Uncharted was full of them and that they were really distracting and off putting. A gimmick for the sake of having gimmicks that show off the Vita.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Some of that was true. They were obviously put in to show off the Vita's capabilities, but surprisingly I didn't mind most of them. Uncharted on Vita is a fantastic game through and through. A great story, fantastic voice work, and just fun to play. Some of the touch controls feel good and while some do feel a bit wonky, it doesn't really detract from the overall experience. Without <span class="il">VIGC</span> this game would probably still be collecting dust on the back of my shelf, and that's just really sad.</span></div></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzPlKK24exnOxNGVBDdLzJKgz2Sk8K8L956wTjzGwWWno9eIxKWToqXqSfF9qP7vAxovurTHQOry3BUCoiqmlP2YSF4-g8SM92NcnpIUS3nbo0NnwPs7bEQjkGkxh-YELaCNvX7e6JIVhLZAzirc184fGnYohro3mCaKqPR5eb5rDa8Zvb8B6ZfJFh=s1500" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1500" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzPlKK24exnOxNGVBDdLzJKgz2Sk8K8L956wTjzGwWWno9eIxKWToqXqSfF9qP7vAxovurTHQOry3BUCoiqmlP2YSF4-g8SM92NcnpIUS3nbo0NnwPs7bEQjkGkxh-YELaCNvX7e6JIVhLZAzirc184fGnYohro3mCaKqPR5eb5rDa8Zvb8B6ZfJFh=w400-h226" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>From <a href="https://twitter.com/Schyzo99" target="_blank">@Schyzo99</a>:</p><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Papers, Please! Papers, Please!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">This sounds like an injunction, an injunction to comply. It also clearly states who is in control, and let me tell you, you're not in control! But guess what? The one in control may not be who you think it is!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Papers, Please </b>is an award winning game developed by Lucas Pope where you take the role of an immigration officer, checking the required official documents and deciding on the fate of the immigrants requesting passage.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">It starts as an ordinary game where you try to do your best and just comply with the rules, allowing people in or just refusing entry whenever they don't have the right ever-changing documents. Nonetheless, the life of an immigration control officer is not that easy in the country of Arstotzka. Life is tough for everyone: immigrants and yourself. You will rapidly understand your role may not only be to be a diligent gate keeper acting like a robot. Your feelings, your awareness of your surroundings and the political climate will soon bring you to answer an unsolvable dilemma… </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Beyond the amazing gameplay mimicking the actual mess on your desk as well as the challenge to keep up with the new regulations published on a daily basis, you will soon have to find your own balance and goals and decide how your own personality and values contribute to your story. Each decision will guide your life, as well as your family depending on you to provide food and shelter. Making money by taking bribes, putting in jail innocent people, being the instrument of the party or helping terrorists are some of the decisions you will be making by accepting or refusing entry. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Which of your family, your country or your values will you follow? What kind of person are you? Will you even stay alive? If you want to find out, please play this absolute masterpiece which is Papers, Please! I rarely played a game which has an amazing gameplay but also so many things to say. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Papers, please is one of the games that moved me. I felt like beyond just having fun playing the game, it was telling me something, trying to make me think about difficult situations that occur in our real world. Not telling me what to think but smartly questioning my own preconceptions. In this sense, Papers, please is more than a game but a piece of art.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">PS: if you wish to get a feel of the atmosphere, you should also check out Papers, Please! The short movie.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUIVCjeyaq4TqWBnJHuqdO205QSbu6NSRzzo_AICQaQSu8VSScVTgVfmKdkpeHhTXrXZG8lcs1mLOjC6vQZgnFC_rxXKH9-FCaimFP_l0JFzcJ7Y63VCqHPb44nE0UiZANBdYv2hZ-nFGtMB7atJt40rkBsfdX7h6pB-YeCT88UcuihWloCSEfjhoE=s1115" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1115" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUIVCjeyaq4TqWBnJHuqdO205QSbu6NSRzzo_AICQaQSu8VSScVTgVfmKdkpeHhTXrXZG8lcs1mLOjC6vQZgnFC_rxXKH9-FCaimFP_l0JFzcJ7Y63VCqHPb44nE0UiZANBdYv2hZ-nFGtMB7atJt40rkBsfdX7h6pB-YeCT88UcuihWloCSEfjhoE=w400-h226" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Source: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://twitter.com/vitagamergeorge" target="_blank">@vitagamergeorge</a> had to get something off their chest with a bit of a different perspective on one of the games we played:</p><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">As many people on Twitter, I spend a not insignificant portion of my time becoming outraged at things people say on the virtual message board. Infamously, we are meant to let people enjoy things. But I can't. I can't let it stand that people promote <b>Drive Girls</b> as a viable part of the Vita library when there are so many better options. Do you like driving? Try Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed, Horizon Chase Turbo or Need For Speed: Most Wanted. You like mech fighters? How about Shin Gundam Musou, Super Robot Wars X or Muv Luv Alternative. Or let's be honest you just like cute big tiddy anime girls? Senran Kagura, Hyperdimension Neptunia and Monster Monpiece all exist. WHY WOULD DRIVE GIRLS BE THE HILL THAT YOU DIE ON?!?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">So on this public platform let me tell you all why you are not allowed to enjoy Drive Girls. The story is repetitive, trite and nothing emotionally interesting or new. The characters are bland and unmemorable. The driving has absolutely no nuance to it, no difference between how the cars drive, controls are basic and the road is so littered with mines that it doesn't make sense to use this mode either way. The fighting is also basic. You can get annoyingly stun locked going from full health to death without reprieve, and if you spam the heavy attack you can do the same to the enemies. Oh yea, and it lags absolutely horrifically, and with sound effects that annoying it's a game best played on mute. If you play it at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">On my journey to play the whole of the Vita library I have no regrets on sampling Drive Girls, but it is a fate I don't wish to put others through.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzTihlLrSsw1LdLgdUek97SrJycA1BK0GTvkx7Upap5tKxPfeAn5YnuaRl-CWXwnz_p32ZnBeqOJNw-roeV5SZ38pef71oFJtx1NIRUqpspbkkp-Tm4O3MEW2eRNAsF-3fvOFQui1uJ5mYqy7bvydpBttbVwBQ8UCdRv7VTCPRhj00atyFXQ-vz8TZ=s709" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="709" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzTihlLrSsw1LdLgdUek97SrJycA1BK0GTvkx7Upap5tKxPfeAn5YnuaRl-CWXwnz_p32ZnBeqOJNw-roeV5SZ38pef71oFJtx1NIRUqpspbkkp-Tm4O3MEW2eRNAsF-3fvOFQui1uJ5mYqy7bvydpBttbVwBQ8UCdRv7VTCPRhj00atyFXQ-vz8TZ=w400-h236" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Source: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/VitaGameClub" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">@VitaGameClub</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p> Finally, for my own retrospective (<a href="https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit" target="_blank">@videogamesaslit</a>), I chose Mary Skelter Nightmares:</p><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Vita Island Game Club has helped me play a lot of Vita games that I may otherwise have overlooked in my gaming journey. <b>Mary Skelter Nightmares</b> is a game that I was always interested in playing, especially since it is so famed for the rarity of its physical edition, but I may have easily passed it by and forgotten about its existence since it is not one that the online gaming community often discusses. From the moment I first started playing the game, the thing that most struck me was the soundtrack. The music in this game hit me with serious nostalgic feels, such that I could have sworn the composer must have been <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672685/" target="_blank">Tenpei Sato</a>, famous for his work with developer Nippon Ichi. While Tenpei Sato was not connected to this project, I suspect he was the source of strong inspiration for Mary Skelter's music team. The music, characters, and color scheme in the game also strongly reminded me of the Nintendo DS game A Witch's Tale, which was another nostalgic favorite of mine from the early days of my serious game collecting journey. While the story of Mary Skelter has some of the oddities that its developer, Compile Heart, is often notorious for, I am really glad that I got the push to actually play this game, and I can definitely say that I enjoyed it.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>I can't wait to see what the new year brings as we continue to play the Playstation Vita long after Sony's declaration of its demise! I'm sure we will find many options to choose from as we play our way through the year 2022. </p>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-3204091366089187852021-11-05T04:00:00.002-07:002021-11-30T19:19:09.071-08:00Review: Unsighted by Studio Pixel Punk<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZouKTexfVHtFlMvExxsIIBTn1FllRdGkQl5G6lfLrnk_VwvFuDRBaBqezZmMeKiVU0tyrDFnI12bYq99asau2HjbNmMBL3qLNt6PwQEZKRcVzjhZsxEoRp3vaxohZH29Kx41VHrUpbU/s1920/unsighted.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Artwork showing a variety of characters from Unsighted." border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1920" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZouKTexfVHtFlMvExxsIIBTn1FllRdGkQl5G6lfLrnk_VwvFuDRBaBqezZmMeKiVU0tyrDFnI12bYq99asau2HjbNmMBL3qLNt6PwQEZKRcVzjhZsxEoRp3vaxohZH29Kx41VHrUpbU/w640-h206/unsighted.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://www.igdb.com/games/unsighted/presskit#images" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>For my first official act of Sci-Fi Month 2021, I played the new indie game Unsighted by Studio Pixel Punk (check it out on Steam <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062110/UNSIGHTED/" target="_blank">here</a>). While I played the PC version, this game is also available on Switch, X-Box, and PS4. Unsighted is an original game with a science fiction setting where the majority of characters are automatons, including the game's protagonist, Alma. Veteran gamers will notice subtle references to the Legend of Zelda series: in the music, sound effects, collection of items, and especially in the fairy automaton companion who travels with Alma in her journey to save her friends. References to other games and even to gaming culture abound, and my favorite reference is to <a href="https://twitter.com/CanYouPetTheDog" target="_blank">@CanYouPetTheDog</a>, which is apparent in achievements you receive when you, naturally, pet the dog. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtklR-_N90h57sKHIDyx1oqYUWWdvwcD7IV9EL4dbLeYljUdlXPU5EwMFSZAXwW4HsNgJVA6js9L_6t9JhG5W8lI6RCCjwytvqfR08jgrtU_MdFxjZCz-rCbVw91Sz_oDO-v0xNxHnEv8/s1920/pet+the+dog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot of a hand petting a dog on the head." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtklR-_N90h57sKHIDyx1oqYUWWdvwcD7IV9EL4dbLeYljUdlXPU5EwMFSZAXwW4HsNgJVA6js9L_6t9JhG5W8lI6RCCjwytvqfR08jgrtU_MdFxjZCz-rCbVw91Sz_oDO-v0xNxHnEv8/w320-h180/pet+the+dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of a dog being petted by Alma.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I was not able to finish the game before posting the review, but in the approximately 9 hours in which I played the game I got a very good feel for all of the important elements you may need to know (According to <a href="https://howlongtobeat.com/game?id=82539" target="_blank">HowLongToBeat.com</a>, it should take most players between 7 and 15 hours to complete the main story of Unsighted, but if you know me you know I am usually the most leisurely of players and I take my time enjoying the story, characters, and environments so I tend to fall on the longer end of the play-time spectrum, meaning that I played maybe about half the game.)<br /><div><br /></div><div>The rest of this review will be divided into categories, in the order of which I think the game did best. My personal feelings about the game lean strongly on the positive side, but there were a few areas where I thought the game could be improved.<div><br /></div><div>1) <b>Characters</b></div><div><br /></div><div>If there were a game of the year award for best characters, I would give it to Unsighted. The developers clearly put a lot of work into creating a wide variety of individual characters with their own personalities and attributes. The secondary characters are just as important to the story as Alma herself, since a main goal of the game is to save as many of them as you can. Alma's friends will truly tug at the player's heartstrings as they tell you about their past with Alma, their lives before the war began, and their goals for the future. It is also important to note that even though the characters are automatons, and were canonically manufactured by humans, they still represent a range of body types and racial features, showing players that there is no one "generic" look for humans or for automatons. My personal favorite characters, and the ones I first gave my meteor dust to, are Samuel and Tobias.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfEJKtKZTeoJXnB5uGEDNJxdT30XWgbBHUynpLW4YiYalbrW9LFZ-og8l3BeZvUaw-r85aUgxjo5hAdm7JMU3YDFDHwfBqEAKiPNmPip1c9LeRwZ6lMzwwSfBGU89cFn4eVQ0ZNA23XM/s1920/samuel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Samuel saying, "But... I... really value the time we've spent together."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfEJKtKZTeoJXnB5uGEDNJxdT30XWgbBHUynpLW4YiYalbrW9LFZ-og8l3BeZvUaw-r85aUgxjo5hAdm7JMU3YDFDHwfBqEAKiPNmPip1c9LeRwZ6lMzwwSfBGU89cFn4eVQ0ZNA23XM/w320-h180/samuel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2) <b>Story</b></div><div><br /></div><div>As you may have been able to tell in the previous section, the story is simultaneously heartwarming and sad, almost like a Pixar movie. This makes the game hook players in, as we want to reach the end to find out what happens to the characters and world we've grown to love. Some parts of the story do seem overly dreary from time to time -- a war is actively taking place and there are horrors roaming the land -- some of which were previously automatons who could even have been friends with Alma. These dreary parts are simply part of the overall picture, however, and if you are able to focus on the good parts (reuniting with Alma's friends and meeting new ones, collecting and crafting tools, etc.) you can easily get through the more scary parts. Think of the Fallout series, but with fewer zombies and more cute puppies. </div><div><br /></div><div>3) <b>Accessibility</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>In terms of accessibility, I can't speak for everyone's accessibility needs. I can, however, speak for my own, and this game certainly has better accessibility options than most games. There are some areas where I feel the game could be improved. First, the difficulty settings are great, and even greater: there's an invincibility mode. There are also settings to make a lot of other aspects of the game easier for disabled people, including text size options (I'm glad these exist though I feel the difference in size for the three size options could have been greater), font options, and the ability to switch between keyboard/mouse and controller as needed. The biggest issue I faced as someone with low vision was that the environments were difficult to navigate, and I believe this would have been difficult even if I didn't already have vision problems. I'll talk about this more in the level design and graphics sections of my review. See the screenshots below for the option pages. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoqz21oKvSxmuF-g-emqrVWr0LQh0F4WUMe9P9N3Rcu7apTRfW7WbQZyriPznylRXIq-8METjoIqT4dMCrmvZPjmTp-jf_I3MIAT7aqAWRpnrz8rYEvMeCX3X40Kq0RSk0WPg1Nkt1uc/s1920/unsighted+options.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoqz21oKvSxmuF-g-emqrVWr0LQh0F4WUMe9P9N3Rcu7apTRfW7WbQZyriPznylRXIq-8METjoIqT4dMCrmvZPjmTp-jf_I3MIAT7aqAWRpnrz8rYEvMeCX3X40Kq0RSk0WPg1Nkt1uc/w320-h181/unsighted+options.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zV6s65N7jt_q0nvg5opIJPv0ty4o8c_bQ0hhcccKzU6SLtDNRb7l6avgiP75eT9af-qSrzC__LB2XMrEb9x3DXVdAMAjiuzIuuy4Ilxsk3xPik1EyJahSxjva8T9tiYML2ucQBQIS2E/s1920/Unsighted+explorer+mode+options.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zV6s65N7jt_q0nvg5opIJPv0ty4o8c_bQ0hhcccKzU6SLtDNRb7l6avgiP75eT9af-qSrzC__LB2XMrEb9x3DXVdAMAjiuzIuuy4Ilxsk3xPik1EyJahSxjva8T9tiYML2ucQBQIS2E/w320-h181/Unsighted+explorer+mode+options.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is not exactly an accessibility problem, but I will say it here anyway. The title of the game comes from the tragedy that occurs to automatons whose time runs out: they become "Unsighted." This is where they lose themselves and their personalities and basically just become killing machines. The wording used for this tragedy unnerves me -- is it ableist against blind people to equate loss of sight to loss of self? I don't want to be the definitive voice on this matter as I myself am not completely blind, but it is something to think about.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Edited on 11/30/2021 to add: Fernanda Dias, one of the developers of the game, messaged me on Twitter to clear up my confusion about the word Unsighted. She said, "UNSIGHTED in the game means "missing", not "blind". When an automaton is about to become unsighted, they often flee and hide in order to not hurt others around them."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>4) <b>Graphics</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Graphics, of course, are a very subjective category. Personally, I have grown especially fond of 16-bit style graphics in recent years, in large part due to my love for Stardew Valley. While some players may not love the art style of Unsighted, which falls into the pixel-graphics category, it is still quite clear that the game's designers put a lot of work into the art of the game, from the individual characters who each have their own unique look, to the architecture of the setting, like the old gothic cathedral that is central to the main city in the game. Even the weather looks spectacular -- there are many instance when it is raining, and yet the characters and backgrounds stand out among the raindrops. The only problem with the graphics is that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the floor and the roof of the building next to you. Is that a building, a platform, or a pit where Alma might fall to her death? Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and just... find out, and with the *very* unforgiving HP bar you have in this game, testing a black section of the game and falling can mean game over. Thankfully, the game has that aforementioned invincibility mode, so if you're in an area (like the city) where there are a lot of deadly pits, you can just turn on invincibility as you navigate your way through the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>5) <b>Controls</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The controls are... fine. They're fine. But they could be better. I am always happy when a game allows for controller or keyboard/mouse input on PC. That said, I feel like there are some things you have to do manually that could have been mapped to the controller/keyboard better. For instance, I couldn't find an easy way to switch between equipment quickly. It got really frustrating in certain parts of the game where I needed to switch between three or so different things on a very regular basis. Alma only has two hands, so of course she is only able to hold two pieces of equipment at once (including her sword, which I used for most of the battle in the game). I would have liked a quick switch feature like the one you find in most Zelda games, or in Animal Crossing New Horizons. Otherwise I had few gripes with the controls. They're generally pretty basic and easy to follow. </div><div><br /></div><div>6) <b>Level Design & Puzzles</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I hear some people really like puzzles in their adventure games. For some people, it's really exciting to push giant boxes around and try to figure out how to get to the next room (even though you have bombs and/or grenades in your inventory and... couldn't you just blow a hole in the wall?). If you didn't figure it out yet, I am not one of those people. This may originate in the fact that I was a "gifted kid" growing up and from an extremely young age I was constantly forced by the school system to complete puzzles and brainteasers, and that got tiring. But I digress. There are a lot of these types of puzzles in Unsighted, which you might expect from a game that is heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda. And of course, I can handle a puzzle or ten in my games -- I do play a lot of adventure games, after all. But when I have to do several puzzles that are difficult to figure out, I get tired, and I feel like Unsighted lands just over the line of what constitutes "too many puzzles." Unsighted's puzzles may not be so frustrating that I rage-quit the game, but they are often frustrating enough to deserve a mention. You will have to work your brain with this game. Whether that's an exciting prospect or not is up to you. And as I mentioned, there are issues with the perspective in the game's level designs that may have you confused about where Alma can and can't walk -- this in itself is a bit of an unwanted puzzle. </div><div><br /></div><div><p>A few notes to conclude my review: as I was playing the game the developers were regularly releasing patches, so if I mentioned an issue that you can't find in the game, it may have been patched before or soon after this review was published! This is one of the wonderful things about playing indie games whose developers really care about the game and its players. </p><p><br /></p><p>I received a copy of Unsighted for free in exchange for an honest review.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about Sci-Fi Month, click <a href="https://onemore.org/2021/08/22/scifimonth-2021-announcement/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p><br /></p></div></div>
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<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#84ebd3', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-57277925551634797572021-11-01T04:00:00.001-07:002021-11-01T04:00:00.172-07:00Introduction to Sci-Fi Month 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://onemore.org/2021/08/22/scifimonth-2021-announcement/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Banner that says 1-30 November Sci Fi Month" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssAAUwAASNqKwusVF5EPefmUsoaJFfINfzfS9k7aYUyY2Nt-OmBynxPR3lB_oB8nMI2OgvKSp1YMFmbwZ3u-zCOykP0pBKew6BCdSuj1n8EhB9JZHNX6pjwaLjpcNrZSpTXjtRKvmAiE/w640-h214/sfm2021-banner-with-dates.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Once again, November is here and with it comes Sci-Fi month! If you're unfamiliar with this yearly event, you can read more about it <a href="https://onemore.org/2021/08/22/scifimonth-2021-announcement/" target="_blank">here</a>. This month I will be focusing on some indie science fiction games. Early in the month I will be reviewing <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062110/UNSIGHTED/" target="_blank">Unsighted</a>, a new release from indie developer Studio Pixel Punk. I hope to also catch up on some sci-fi games from my infinite backlog. Depending on how I'm feeling and on how busy I am I may also try to fit in some book reviews? Nothing too ambitious. <div><div><br /></div><div><i>The artwork for this year's promotional material was made by Liu Zishan</i>.<br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-73340726813750751902021-09-04T11:28:00.004-07:002021-09-04T11:52:58.891-07:00Thoughts on the new Far Cry 6 Trailer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceqHsx3SbqC0g1Wb1Zb6_TrKD-f2S0KSMRXd7tG0wkSzcCIGYHdxfgGt2cW5sWv2xmEigPVgIRU9u6eNN-2DaV9wGtg34zjalOuC88q_pis1uwdMSdpUL-yvrTce1AyXRaa83cPNy36Y/s1280/far-cry-6-release-date-1622221988546-1622499400543.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Official artwork for Far Cry 6, picturing the villain and his son." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceqHsx3SbqC0g1Wb1Zb6_TrKD-f2S0KSMRXd7tG0wkSzcCIGYHdxfgGt2cW5sWv2xmEigPVgIRU9u6eNN-2DaV9wGtg34zjalOuC88q_pis1uwdMSdpUL-yvrTce1AyXRaa83cPNy36Y/w400-h225/far-cry-6-release-date-1622221988546-1622499400543.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Last week a new "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzaHfpL2AdA" target="_blank">story trailer</a>" for Far Cry 6 was released, revealing a bit more about the game's protagonist and, more importantly, its villain. As I have <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2015/10/far-cry-3-intensely-immersive-experience.html" target="_blank">discussed at length</a> before on this blog, the unique beauty of the Far Cry franchise is the way that it handles the trope of "good versus evil," or more specifically, evil versus extremely evil with some "good" qualities. In other words, the Far Cry games are nothing if not complex when it comes to the characters. There is no such thing as a purely good human in the Far Cry universe, and players are constantly being confronted with complex moral dilemmas. </p><p><br /></p><p>In this trailer it is revealed that the moral dilemma that drives the game involves using slave labor to grow tobacco which, apparently, can treat cancer. It looks like the game will delve into the issues surrounding the pharmaceutical industry, which is certainly a real-life moral minefield. The trailer also looks at the perceived innocence of children, as the villain's young son is central to the story as portrayed in multiple trailers (the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJuKT1mHO8" target="_blank">reveal trailer</a> released a year ago shows more of this father and son relationship).</p><p><br /></p><p>It should be mentioned that the Far Cry franchise pretty consistently blurs (or crosses) the line of racism and what stories are appropriate for white/western creators to tell. Many of the games take place in countries that are not considered "Western" and the villains are often people of color. It is questionable whether it is okay for European game developers to tell stories about the evils of humanity while using people of color as their examples. In Far Cry 5 the villains are very much stereotypical white American characters, but was that one game enough? As I myself am a white Westerner, I prefer to defer to those who are culturally closer to the subject at hand, though upon searching for sources I am finding that a lot of the discussions about racism in Far Cry are being led by apparently white men. (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/12/10/racism-in-far-cry-3/?sh=47a190af7c53" target="_blank">Here</a> is one such article and <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-05-19-far-cry-4-already-playing-with-fire" target="_blank">here</a> is another.) I did finally find an <a href="https://kotaku.com/far-cry-3-s-racism-and-other-reasons-people-arent-pic-5965771" target="_blank">article</a> written by a woman of color, but she leaves the discussion of racism open for individual thoughts and opinions. Basically, this is a subject about which we should all think critically.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the meantime, I am very excited to get my hands on and play Far Cry 6. I absolutely loved entries 3 and 4 in the series, and was less than happy with the fifth game, but not to the extent that I have sworn off the whole series (don't get me wrong -- I was very excited about the premise of Far Cry 5 -- I just had some issues with the gameplay that kept me from completing the game). What do you think about the upcoming game? Let me know in the comments!</p>
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<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#43c490', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-54651772579751588732021-06-22T05:00:00.012-07:002021-06-22T05:00:00.223-07:00Book Review: Fierce and Delicate by Renée K. Nicholson<p> </p>
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<div>Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars</div><div><br /></div><div>I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll start by saying that the moment I heard this book was coming out, I knew I had to read it. I, myself, was a ballet student when I was young, and the experience shaped my whole life, even though I had to quit at a young age. I still have pretty much the entire Nutcracker Ballet memorized. When I was in ballet it was my whole world. Like the author of this memoir, I had to leave ballet (and gymnastics, which I also loved) due to my progressing chronic illness, though in my case my illness was life-long and I had to quit while I was still a kid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reading the early chapters on Nicholson's early experiences in ballet felt like someone writing about my own life. And then reading about her early struggles with learning that she had arthritis and trying to cope with it... well, my experience was a little different because I always knew I was sick, but it was still extremely identifiable to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>In later chapters she discusses her experiences in academia, as a dance teacher and as a writer. Once again, I can identify. I don't know enough about dance to teach it, but I have worked in academia most of my adult life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Basically, I feel that I have such a close personal connection to the experiences shared in this book that it is impossible for me to look at the book objectively like some other reviewers have done. And that's okay because I feel like I might be the one person in the world for whom this book was written.</div><div><br /></div><div>So if you, too, have personal experiences with ballet or with quitting your passion due to disability, this book may be just right for you. I enjoyed it and found it very readable, though as I said, I was eager to read it because it felt almost like I was reading my own life story.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are a few trigger/content warnings: as this book is about ballet, there is some mention of disordered eating. There is also some description of medical procedures, surgeries, etc. and there's a bit of ableism (I felt like the author was going through some soul searching and internalized ableism). There's also a chapter where she mentions visiting Russia and talking to Romani people, but she uses the common slur used to describe them.</div><div><br /></div><div>This review can also be found on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3770112771?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<br />
<script src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/widget/Widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#38cf89', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-33544878080978105742021-03-31T12:56:00.005-07:002021-03-31T13:42:05.858-07:00Final Fantasy: HamletRecently, I finally got around to playing Final Fantasy XV. After about 100 hours of play (not having yet beat the game) it has dawned on me that Final Fantasy XV is a direct retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Okay, so I've been making jokes about similarities between FFXV and Hamlet (and, more specifically, <a href="https://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2019/07/26/lion-king-shakespeare-hamlet-hal-falstaff-henry-iv/" target="_blank">The Lion King</a>) the whole time I've been playing, but I was slow to realize that this was <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/something-rotten-state-lucis-final-fantasy-xv/" target="_blank">intentional on the part of the game's writers</a>. I've got to say, I'm a little upset that no one pointed this out to me in the four and a half years that I put off playing this game. Anyway, once I actually finish the game I will write my full thoughts on it and its correlation to Hamlet. But without further ado, here is a fun little cast listing for Final Fantasy: Hamlet.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Final Fantasy: Hamlet</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">NAMES OF THE ACTORS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">HAMLET, son to the late King</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJd80Pon9nIS0GcLMHwDfTRFpDDCmyHRLwZgMKW4vtxX4pzvmJaoBBfKR6_AvMlXXlZcsU1ZRVdIB8kaBXKBz3cebn1Yrh_Tf2qMi-LqJpZyN4tbs1H2slOQ9EHSLt376lvUxswwGJEY/s1571/FFXV5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Noctis from Final Fantasy XV sitting on a rock, posing for the camera." border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1571" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJd80Pon9nIS0GcLMHwDfTRFpDDCmyHRLwZgMKW4vtxX4pzvmJaoBBfKR6_AvMlXXlZcsU1ZRVdIB8kaBXKBz3cebn1Yrh_Tf2qMi-LqJpZyN4tbs1H2slOQ9EHSLt376lvUxswwGJEY/w400-h230/FFXV5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">HORATIO, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN, friends to Hamlet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN4hSRB-WbLvsQ4sQ3u0cgtzoYqByzPPhlW4oQcL7vxesg0WYc1VsabInh7IBXB7bGCUb69FbsitQwpV6FhvCFT_kEuh4QEzm3qdqYrgqrJDC5ZkLpke5XbGEvLrLV3p_UmXJG313PSc/s1567/FFXV1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Promoto, Gladiolus, and Ignis posing for the camera, with Noctis hidden behind them." border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1567" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN4hSRB-WbLvsQ4sQ3u0cgtzoYqByzPPhlW4oQcL7vxesg0WYc1VsabInh7IBXB7bGCUb69FbsitQwpV6FhvCFT_kEuh4QEzm3qdqYrgqrJDC5ZkLpke5XbGEvLrLV3p_UmXJG313PSc/w400-h226/FFXV1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OPHELIA, betrothed to Hamlet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvaZWbQInu1pYCUEO1cYOxt8K6NMsfs9sP8DGNNK0lo1weBXqjuWHNkwYuFUotVOefBVXV0QJtFRS1KfVZj9PVbkOfxI7e_V8eDoT6AnUafyHkWft2IyseElSdTih_Krifmn6RFAEER4/s1805/FFXV2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Lunafreya from Final Fantasy XV, appearing to sink into water" border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1805" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvaZWbQInu1pYCUEO1cYOxt8K6NMsfs9sP8DGNNK0lo1weBXqjuWHNkwYuFUotVOefBVXV0QJtFRS1KfVZj9PVbkOfxI7e_V8eDoT6AnUafyHkWft2IyseElSdTih_Krifmn6RFAEER4/w400-h225/FFXV2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">LAERTES, brother to Ophelia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8r60DAqbPzcq-8mdf2KyiCJwURow1ensPqD8jDJzwd4VnmHFWrOtr17dr-LghiQJsWqoqwsheCUB_K1LoLPIYcamhCoq4O0b4H6CSm04EjddWWbjUK66JqXGGAq9cPgJuNJYx1J2UAS8/s1587/FFXV4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Ravus Nox Fleuret from Final Fantasy XV" border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1587" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8r60DAqbPzcq-8mdf2KyiCJwURow1ensPqD8jDJzwd4VnmHFWrOtr17dr-LghiQJsWqoqwsheCUB_K1LoLPIYcamhCoq4O0b4H6CSm04EjddWWbjUK66JqXGGAq9cPgJuNJYx1J2UAS8/w400-h225/FFXV4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strike>SCAR</strike> CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmzEx6xn86qCYLufX8OJuf5R0ppMKsbTN9x7kZIa4_h8a54MOFG26uJEUuf5RrfHugtPeUeeUYmqBXNZJW9idnwmSwaoI3zE9CNc6tFFMTsIsQVgjXEHr_unUYAPW1VryilhkWUNI0Vo/s1576/FFXV6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Ardyn from Final Fantasy XV." border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1576" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmzEx6xn86qCYLufX8OJuf5R0ppMKsbTN9x7kZIa4_h8a54MOFG26uJEUuf5RrfHugtPeUeeUYmqBXNZJW9idnwmSwaoI3zE9CNc6tFFMTsIsQVgjXEHr_unUYAPW1VryilhkWUNI0Vo/w400-h226/FFXV6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ghost of Hamlet's Father</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN2VAR8vK1vSAwZb3PzjRF3qgl-sZyFTxbISXz23zX1wBe1BqCCW-0sKy5IKrybhkXXE_AFMdwwJ8qi_91yTsl7Vzc3FW1i-VcudY1tloqPSTsxl2VsHkvjxxxFyBJfGPvZk-yH2moas/s1280/kingsglaive.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot from Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive of King Regis" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN2VAR8vK1vSAwZb3PzjRF3qgl-sZyFTxbISXz23zX1wBe1BqCCW-0sKy5IKrybhkXXE_AFMdwwJ8qi_91yTsl7Vzc3FW1i-VcudY1tloqPSTsxl2VsHkvjxxxFyBJfGPvZk-yH2moas/w400-h225/kingsglaive.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/kingsglaive-final-fantasy-xv-review/</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Understudy for the part of HAMLET</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAmDRB9j7JGlYWThNIu1j3MA32xGZCrKrYysXZaw8ZX_Ld_uc6QiI6XdatKIaS21mDZQb4DRKjW0NWKdha_txeGdGGIavR9yUySfCeAzVGlgShFwdX2nQvQdl1J0gfq9IFlfvfalcnaQ/s877/Richard_Cut-in_%252528ToG%252529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Concept art of Richard from Tales of Graces." border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="877" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAmDRB9j7JGlYWThNIu1j3MA32xGZCrKrYysXZaw8ZX_Ld_uc6QiI6XdatKIaS21mDZQb4DRKjW0NWKdha_txeGdGGIavR9yUySfCeAzVGlgShFwdX2nQvQdl1J0gfq9IFlfvfalcnaQ/w400-h280/Richard_Cut-in_%252528ToG%252529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: https://aselia.fandom.com/wiki/Richard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I had to include Richard from Tales of Graces in this because he bears more than a passing resemblance to the Prince of Denmark, and also Howl from <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i>. I've always intended to write a little something about him but never got around to doing so.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sources: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something Is Rotten in the State of Lucis. <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/something-rotten-state-lucis-final-fantasy-xv/">https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/something-rotten-state-lucis-final-fantasy-xv/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can you feel the Shakespeare love tonight? <a href="https://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2019/07/26/lion-king-shakespeare-hamlet-hal-falstaff-henry-iv/">https://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2019/07/26/lion-king-shakespeare-hamlet-hal-falstaff-henry-iv/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><script src="https://ko-fi.com/widgets/widget_2.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">kofiwidget2.init('Support Me on Ko-fi', '#00dbaf', 'E1E72VEIV');kofiwidget2.draw();</script> Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-70299162176211706452020-12-31T05:17:00.063-08:002021-02-09T13:56:28.813-08:00My favorite podcasts about Literature and Gaming (Right Now)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmy-ONaS_o0cG7qOoLf6uX6JSJ6zs0e7Vur64IKLuR9-yDPm5xQPmsqPo0yx4sFAIoDCNt5rBfwxi4UJ6pt0ByOnMEAFX1i1P4ikYzOHeWMks-dOcYg8OScqbvKPvtgO-KH9iMryTL8Y/s1080/My+favorite+podcasts+about+Literature+and+Gaming+%2528Right+Now%25292.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmy-ONaS_o0cG7qOoLf6uX6JSJ6zs0e7Vur64IKLuR9-yDPm5xQPmsqPo0yx4sFAIoDCNt5rBfwxi4UJ6pt0ByOnMEAFX1i1P4ikYzOHeWMks-dOcYg8OScqbvKPvtgO-KH9iMryTL8Y/s320/My+favorite+podcasts+about+Literature+and+Gaming+%2528Right+Now%25292.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The end of the year has arrived, and with it lots of automated lists from corporations that keep information on their customers (like Spotify and Playstation). I was already thinking about promoting (for free) my favorite podcasts, but seeing the stats that Spotify showed me has solidified this -- I listened to a LOT of podcasts this year and I need to share! These will be in no particular order, though I will add an "honorable mention" list at the end for podcasts I only listened to in part.</p><p>First, here are some of the stats that Spotify showed me in their "2020 Wrapped" yearly round-up: I spent 3,878 minutes listening to podcasts this year (is that a lot or a little?) and my top genres were Arts, Leisure, and Society & Culture. Hmm. Now for the actual podcast recommendations:</p><p><br /></p><p>1) <b>What's Good Games</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5gV7AXYAxIr1DKDsMOPsm3?si=M7tCykHdTKuRQPwkl_hy3w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="What's Good Games Logo" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QONKbsm5dR5pGxcgzJGFVls4k16w10yel2BvKRVWwGqwoPPdfGi4KeCmAbYpnUmX8kk5M9o5QGXMtJMmHC7zJll9TxP_Q9_RgSEuJG6mSZihodygtNuq4PHW6fUdXlNOZxfEnXyw1jY/w200-h200/wgg.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5gV7AXYAxIr1DKDsMOPsm3?si=6ISNpflbQpKq0LIOsypdsQ" target="_blank">What's Good Games</a> is, in my opinion, the most fun and entertaining podcast for learning the latest video game news and for hearing the thoughts of its colorful hosts: Andrea Rene, Brittney Brombacher and Kristine Steimer (along with assorted guests). (Visit their website <a href="https://whatsgoodgames.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.) Listening to the podcast almost feels like chatting with a group of friends about the latest games coming out.</p><p><br /></p><p>2) <b>Reading Women</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1sTe0aE1ZztIjo1ACyP7qi?si=KKydiXZeR0-uwwWdeArGyw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXypoHkpVPcRC4T6wC42x2NnSB8nL2-UIxEJsmj62A9W1HCP_M-byAB_MKlRxUuNhyphenhyphenmHXKOKy7rsXy6vWj-oVAL0Nimj7y5UlWhbq0K3ocxWWgt20PA_y3sGbjFt6qg3srE5YDpZFDwR8/w200-h200/reading+women.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>One of my more recent discoveries is <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1sTe0aE1ZztIjo1ACyP7qi?si=KKydiXZeR0-uwwWdeArGyw" target="_blank">Reading Women</a>, a podcast where women read books about women. Okay, it's a little more than that... According to their about section on Spotify, "Each month [Reading Women] features two episodes on the same theme—one highlighting a range of titles and one discussing two titles more in depth—and two author interviews with women writers whose work we’ve loved." One of my favorite aspects of the show is that they often focus on disability issues on the podcast and invite disabled authors to speak. It's still rare to see disability discussed so frankly (though I will add that several other podcasts on my list have also been very good about discussing disability issues) so I am elated when I find a book or video game related podcast that discusses disability (as you may know, I myself am multiply disabled). Visit their website <a href="https://www.readingwomenpodcast.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p>3) <b>Our Opinions are Correct</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZCrKc6Qj_QEWYEfFUdQ65D_GahVNP42CRsbLldBlrUs5dhVrcA2jhWVCcuxHb4rPG1pfNj9xiZ7szPZQsE7GdUhew4nCo_l7EU5hmO4VcyuNJdjBfrMDENjwgoBDxyWaGGE3hy11hHo/s1600/ourOpinionsAreCorrect-16x9-white.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Logo for Our Opinions are Correct" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZCrKc6Qj_QEWYEfFUdQ65D_GahVNP42CRsbLldBlrUs5dhVrcA2jhWVCcuxHb4rPG1pfNj9xiZ7szPZQsE7GdUhew4nCo_l7EU5hmO4VcyuNJdjBfrMDENjwgoBDxyWaGGE3hy11hHo/w320-h180/ourOpinionsAreCorrect-16x9-white.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/" target="_blank">Our Opinions are Correct</a> may sound like a really judgy title for a podcast, but it's actually a very fun show about science fiction literature whose title pokes a bit of fun at the occasional seriousness of geek culture. If you're a fan of authors Charlie Jane Anders and/or Annalee Newitz, you've gotta check this show out as they're the hosts! They also don't only talk about books -- video games and other media often feature prominently in the discussions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4) <b>FBoL</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOakwfakHP-D8rvw4XeqSZVSLhqYItk9xw-vOACYZ8ERrDaFjOgameKCOh16WE_y-EDHYDZtOsm4fIpInnTQKU89N0YSAJDHAYutiQwcxk6XgN1HmyhAvlA6Lp9AT98xK2SQgupeUTJWs/s600/fbol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Logo that says: FBoL, and underneath it says F Bois of Literature" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOakwfakHP-D8rvw4XeqSZVSLhqYItk9xw-vOACYZ8ERrDaFjOgameKCOh16WE_y-EDHYDZtOsm4fIpInnTQKU89N0YSAJDHAYutiQwcxk6XgN1HmyhAvlA6Lp9AT98xK2SQgupeUTJWs/w320-h320/fbol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"<a href="https://www.fuckboisoflit.com/" target="_blank">FBoL</a>" stands for something a little less family friendly... but you can infer what it means from the writing on the above image. While the language in this show may not be appropriate for all ages (which could be the case with any podcast made for an adult audience), make no mistake: this is an educational show. But who said "educational" couldn't also be fun? This podcast takes a comedic look at the awful men (and sometimes other genders) who have infiltrated so-called "great literature" of the past and present. Listening to this show feels like having a casual literary discussion with well-read friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Honorable Mention</b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shows listed below are ones I have enjoyed, but I may not have listened to enough episodes at the time of writing this post to express a well-researched opinion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/021oEH2lDDilms2SZMAQyX?si=j0POZUBVTCeyRG4zc1fQoQ" target="_blank">Writers Who Don't Write</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/69Wk1bhoCoa9N5vG8N6l1C?si=XPT5jEO9T4u3eiDmV2V5aQ" target="_blank">Celebrity Book Club</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3OEKZ9ZbdN90i86NzVAIqT?si=4zYiBfnpRq6QTCzdiaAxOQ" target="_blank">Philosophiraga</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0I1ksQRMxdloyMYkGwXl38?si=Hou5LVZLQFqThsdvr_Xbug" target="_blank">CLAMPcast in Wonderland</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5MwxCBb4ft2cjJKPbBC1Za?si=el5OZvJxQ0mOhq_2A5-kEw" target="_blank">The MoeGamer Podcast</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/31MWuvBw7r9vxPFvR0c4bN?si=UMouWiSQQ_O99A2yj5Zgvw" target="_blank">Region Free Gamers</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br />
<a href="https://ko-fi.com/E1E72VEIV" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com" border="0" height="36" src="https://cdn.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi4.png?v=2" style="border: 0px; height: 36px;" /></a><script async="" src="https://c6.patreon.com/becomePatronButton.bundle.js"></script>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-57601835340176776212020-11-05T19:45:00.005-08:002020-11-05T20:04:50.947-08:00Giveaway: Mass Effect Revelation for Sci-Fi Month and N7 Day on Video Games as Literature!<p> Welcome once again to #SciFiMonth, hosted this year by <a href="https://twitter.com/deargeekplace" target="_blank">Lisa</a> at <a href="https://deargeekplace.com/" target="_blank">Dear Geek Place</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/imyril" target="_blank">Imyril</a> at <a href="https://onemore.org/">OneMore.org</a>! This is my introduction post AND announcement of a Video Games as Literature special giveaway!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://onemore.org/2020/11/01/scifimonth-2020-intro/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Sci-Fi Month 2020: If you want to resist, you have to rebel" border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1350" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26-LoC8za9ntzVWKFzaDqWV56c9in9YirO9T_-LUR2lcVEY1bcsPgJ1hBu1KPtq5fOtfJxoDRuiH16we9ShosB1GnoykoZsaDZ891lvO9D3sAzKZIm4bRVKV72sJxQvFH2KjLTGXA0pw/w400-h179/sfm-2020-blog-header-cairo-c-reverse.png" title="ARTWORK by Tithi Luadthong from 123RF.com" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I have a lot on my plate this month, so once again I don't know how often I will be able to post for #SciFiMonth, but as usual I am here to celebrate N7 Day and one of the greatest Sci-Fi franchises of all time: Mass Effect! I've tried to do something related to Mass Effect every year in November, as you can see <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2016/11/disabled-heroes-and-heroines-in-mass.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4kiVn_ninD/" target="_blank">here</a>. This year, I have a giveaway! Without further ado, here are the details:</p><p><br /></p><p>I am giving away one (1) pre-owned copy of <u>Mass Effect: Revelation</u> by Drew Kerpyshyn, the first book in the Mass Effect book series! I felt that giving away a book based on a video game would fit the theme of my blog, Video Games as Literature, quite nicely. This book was purchased at a local used bookstore (please help small businesses like used bookstores stay open, everyone!), so it it NOT in perfect new condition. It has some shelf wear and a few cracks in the spine. Please take a look at the picture below, and keep scrolling to find out how to enter the giveaway!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cbIMJnRQggDPYxwSh-J6aMZX7gnTJK2QwzvnpohCh-b4HuugTmZ2_qEcP-0enID8soOxhd6bzK1Y96CFwh-CuVZ_jeoAxBTtMnjQXAz6pTSVLUvIzJkvNDMi4PnI3oiAt41dn0jBXiE/s2048/20201105_211406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cbIMJnRQggDPYxwSh-J6aMZX7gnTJK2QwzvnpohCh-b4HuugTmZ2_qEcP-0enID8soOxhd6bzK1Y96CFwh-CuVZ_jeoAxBTtMnjQXAz6pTSVLUvIzJkvNDMi4PnI3oiAt41dn0jBXiE/w300-h400/20201105_211406.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is a giveaway for one pre-owned paperback book, <u>Mass Effect: Revelation</u> by Drew Kerpyshyn. The giveaway is for US residents only (I can't go into the Post Office to mail an international package due to the pandemic -- I'm sorry!). The giveaway starts TODAY, November 5, 2020, and ends on #N7Day -- November 7, 2020 at the end of the day (11:59pm EST). I will not publically announce the winner, but I will contact the winner after a winner is chosen at random. To enter, please do at least <b>one</b> of the following:<div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Comment on this blog post. Please include contact information such as a Twitter or Instagram handle! Also make sure you have messaging turned on if you give me a social media contact.</li><li>On Twitter, RETWEET my post (<a href="https://twitter.com/videogamesaslit" target="_blank">@videogamesaslit</a>) about the giveaway AND comment on the tweet.</li><li>On Instagram, SHARE my post (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/videogamesaslit/" target="_blank">@videogamesaslit</a>) about the giveaway to your stories AND comment on it! (Make sure you tag me when you share to your stories so I can see it!)</li></ul><div>To recieve multiple entries into the contest, you may do all three of the above! Good luck everyone, and keelah se'lai!</div><p><br /></p></div>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-56075056250995919212020-10-28T06:00:00.016-07:002020-10-28T06:00:00.130-07:00Tracking Down That Mysterious Jungle Bird Sound Clip<p> In the mid-90s, when I was about 9 years old, my favorite game in the whole world was The Amazon Trail. In fact, <a href="https://www.videogamesaslit.com/2014/08/how-amazon-trail-made-me-smarter-than.html">I've mentioned it before on this blog</a>. In playing The Amazon Trail, I began to notice a distinct pattern -- there was a specific bird call that would repeat over and over in the game. This bird call entered my head almost a quarter of a century ago and never left. I soon began to hear the bird call in other games and in other forms of media. If a jungle or rainforest was depicted, that bird would be there -- even if the supposed location of the story was set far from the Amazon in Borneo or Australia. This bothered me -- it felt like many lazy game and film producers had looked up "jungle bird sound" and just inserted whatever noise they found, without researching the actual bird. This quandary, along with the sound itself, continued to plague me over the years but I only researched the bird minimally. I did, in fact, find a free sound clip that contained that exact bird call at one point -- it was titled something like "rainforest bird," but there was no reference to what exact species of bird was making the noise. Finally, recently, I decided that enough was enough. I would do whatever hefty research was necessary until I found the exact species of bird that made the sound and determined its habitat. After maybe about 45 minutes, I found it thanks to the wonders of YouTube. Here is a video I found:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p-IyuyF4Qt0" width="320" youtube-src-id="p-IyuyF4Qt0"></iframe></div><br /><p>The result was a little anti-climactic -- the species is called the "Screaming Piha" (a.k.a. Lipaugus vociferans) and it does, in fact, live only in South America -- it is not found naturally on any other continent, according to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screaming_piha#cite_note-2" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>. It's a sort of boring looking brown bird, and is extremely common in rainforest regions of South America, such that it is even regularly found in parks and other human areas. Wikipedia also says, "The sound is frequently used in movies as a sound typical of the Amazon rainforest." Hmm. See the photo below:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxFBFF_-WxbTZeIAYc5RgdJaDP9nncvbuSxEvwaqnP1TOJiy7LOUaCVt7yhsVKjTeWXPIgXCybdeg0jVxdJr357RUWGHtKbASDRv9Tm2PHbHDvwqaj21cTDtbOfuI6oNDkRmcMM4fmaU/s1280/1280px-Lipaugus_vociferans_-_Screaming_Piha%253B_Manaus%252C_Amazonas%252C_Brazil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A brown bird sitting on a tree branch." border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxFBFF_-WxbTZeIAYc5RgdJaDP9nncvbuSxEvwaqnP1TOJiy7LOUaCVt7yhsVKjTeWXPIgXCybdeg0jVxdJr357RUWGHtKbASDRv9Tm2PHbHDvwqaj21cTDtbOfuI6oNDkRmcMM4fmaU/w320-h240/1280px-Lipaugus_vociferans_-_Screaming_Piha%253B_Manaus%252C_Amazonas%252C_Brazil.jpg" title="Source: Wikipedia, Screaming piha" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wish I had compiled a list over the years of all the games I found this bird sound in, but alas I had other things on my mind at the time, I guess. If I remember or encounter any of these games in the future, I may add a list to the bottom of this article. In the meantime, here is an example of the Screaming Piha found in the game Horizon: Zero Dawn, where it apparently expanded its range up into North America (the game is set in the distant future so this is actually not an impossible notion, considering many animals are currently changing their habitats due to climate change and population overcrowding).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwFtERNfhjVQTauRph1x2Bn0PEwXyL22OBJ-VIwuK8AMsH3EZMoNcptkm-J5jMDu9WokD6sOJny_X7F2KYn0A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Other Sources:<div>Birds of the World: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/scrpih1/cur/introduction</div>Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-8478566078615379882020-04-23T00:00:00.001-07:002022-02-15T01:24:39.176-08:00In Celebration of Arbor Day: 5 of Our Favorite Trees in Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In appreciation of the trees we all rely on, I have decided to make a special post for <a href="https://www.arborday.org/" target="_blank">Arbor Day</a>, which is celebrated in most of America on the last Friday in April (other countries also celebrate Arbor Day, or Arbour Day, at various other times -- you can read more about this on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Day" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>). Here I will discuss five of my favorite video game trees and what they have meant to me.<br />
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1) <b>The Great Deku Tree (Legend of Zelda Series)</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK9QXMMKbkeHRbmuWt9_YdHlu2j-uh7s3LQ3XxpfzldRg9hxxvGUZr387Rq_pJkiNHu6yAI20ft1MfEZkY9sH8nBCKZqQttU7-BrOMQvw5QU0nh6M7j0GLXw1bfk-5vEk2ZMRHeXNyQA/s1600/800px-GreatDekuTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Artwork from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where Link first encounters the Deku tree" border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="800" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK9QXMMKbkeHRbmuWt9_YdHlu2j-uh7s3LQ3XxpfzldRg9hxxvGUZr387Rq_pJkiNHu6yAI20ft1MfEZkY9sH8nBCKZqQttU7-BrOMQvw5QU0nh6M7j0GLXw1bfk-5vEk2ZMRHeXNyQA/s320/800px-GreatDekuTree.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Great_Deku_Tree" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr>
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Of course any list of video game trees would not only be incomplete without the Great Deku tree, it would also be flat out wrong. When most of us think about trees in video games, our minds first go to this greatest of Deku trees. The Great Deku Tree can be found throughout the Zelda franchise, though its appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is probably the most memorable. Like many video game trees after it, The Great Deku tree is the force that pulls Link from his bed and sends him on his epic adventure (with a little help from Navi, of course). The (mild spoilers) death of this great tree in Ocarina of Time legitimately made me cry when I first played the game.<br />
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2) <b>Yggdrasil (Dragon Quest Series)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl_f1CZb-0jPVzfoa2X9v6cGKQXvm5meWkQoTSChM9mGPM68p9ABKtNzLIAjGWWP3o26t7CP1eTDHKF_E5WHU8K-5VZ6KRxKtWH2jDOBYmUk7c7pC6H33WOr1ecoI_C0sEBaCdRcfZG0/s1600/Dragon_quest_xi-yggdrasil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The main heroes from Dragon Quest XI standing in front of a huge tree" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl_f1CZb-0jPVzfoa2X9v6cGKQXvm5meWkQoTSChM9mGPM68p9ABKtNzLIAjGWWP3o26t7CP1eTDHKF_E5WHU8K-5VZ6KRxKtWH2jDOBYmUk7c7pC6H33WOr1ecoI_C0sEBaCdRcfZG0/s320/Dragon_quest_xi-yggdrasil.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://dragonquest.fandom.com/wiki/Yggdrasil" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr>
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Many games invoke the World Tree, Yggdrasil, of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil" target="_blank">Norse legend</a>, but none center the great tree as clearly as the Dragon Quest series does throughout many of its volumes. Not only is the tree the center of the worlds in which the games take place, it is also central to the story -- literally in some cases -- in Dragon Quest XI, specifically, a major plot point that occurs in the middle of the game focuses on the tree and even takes place within its branches. Yggdrasil also plays a pivotal role in the story of Dragon Quest IX, and has a slightly smaller role in many other games in the series (the spin-off game, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below, even references the tree in its title).<br />
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3) <b>Sudowoodo (Pokemon Series)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sXZXTK44SEC_VIWCb-hSbH16c7GqDbqOphaHGZOWIeIoQacz4rzPkS-Pka6l6gf-JWrJLUglU71siN8-8NYZPippnrS7Ht47SdV62t5VWTpzvyMwnkZFg_M00_s2JYSRSgCqpDxxjpo/s1600/900px-185Sudowoodo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Artwork of the pokemon, Sudowoodo, which looks like a small brown tree with green balls (like leaves) on its arm-like appendages." border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sXZXTK44SEC_VIWCb-hSbH16c7GqDbqOphaHGZOWIeIoQacz4rzPkS-Pka6l6gf-JWrJLUglU71siN8-8NYZPippnrS7Ht47SdV62t5VWTpzvyMwnkZFg_M00_s2JYSRSgCqpDxxjpo/s200/900px-185Sudowoodo.png" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sudowoodo_(Pok%C3%A9mon)" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You may be surprised to see Sudowoodo on this list -- you probably remember it as that incredibly annoying Pokemon that was supposedly blocking the road, though you totally should've been able to walk around it. Sudowoodo was also annoying because once you caught it you learned that it's not a grass type... it's a rock type?! If it's a tree, why is it a rock type? Maybe that didn't annoy you as much as it annoyed me, but I had trouble wrapping my head around it at the tender age of 12-ish when I first played Pokémon. Regardless, I placed Sudowoodo in one of the highly coveted spots on my main team and it eventually grew on me... even if it is a rock.<br />
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4)<b> The Money Tree (Animal Crossing Series)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybF-BYhJBhjE4yOXRs5dFT0_Cf6vGVrP-LCTy4SrD3Mdi_BOAiGYwDMi3P4dY9xUNJGxU2VSJur-eau1MEEj9MiO7myEI86zF1U11sK_Y0TSSpbVX-kar-M0YAPmkH06IfpynszFzaiM/s1600/animal-crossing-new-horizons-money-tree-mar202020-1038x576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A protagonist player character standing in front of a money tree in Animal Crossing: New Horizons" border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1038" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybF-BYhJBhjE4yOXRs5dFT0_Cf6vGVrP-LCTy4SrD3Mdi_BOAiGYwDMi3P4dY9xUNJGxU2VSJur-eau1MEEj9MiO7myEI86zF1U11sK_Y0TSSpbVX-kar-M0YAPmkH06IfpynszFzaiM/s320/animal-crossing-new-horizons-money-tree-mar202020-1038x576.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://nintendosoup.com/how-to-make-the-most-bells-from-money-trees-in-animal-crossing-new-horizons/" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr>
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We all know what our actual favorite tree is. It may not grant epic quests or block roads or even be the source of all life, but it sure makes us rich! It's the Money Tree from Animal Crossing! The Money Tree is so prolific in today's society that it even recently received a write-up on Forbes, a traditionally serious news site about the economy (Read the article <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/04/16/how-to-plant-and-how-money-trees-work-in-animal-crossing-new-horizons/#38401fd5d74d" target="_blank">here</a>). That's pretty fancy!<br />
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5) <b>Sakuya and her Trees (Okami)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9KpHzQh-ZGILv1KNx8ONxOtu8omjieLT_rODUOzoEBkUBA77qlFp7UpPuylxxNDE2Vw1GaJGzWNkJWZXaNqGHS4Pb4Quis-mO3yh0bpcvF_6gnlTuAmnzDHh2YLs3hu5Z0jftfWtRBk/s1600/sakuya.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Character design sketches of Sakuya from the PS2 game Okami." border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1230" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9KpHzQh-ZGILv1KNx8ONxOtu8omjieLT_rODUOzoEBkUBA77qlFp7UpPuylxxNDE2Vw1GaJGzWNkJWZXaNqGHS4Pb4Quis-mO3yh0bpcvF_6gnlTuAmnzDHh2YLs3hu5Z0jftfWtRBk/s320/sakuya.png" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://okami.neoseeker.com/wiki/Sakuya" target="_blank">link</a></td></tr>
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Even though Capcom has released countless remasters of Okami by this point, I haven't played this excellent game since its very first PlayStation 2 release back in 2006. That means that I remember very little about the actual story. One thing I do remember quite well, however, is the excellent characters that you meet throughout the game. One of the characters you meet early on is Sakuya, a tree spirit who needs help healing her trees that appear throughout the game. Like Issun, I may have had a bit of a crush on Sakuya. Just a little.</div>
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Those are my five favorite video game trees -- what trees do you think I missed? Which trees are your favorites? If you are able, don't forget to plant a tree for Arbor Day, or cultivate a plant of some kind! You can also learn more about Arbor Day by visiting and following the Arbor Day Foundation on <a href="https://twitter.com/arborday" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div>
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Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945107903045129102.post-23564740185738900362020-03-26T10:00:00.001-07:002023-02-03T14:20:50.594-08:00Games to Play at the End of the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ah yes, the apocalypse, a favorite setting for game developers of all generations. While we waste away in our homes awaiting the end of days, we really should be playing some appropriate games for the situation, don't you think? But appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another, so I have compiled below two lists for two completely different purposes. The first is a list of games to play if you are preparing to face the apocalypse head-on. The second is a list of games to play if you wish to shut out all bad in the world and ignore the rising flames around you (Yes, this dramatic nature of mine got me into big trouble when I took journalism in high school). You decide which type of game is appropriate for your needs.<br />
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<b>Games to Prepare You for the Apocalypse:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkczcOpW19R4HN0h6NbmANnRughT5qG0kFhpfLpU4FaGzK-DeNk9AWQXCwkotWecLe6dLpZtnwOdUalLjU2XUj-wHcB7LR1nesEs0KfRgXGgWCX02SNs4afoJkCVJ1il0VKmJ4TnYXsyg/s1600/the-last-of-us-listing-thumb-01-ps3-us-20nov14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover image for the game The Last of Us" border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1193" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkczcOpW19R4HN0h6NbmANnRughT5qG0kFhpfLpU4FaGzK-DeNk9AWQXCwkotWecLe6dLpZtnwOdUalLjU2XUj-wHcB7LR1nesEs0KfRgXGgWCX02SNs4afoJkCVJ1il0VKmJ4TnYXsyg/s320/the-last-of-us-listing-thumb-01-ps3-us-20nov14.png" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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The obvious first choice for this list is <b>The Last of Us</b>, a game that takes us through the first moments of a deadly pandemic, then shows us what the world looks like approximately 20 years later. We see the perspectives of two protagonists: one is a man who survived those first moments and has continued to survive over the years, and the other is a young girl/growing woman who never knew the world before the pandemic devastated humanity. The Last of Us is a thoughtful look at the events of precisely the type of tragedy the world is currently facing (though it may be a small relief that the dead remain dead in our case). There are moments when the protagonists must navigate still-contaminated areas and need to wear gas masks to protect themselves -- this scene may seem very familiar to modern-day players. By strange coincidence, the sequel is scheduled to release during the current pandemic, though like many other games it may end up being delayed. The Last of Us is available on <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-ps3/" target="_blank">PS3</a> and PS4.<br />
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When any gamer thinks of the apocalypse, it's very likely they picture a scene from the <b>Fallout</b> series. This series takes place many years after a nuclear apocalypse, meaning that society is ended through war (<a href="https://youtu.be/EM3Y6uw6FtU" target="_blank">war never changes</a>) and not through disease, but disease abounds after the destruction of modern society as we know it. By the way, am I the only one who really wants to see a Fallout game set in another country -- not just in America? While the series has often made commentary on American culture and politics specifically, I really want to know what is happening around the world during the events of Fallout. If you want to play Fallout with friends, I hear Fallout 76 has gotten better with recent patches, but if you want to play the best of the series, I recommend Fallout: New Vegas. The Fallout series is available on most major platforms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxlmkz7jEGGWwQ5Z1u2JpJiCwFLHm77F54LAn9iktm8KSb55Pghc1QBYISgXxziNAczYxRqI5WZyzVjSD4J-QLZnWwbAzRXlKGTbckGC0kQyIUrzrsJ37wUiNROoaM29TyAIIeJN1ENg/s1600/bastion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxlmkz7jEGGWwQ5Z1u2JpJiCwFLHm77F54LAn9iktm8KSb55Pghc1QBYISgXxziNAczYxRqI5WZyzVjSD4J-QLZnWwbAzRXlKGTbckGC0kQyIUrzrsJ37wUiNROoaM29TyAIIeJN1ENg/s320/bastion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A game I have <a href="http://www.videogamesaslit.com/2016/01/exploring-new-forms-of-narrative-with.html">mentioned before</a> and will likely write about again is <b>Bastion</b>, a popular indie title from developer Supergiant Games. Bastion is another game that takes place post-war, but this time there are very few living people left in the vicinity. The hero of the story must find these last survivors and lead them to the Bastion, a place of hope in an otherwise dying world. This game is beautiful and will probably make you cry. Bastion is <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/bastion" target="_blank">available</a> on most major platforms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoE8e55MuMToVy_oAZKItq4mczAM-WWbrBMjH6yQgVsxiFBR5471W-9QwozG8Lgql8Xm6AgpaOqusH_YMIiXXkHL6oudosZVVn6YZUnvCN5Jup6hlOTJ-3IAzASpH40TxmpfG8VhOmxhA/s1600/Fallen_London_promotional.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Promotional image for Fallen London" border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoE8e55MuMToVy_oAZKItq4mczAM-WWbrBMjH6yQgVsxiFBR5471W-9QwozG8Lgql8Xm6AgpaOqusH_YMIiXXkHL6oudosZVVn6YZUnvCN5Jup6hlOTJ-3IAzASpH40TxmpfG8VhOmxhA/s320/Fallen_London_promotional.jpeg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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A trusty game that is a little different from the AAA fare already mentioned is <b>Fallen London</b>, a <a href="https://www.fallenlondon.com/" target="_blank">browser-based game</a> that has spawned two spin-offs: Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. Fallen London is set in a steampunk world and is a little difficult to describe. The following is a description directly from the developer's website:<br />
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Thirty years ago, London was stolen. Now it rests on the shore of the Unterzee, that old dark ocean under the world. Hell is close, immortality is cheap, and the screaming has largely stopped… (<a href="http://www.failbettergames.com/fallen-london/" target="_blank">Failbetter Games</a>)</blockquote>
This story is apocalyptic in a very -fantasy- sense and makes a decent bridge between escapism and realism for the purposes of this list.<br />
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I want to include some "honorable mentions" that have a post-apocalyptic feel but did not otherwise make my list:<br />
<b>Borderlands</b>, a science fiction series that takes place on another planet, yet has a similar setting to other games in the post-apocalyptic genre.<br />
<b>Aladdin</b>, a seemingly straight-forward Disney game with a very popular fan theory that suggests the setting may be post-apocalyptic (read more about the theory <a href="https://disneytheory.com/2014/10/05/aladdin-is-set-in-a-distant-post-apocalyptic-future-and-other-theories/" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
The <b>Wasteland</b> Series, a spin-off of sorts from the Fallout series, which I personally haven't played yet and therefore can't review or recommend.<br />
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<b>Games to Play When You Want to Block Out the World:</b><br />
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This list is going to be a little more obvious, as there seems to be a genre of games specifically intended to help you ignore the real world. Get ready to do a lot of farming.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7FkAT5TYCpc0A9bw_nb3vuiIj5bFSaaIzH_JwiFnqVK1Q2dC1fHH0z2juCuIA9gck0QPBLK6oJJhAxReHjW7TUombDct95MVChFA2HfyXERxge2p1DVKBsVmrExWuTMvWfz6VnPutvU/s1600/ACNH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image of the player character from Animal Crossing and Beau, a deer, standing in front of flowers and smiling." border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="736" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7FkAT5TYCpc0A9bw_nb3vuiIj5bFSaaIzH_JwiFnqVK1Q2dC1fHH0z2juCuIA9gck0QPBLK6oJJhAxReHjW7TUombDct95MVChFA2HfyXERxge2p1DVKBsVmrExWuTMvWfz6VnPutvU/s320/ACNH.png" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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First and foremost, of course, is Nintendo's <b>Animal Crossing</b> franchise. When you wake up in the morning, you immediately start playing Animal Crossing. After catching some fish, planting some flowers, and identifying some fossils, you realize you never went to the bathroom, so you put the game down. On the way to the bathroom you realize it's oddly dark and your clock says it's already after supper time. Your psychiatrist might call this an unhealthy addiction, but gamers call it a day well spent. Animal Crossing is available on every major Nintendo console/handheld since the GameCube.<br />
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The next franchise on the list is a little confusing: <b>Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons</b>. The confusing part involves a change in North American publishers which led to a copyright battle over the name "Harvest Moon." I won't be able to tell you which exact games are good and which are the "fake" Natsume games, but fortunately other people have already compiled a list for you (<a href="http://michibiku.com/beginners-guide-harvest-moon-story-seasons/" target="_blank">see that list here</a>). The Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise tends to focus more on farming than on any other activity, but you will still find plenty to do! And of course, there are always a variety of bachelors and bachelorettes available and hoping to marry you! The Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons franchise is available on many, many consoles and handheld systems (though most are on Nintendo systems).<br />
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The <b>Rune Factory</b> series is essentially a spin-off from the Harvest Moon franchise, but a lot of activities are added to the roster in these games. While you can still farm, Rune Factory adds dungeon crawling, world exploration, and Pokemon-style beast raising. My favorite game in this series is also one of my favorite games of all time: Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (also known as Rune Factory: Oceans). The Rune Factory series can be found on Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii, Switch, and PS3!<br />
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I'm going to give a brief mention to <b>Stardew Valley</b>, a delightful indie game that is very similar to Rune Factory, but its developer, ConcernedApe, listens to fans and regularly makes improvements to the game! Stardew Valley improves on the Rune Factory formula in several ways, including allowing same sex dating and marriage along with character customization. Stardew Valley is available on most modern platforms.<br />
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Last but not least is the old classic, <b>The Sims</b>. While you can have your Sims do some farming, this franchise is more about doing everyday things... like going to the bathroom and remembering to wash your hands. One might think that a game about telling virtual people to use the toilet would get boring very quickly, but somehow that is not the case. I, personally, have spent hours at a time in front of a computer simply micromanaging the minuscule details of my virtual citizens' lives. And in an age of uncertainty, a game about ordinary, every day actions might be just what we need. The Sims franchise can be played on PC, or you can play The Sims 4 on PS4 and X-Box One.</div>
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Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03510009425910015652noreply@blogger.com0