A comparison of Japanese and Western game conventions - My media essay

[Electro UK]

Hey guys--

A few of you know that I've spent the last few weeks slaving away at a project that was very important to me. That project was a media essay I'd based around video games, specifically a comparison of Resistance: Fall of Man to Valkyria Chronicles. Anyway, I slaved away at this project, and came out pretty pleased with the results, and hoping you guys might like to read it too. So without further ado, here it is.

With specific reference to ‘Valkyria Chronicles’ and ‘Resistance: Fall of Man’, examine how generic conventions can differ between Western and Japanese war games

The video game market is one that is constantly evolving. The success of products such as the Nintendo Wii and DS has meant that video games have a mainstream appeal now more than ever owing to their wider audience. Most developers for these games are situated both in Western territories and Japan. The three home games consoles on the market all feature games from these developers, and the Sony Playstation 3 provides the two texts used in this essay. Japan’s most recognisable genre of video games are Role Playing Games (RPGs), and when these are released in other territories, they are labelled specifically as Japanese RPGs, the most successful series in this genre being the ‘Final Fantasy series’ (Square Enix). In the west, First Person Shooters (FPS) are the most popular type of game, with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007, Infinity Ward, Activision), a military shooter proving to be the most successful game of the past few years.

Cultural differences can mean that games developed by Western and Japanese teams are very different in terms of generic conventions. ‘Valkyria Chronicles’ (2008, Sega WOW, Sega) and ‘Resistance: Fall of Man’ (2006, Insomniac Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment) are two games with similar contexts in terms of narrative. Both have their own take on the WW2 era, ‘Valkyria’ offering a complete reimagining of the period set in Europa, a fictional version of Europe, following Welkin Gunther as he fights the Imperial Army in a struggle to defend his country of Gallia. ‘Resistance’ shows an alternate history where WW2 never took place, instead an alien virus known as the Chimera starts spawning in Russia and soon takes over Europe. The player assumes the role of Nathan Hale as he fights these Chimera to free England from their grasp. The Chimera here replace the position of the Nazis in real history, making the plot somewhat allegoric as they seize Europe in a way the Nazis wanted to, the first scene showing this as countries that are overtaken are swarmed by a sinister black to represent the evil outbreak.

Before the differences are discussed the success of each game in different territories should be considered. ‘Valkyria’ sold 78,038 copies in its first week in Japan, and then 25,322 in the US, and only 6,980 in other territories. Currently, it has sold around 0.34 million copies worldwide, clearly most popular in Japan. This is because when you look at ‘Valkyria’ and see its anime art style that is directly associated with Japan, its clear to see that the primary target audience is a Japanese one, which can be seen in the games art style which matches traditional Japanese anime and manga. ‘Resistance’ saw 14,955 copies sold in Japan on the first week, 42,483 copies in the US, and 184,820 in other territories, with 3.51 million copies sold worldwide. Again, the game is more popular where it was developed, in the US due to the game appealing to American and European audiences more with its promise of immediate action and context.

The most striking difference about the two games when first looked at is their visual styles, which can affect the generic conventions. Generic conventions are the expected and assumed characteristics and iconography of a genre, such as explosions in an action film. ‘Resistance’ shows realistic graphics that try to be as life like as possible, while ‘Valkyria’ uses a “CANVAS graphics engine” which makes the game look like a watercolour painting in motion. This tells the audience straight away what they’re in for, ‘Resistance’ giving a grim and gritty picture that tries to portray real life, ‘Valkyria’ showing a happier, lighter image that gives it an animated and friendlier look. This can be reflected in the games certificate ratings from PEGI, the European games certification board. ‘Resistance’ was rated an 18+ because of its violence, while ‘Valkyria’ has a 16+ rating. ‘Valkyria’ has no blood or swearing throughout the game, but does feature shooting and killing other people, so is still rated with a high certificate.

The ratings of these games ties into the sales too because violence can attract audiences. Video games are however often a much discussed moral panic in the media due to the nature of games encouraging players to be violent and ruthless. The actions players perform aren’t even for the greater good in a lot of cases, such as the much discussed and controversial ‘Grand Theft Auto’ series (Rockstar Studios), where the aim of the game is to work your way through the crime world, earning money from killing people and escaping the police. ‘Resistance’ itself was once a topic for this debate, when the Church of England threatened to sue Sony for using Manchester Cathedral in one level of the game (2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6736809.stm) The church wanted the game to be taken out of shops or edited to remove the level, but dropped the case after Sony paid a contribution to the church, and agreed to get involved in policies against gun crime.

This panic was fuelled by the media, BBC news using the subheading “The Church is considering action against Sony for featuring Manchester Cathedral in a violent video game.” This is obviously opting to state the game as violent instead of calling the game by its name. Dean of Manchester Cathedral, Rogers Govener stated “We are shocked to see a place of learning, prayer and heritage being presented to the youth market as a location where guns can be fired.” This is a comment that almost directly defines this moral panic as it the negative view of video games as, glamorising guns to children.

One of the main concerns of panics such as this is a copy cat theory (date) being taken on board. The most concerning panic was raised with ‘Manhunt’ (2003, Rockstar Games) when parents of Steefan Pakeerah, who was murdered by Warren LeBlanc claimed that the video game was to blame.

In contrast, ‘Valkyria’ has never fuelled a moral panic, and in fact addressed such issues in the game. For example, after the first level where a group of enemy scouts are defeated, one character, Alicia makes sure the men are properly buried and states that she wants to remember the war wasn’t just about killing.

In terms of narrative, ‘Valkyria Chronicles’ seems to stick closer to classic conventions, due to the less realistic story that encompasses more characters and tells the whole story in just one game. Both games follow a linear narrative, but the narratives are presented in separate ways, with the same intentions. Both try to give the feeling of learning about the history the events are situated in. For ‘Resistance’ this means that the story narrated in the past tense by Captain Rachel Parker, and a lot of the cut scenes use battered black and white photos to make the events seem long ago. This technique reinforces the idea of realism in the game, as if the events have really happened. For ‘Valkyria’, the player follows the story as if reading a history book entitled “On the Gallian Front” by Irene Koller. The story progresses through chapters consisting of films and game play that make it feel like the player is being taught the history of the war, using a combination of both cut-scenes and text from the book. Using the book helps the player keep separated from both this history and real life, helping to cut off the sense of realism more as you’re not always engulfed in the past. After every film or level, the player returns to the book, giving an almost ‘drip drip’ effect (1927 Lasswell) of the player constantly being reminded this is history. Both games give the feeling of a history lesson as such, but both are presented in their own unique styles.

Interestingly, the approach to the story in the original ‘Resistance’ was not received well. A review on www.playstationlifestyle.net from user Zankantou states “The storytelling perspective greatly disappointed me… I felt quite detached from the person I was controlling… thoughts were never… emotionally hampered his character development.” It was reviews like this that drove Insomniac to use a more traditional style of story telling in ‘Resistance 2’ (2008, Insomniac Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment).

These styles of storytelling can be tied into the Uses and Gratifications theory (1974 Blulmer and Katz). Both texts are for entertainment purposes and their supernatural elements and settings mean that they offer escapism more than anything else. This is something all video games offer, cutting the audience off from everyday problems and routine. ‘Valkyria’ does feature other aspects of this theory also. With its wider concerns and values, addressing issues such as racism, the game can also be linked with aspects of personal identity, players having their views reflected in some of the characters. Additionally one could argue that despite the obvious use of escapism for the audience, and the fictional elements of both stories, the way both games seemingly teach the player about history could be a form of surveillance. Surveillance can be defined as “Information that could be useful for living”, and while neither game offers much realism, they are still being presented the story more as information than the fiction that it really is.

By adopting these styles of presentation, the games start off after the disruption of the equilibrium (Todorov 1977), when war has broken out. Where the games differ here is that ‘Valkyria’ restores its equilibrium by the end with the war coming to a close, while ‘Resistance’ takes a different approach, by defeating the Chimera in England, but leaving the player with the knowledge that they are still in Europe, and that Nathan Hale has been taken hold of by an unidentified group of soldiers, ending on more of an enigma (Barthes 1963) than anything else. The story of ‘Resistance’ is continued in its sequel ‘Resistance 2’, but still not concluded, making both games in the series more of a subverted text than having a Todorovian structure. This shows for one thing that certain aspects of these games differ as ‘Valkyria’ was designed for just the one game, while ‘Resistance’ was made with a franchise in mind.

When it comes to Propp’s character types (1928) and functions, and overall character representations the games also differ a great deal. When thinking about soldiers and battles in real wars, certain stereotypes apply. We imagine a lot of angry, demanding characters that are constantly shouting and swearing, barking orders as bullets whizz past their heads, much like in the opening scene of war films like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998, Stephen Spielberg). These stereotypes can be as evident as games as much as they are in films which playing real WW2 games such as ‘Call of Duty: World at War’ (2008, Treyarch, Activision) will show. The American soldiers in the games are much like that of Stephen Spielberg’s war drama, angry as one soldier proclaims “We’re going to tear this place to shreds!” in the first level, and scared as they see threats etc, which at the same time is meant to shock audiences. It is a very typical representation of soldiers in these wars. Some aspects of more traditional war texts like these are kept though, like the binary oppositions (Strauss, 1949) of life against death, war and peace, and most importantly, your side against theirs.


Figure 1

Both texts have their heroes, Nathan and Welkin. Nathan can be seen as a somewhat stereotypical character of this genre. This is perhaps where the two games differ most. ‘Resistance’ sticks to these stereotypes for the most part. The soldiers around you act much like the audience would expect them to, but there are three main characters in the game where representation is important to consider, with; Nathan Hale, Lieutenant Cartwright, and Captain Parker. Hale, for a main character, does not meet some of the stereotypes one would perhaps assume of him. He actually says very little throughout the game, only having one or two lines of dialogue. He does however fulfil other stereotypes assumed of his character, as seen with (Fig 1). There are certain appearance and personality expectations in these roles that make him appear as more of a masculine action hero. His head is shaved for example, which can connote a tough feeling towards the character and can be linked to the audience’s assumption of skin heads being thugs. This is fuelled in the NVC of the shot, with the expression on his face that shows a rough, angry Hale, and his stiff, alert form showing him ready for action. He wears a standard green army uniform and holds his gun close towards him, making it an important part of the frame. In this medium-close shot, the pose he’s striking points the gun toward the screen which gives the feeling of immediate danger surrounding him, and the low camera angle makes him look dangerous and powerful, ready to fight what’s to come. The low key lighting that dimly brightens only a small section of Hale’s head adds further to a dark and almost sinister feel to the character.


Figure 2

Welkin in ‘Valkyria’ however, contrasts this look quite dramatically (Fig 2). Here is a character that takes a less masculine and more feminised approach. The shot is similar to the one of Hale, but there are clear differences between the two. Firstly is Welkin’s hair, which instead of being military style shaved, is actually quite long and ruffled, giving him a more casual and feminine look as opposed to Hale’s tough one. His uniform does not match the standard green, and instead uses blues, reds, whites and blacks to create a more unique and colourful uniform to set it in place with the game’s water colour look. To go with this, the lighting is a higher key than the picture showing Hale, showing the less realistic and gritty style. He also strikes an action pose similar to Hale, but doesn’t hold a gun, making him appear as less of a threat than ‘Resistance’s’ main character.

The focus on action should mean that both texts have the Proppian villain to overcome, but the villain to contrast these characters is only seen in ‘Valkyria’, in the form of the Imperial Leader, Maxamillian. The villain in ‘Resistance’ is the Chimeran threat, more of the race as a whole, than signing the role to one specific character. There are types of chimera that are more dangerous which serves as boss fights, but no one type of the race ever stands out to be recognized as the villain over the others. Interestingly, in ‘Resistance 2’, the game establishes a villain called Daledrus, but he is not present in the first game.

With the focus on war, and a soldier’s struggle through that war, ‘Resistance’ also doesn’t employ characters such as the princess and her father, with only one woman in the game and no romantic plot between the two. This is because a romantic plot is not something target audiences will want out of a FPS, and won’t sell a game. The helper comes in the form of Lieutenant Stephen Cartwright, a British soldier that helps Nathan through some levels, but other character types cannot be seen in the game. ‘Valkyria’ provides all types, and in most cases with more than one role. Welkin’s mother and sister for example, entrust him with his Father’s old tank used during the first war, making them the donors, and there are many characters that aid Welkin in his quest in the form of other soldiers in his squad, most notably Alicia Melichott, Largo Potter, and Brigitte “Rosie” Stark. Welkin falls in love with Alicia, making her the princess, and the character Eleanor Varrot is the dispatcher that assigns missions to Welkin’s squad. These wider roles offer audiences a range of perspectives that reinforce the Uses and Gratifications aspects discussed earlier.

Figure 3


Figure 4
So with the genre of both of these video games firmly centred on war, there are specific similarities they share. For example, they both use the same techniques for signifying genre. The box art for both games picture battlefields and military uniforms that display the war genre, ‘Resistance’ (Fig 3) showing the skull of a chimera, and ‘Valkyria’ (Fig 4) showing Welkin giving demands and fellow soldier Alicia sitting on the tank, armed with a rifle, one of the main villains in the game, Selvaria is shown at the top of the box. The battlefield in the background features a tank and explosions, which tell the audience what to expect from the game.

While both covers use similar genre signifiers, there are differences within the mise-en-scene of the two. In terms of production design, they are largely similar and both use nautral lighting, but when it comes to colour, ‘Valkyria’ reflects its water colour style using colour coding with brighter, more varied colours than ‘Resistance’. Blues, red and whites can be seen on the uniforms of the characters, and the battlefield is orange with fire, which can connote the intensity of war, and grey with smoke. Again, ‘Resistance’ reflects its content, using only grey on the cover to reflect the grim, dry outcome of the battle and show people that they are in for a gritty war game.

There are no characters to be seen in the cover for ‘Resistance’, but the two main characters in ‘Valkyria’ both communicate a lot through their NVC. Welkin’s expression shows he his shouting, and with his arm outstretched and the other holding onto his headphones, it looks like he is ordering soldiers around, caught up in the heat of battle. Alicia is sitting up right, rifle in hands and ready to fire, her face showing a look of concern. These positions are used to reflect the game’s action and its intensity. In terms of proxemics, Welkin and Alicia are positioned next to each other to show that they are on the same side, and displaying women being equal to men in this war, while Selvaria sits above them, showing a contrast and hinting that she is the enemy. She is also larger than Welkin and Alicia, giving her an overpowering sense, and her red eyes connote the threat that she poses in the game.

 

[Electro UK]

Both cameras take similar, medium shots that enable the audience to get a view of the battlefield, allowing the pre-mentioned genre signifiers to be seen. So while there are some differences in the game’s covers, these are mainly because of the context of the games, and otherwise use fairly similar techniques to promote the product.

Welkin contrasts this image almost completely. While he certainly takes the role of a main, lead character more than Hale, he doesn’t come across as the tough, hardened solider assumed of his role. He is a much more light hearted character, with a keen interest in nature.

The various factors studied throughout this essay show many differences between these two types of games. ‘Valkyria Chronicles’ is a game that breaks a lot of the conventions expected of this genre. The characters differ from the stereotypical roles of other war texts, and the style of graphics, mixed with the absence of blood and swearing makes it a more tame experience, completely different to what people think of war.

Even though ‘Resistance’ doesn’t follow a classic Todorovian structure like ‘Valkyria’, the text ends up being a game that features most of the conventions of the war genre. Soldiers reflect stereotypes that we see in other wars texts, and a gritty realistic style is used along with the use of blood and swearing to make it a more expected and traditional war game over the Japanese one. This is because the meeting of these audience expectations is what can sell a game, if they are promised everything they assume of a war game.

Some conventions are met in both games, simply because they are a necessity in the genre. So example, guns are a key iconographic part of both games, as all characters use them to overcome the enemy. As it stands however, the Japense developed game, ‘Valkyria’ is the game that defies more conventions over the Western one, ‘Resistance’.




So there it is. Hope you guys enjoyed the read if you actually made it down this far. I had a fun time writing this essay, and it only fueled my hopes of being a media journalist one day.

 

[Spidey17]

Great essay. Didn't agree with some of what you wrote, like buzz cuts=thugs(I see it as military tradition). And evertime you mentioned Tovarian styles and such, you lost me, but overall, very informative, and not boring at all. You should send this to GI, or ign, or whatever gaming site/mag you like most.

I'm curious as to what about the Eastern culture you think it is that has them being into more effeminate, and less violent male characters. Being an American, I know how we glorify violence, so it's easy for me to understand how characters like Kratos and Marcus are such likeable characters, but even a Dante can sometimes make it in the West, lol.

Also, I think your next essay should focus on how the sex and violence is perceived by the media. But don't use GTA or Manhunt, since they've has been done to death. Mass Effect, imo, would be a great video game to focus on. Especially the Fox News panel, where they focused on 0-1% of the actual game, in other words, the sex. If you really like the West-East dynamic, then write about the Easts' media's perception of video game violence. Unless they don't have a different stand, then Idk. You're the writer, not me.

One last question, why do you think the God of War series get less flak from the media, is it because Kratos rarely kills humans in-game? And I can see the media hating on the sex in there, since it's controllable, and the women are always random ****es, whereas in ME, the partner was seduced(which is worse, cuz you can have homosexual relations, ME promotes gay sex, OH NOES!!!!!!!!!).

EDIT: Whoo!!! First post!!!

 

[Electro UK]

Great essay. Didn't agree with some of what you wrote, like buzz cuts=thugs(I see it as military tradition). And evertime you mentioned Tovarian styles and such, you lost me, but overall, very informative, and not boring at all. You should send this to GI, or ign, or whatever gaming site/mag you like most.

I'm curious as to what about the Eastern culture you think it is that has them being into more effeminate, and less violent male characters. Being an American, I know how we glorify violence, so it's easy for me to understand how characters like Kratos and Marcus are such likeable characters, but even a Dante can sometimes make it in the West, lol.

Also, I think your next essay should focus on how the sex and violence is perceived by the media. But don't use GTA or Manhunt, since they've has been done to death. Mass Effect, imo, would be a great video game to focus on. Especially the Fox News panel, where they focused on 0-1% of the actual game, in other words, the sex. If you really like the West-East dynamic, then write about the Easts' media's perception of video game violence. Unless they don't have a different stand, then Idk. You're the writer, not me.

One last question, why do you think the God of War series get less flak from the media, is it because Kratos rarely kills humans in-game? And I can see the media hating on the sex in there, since it's controllable, and the women are always random ****es, whereas in ME, the partner was seduced(which is worse, cuz you can have homosexual relations, ME promotes gay sex, OH NOES!!!!!!!!!).

EDIT: Whoo!!! First post!!!

Thanks for the post man, its REALLY encouraging to get some positive feedback on the essay. Sorry about the Todorvian theories etc, its gotta be put into the essay for terminology marks.

Now when it comes to Eastern culture, whatever medium you study, you near always get this effeminate style injected into the genre, no matter how gritty the context. I ran out of my word limit to say what I completely wanted to say, but its obvious Valkyria is a very stereotypical Japanese text. Just check out this recently released trailer for Valkyria's animated series http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/312383.html just like any other Japanese cartoon isn't it? And for an answer to your question, you need really to look back to the origins of Japanse media.

For America, some of the first talking movies ("talkies") in the 1930s, are gangster films. In fact, they form the "holy trinity" of gangster films, Little Ceaser, Public Enemy, and the original Scarface. Now, these are highly censored, and they were designed specifically not to promote the life of glamour that a gangster persues, but where are we now? From these films spawned highly violent, and highly controversial pieces. The origins of American media have led us to where we are today, so it can only be the same of Japanese media.

Now obviously I'm no expert on Japanese culture etc, but look at earlier Japense video games, like the first Final Fantasy games, or heck even Zelda. These are games that, while feature violence, offer fantastical and incredible settings and characters. Does the typical John Mclane character fit into this genre? No. The effeminate nature of Japanese characters is simple what goes with the experiences that the games are offering.

Hideo Kojima at his GDC keynote was interestingly touching upon the subject of Eastern style meating Western technology. Exciting I think, but imagine meeting both styles? A Nathan Drake character meeting with a super natural Eastern boss from a FF game or something. It'd be a totally dynamic mix.

In fact, sticking with Kojima, Snake is probably the most interesting case study for a mix of styles, because he IS a hard man in an Eastern game. but Raiden! Oh lord is Raiden ever a Japanese character. But he's unpopular to a Western audience. Its compelling really, the amount this stuff can be looked at.

Oh man, I'm going way off track now.

So to conclude on that first question, which I've typed WAY too much about, why this effeminate nature? Well firstly, games of today have been influenced by the originals, men with long hair, boys in green tunics etc, they don't present your typical masculine hero. Then there's the fact these types of characters are simply what you expect of a fantasy genre. I dunno if I answered that well enough for you, I guess I'd need to be a bit more knowledgeable in Japanese media and culture to give you a definitive answer, but I hope I gaqve you something to think about.

I like the thought of doing more essays actually, without the restrictions of word limits etc. Its something I'm really passionate about so I should definately look into it, and the ME case study is VERY rich for stuff to write about.

As for God of War, its not completely without its controversy, indeed OPM UK had to recall issues 2 years ago when they used images from a GoW2 launch party. But it is a game that has "gotten away with it" to many extents, and I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head with the humans thing. Its a fantasy game, you're killing Minatours and Medusas, very rarely ripping a humans head off. Games like GTA4 and Manhunt, they're set here, today, and you kill VERY violently. Especially in GTA's case, killing police officers, you almost can't blame people for getting offended.

GoW simply can't be taken as real, and at the end of the day, its not as appealing to children as GTA is, it doesn't have as large a target audience (in other words, its not appealing to like EVERYONE). I think if someone picked up on it, the media could have a frickin' field YEAR with the GoW series, but its gone largely unoticed, due to fair certifications, and obvious fantasy setting.

Still, if someone cuts some poor bastard up using 2 daggers chained to their wrists then we'll see a lot more of GoW!

 

[Milu]

Nice essay. Reminds me a little of . . .

http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/comic072.html

 

[Spidey17]

Thanks for the post man, its REALLY encouraging to get some positive feedback on the essay. Sorry about the Todorvian theories etc, its gotta be put into the essay for terminology marks.

Now when it comes to Eastern culture, whatever medium you study, you near always get this effeminate style injected into the genre, no matter how gritty the context. I ran out of my word limit to say what I completely wanted to say, but its obvious Valkyria is a very stereotypical Japanese text. Just check out this recently released trailer for Valkyria's animated series http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/312383.html just like any other Japanese cartoon isn't it? And for an answer to your question, you need really to look back to the origins of Japanse media.

For America, some of the first talking movies ("talkies") in the 1930s, are gangster films. In fact, they form the "holy trinity" of gangster films, Little Ceaser, Public Enemy, and the original Scarface. Now, these are highly censored, and they were designed specifically not to promote the life of glamour that a gangster persues, but where are we now? From these films spawned highly violent, and highly controversial pieces. The origins of American media have led us to where we are today, so it can only be the same of Japanese media.

Now obviously I'm no expert on Japanese culture etc, but look at earlier Japense video games, like the first Final Fantasy games, or heck even Zelda. These are games that, while feature violence, offer fantastical and incredible settings and characters. Does the typical John Mclane character fit into this genre? No. The effeminate nature of Japanese characters is simple what goes with the experiences that the games are offering.

Hideo Kojima at his GDC keynote was interestingly touching upon the subject of Eastern style meating Western technology. Exciting I think, but imagine meeting both styles? A Nathan Drake character meeting with a super natural Eastern boss from a FF game or something. It'd be a totally dynamic mix.

In fact, sticking with Kojima, Snake is probably the most interesting case study for a mix of styles, because he IS a hard man in an Eastern game. but Raiden! Oh lord is Raiden ever a Japanese character. But he's unpopular to a Western audience. Its compelling really, the amount this stuff can be looked at.

Assuming you're a Western gamer, did you like Raiden? I know I am, and my tendency to get swayed by reviews, coupled with every source hating Raiden, I didn't... much But I didn't find him anywhere near as lame as most made him out to be. I did hate his look, but his personality was cool, except for when he would whine about not having a purpose. Considering Kojima started of the game with one of the the top 10 coolest game characters ever, and then went to someone in the bottom quarter of coolness, right there with Luigi, Raiden never had a chance.

Oh man, I'm going way off track now.

Just a little.t:

So to conclude on that first question, which I've typed WAY too much about, why this effeminate nature? Well firstly, games of today have been influenced by the originals, men with long hair, boys in green tunics etc, they don't present your typical masculine hero. Then there's the fact these types of characters are simply what you expect of a fantasy genre. I dunno if I answered that well enough for you, I guess I'd need to be a bit more knowledgeable in Japanese media and culture to give you a definitive answer, but I hope I gave you something to think about.

You did indeed.

I like the thought of doing more essays actually, without the restrictions of word limits etc. Its something I'm really passionate about so I should definately look into it, and the ME case study is VERY rich for stuff to write about.

You are welcome, can't wait to read the next one, I just don't hope you don't go too nuts with the no word limit, try and keep it to three posts max.
But yeah, did you see the Fox special on sex in ME? Geoff Keighley was incredibly articulate, made fine points(no control during sex, camera angles didn't show anything really, optional, miniscule part of the game), but the ignorant a**hats rambled on like they actually knew of what they spoke.

Can't wait for our gen to be in power, like someone said in a GI article once, when they were little, the Rolling Stones etc were evil, and their generation would be ruined, but they turned out fine. So when politicians who grew up with PS1s/Genesis-PS3s/360s/Wiis are in power, gaming won't be seen as horrible.

As for God of War, its not completely without its controversy, indeed OPM
UK had to recall issues 2 years ago when they used images from a GoW2 launch party. But it is a game that has "gotten away with it" to many extents, and I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head with the humans thing. Its a fantasy game, you're killing Minatours and Medusas, very rarely ripping a humans head off. Games like GTA4 and Manhunt, they're set here, today, and you kill VERY violently. Especially in GTA's case, killing police officers, you almost can't blame people for getting offended.

I plan on being a cop, but I'm as happy as everyone when I set up a choke point and shoot down dozens of cops, and take down helicopters with my trusty AK-47 in San Andreas. I never used cheats in that game, but rocket launchers were my preferred helicopter killer in 4, the cell cheat was too accessible for even me to resist. And I heard saving in San Andreas after using cheats screwed over your save, so I left it alone. But I beat the game with the ex-cop and ex-nurse as my gfs, so when I play it again, I'll have that from the start withought having to be with anyone. A true reward for beating the game with successful relationships, imo. Whoops, now I got off track.

GoW simply can't be taken as real, and at the end of the day, its not as appealing to children as GTA is, it doesn't have as large a target audience (in other words, its not appealing to like EVERYONE). I think if someone picked up on it, the media could have a frickin' field YEAR with the GoW series, but its gone largely unoticed, due to fair certifications, and obvious fantasy setting.
Still, if someone cuts some poor bastard up using 2 daggers chained to their wrists then we'll see a lot more of GoW!

God of War is just too cool for the masses, you have to be harcore to like that game. Jk, but I understand the mass appeal reason.

 

[TLH]

It's great reading a spirited essay on a modern topic. I'm an English honors student stuck reading and writing on less relevant or interesting topics.

Your essay is well written, but you (more importantly) give plenty of evidence to support your overarching thesis. I was convinced, even having only played Resistance. I'm sure your prof, even with a vague grasp of current gen video games, will be convinced as well.