This article would work well for someone who is interested in Japanese erotica adapted from a French novel. 'Belladonna of Sadness' (1973) by Mushi Production; the French novel 'La Sorcière' (1862, Jules Michelet) was the source material.
This epic film was created by men, and originally written by a man nearly 100 years prior; how does an 2016 American interpretation of a 1970's Japanese adaptation of a 1860's French idea find a story of women's awakening? Meaning, across the ages and cultures, how does a person now and here see this woman's sexual awakening and how it translates to her strength as a woman? How does this epic play now, and how does the retelling in film expands itself from the classic novel?
I think the title should be adjusted due to the word multi-cultural being used twice and using the words contemporary and modern is redundant. There are some search engine optimization suggestions in the guide that may help this topic get more exposure. – Munjeera8 years ago
Flashback:The Quest for Identity was radically different from the rest of 1992's gaming crop. Pseudo-cinematic cutscenes, a complex plot, remarkably smooth animation, and creative game mechanics made the game unforgettable for anyone who played it. While its sequel and remake failed miserably and poisoned the property, the original game remains brilliant and preceded the modern trend toward games with more serious stories and characters. This article should explore these aspects of the game as well as how echoes of the game are present in today's games.
One of my personal favorites from then. You could also look into the Another World game series and how widely Flashback was ported across consoles and computers.
– Misagh9 years ago
There are quite a number of board games out there (some entertaining and some a headache). However, we see indie games pop up all of the time. There are even hobby shops dedicated to selling and introducing board games to their general area. Interestingly enough, these games do not seem to have the same media presence that more commercial board games enjoy (anything by Hasbro, for example), yet some games have become incredibly popular. Why is this? What makes them so much fun to pick up and play? Is this all handled by enthusiastic tabletop gamers who make it their only mission to bless the world with the games that they love?
It is worth exploring the indie board game world as a whole and it is worth looking at what makes them popular, despite their powerful competition.
Maybe this topic is just one more enthusiastic tabletop gamer's attempt to bless the world with indie board games.
The popularity of indie board games seems to be a fairly recent trend, not that indie board games haven't been around for much longer. I think they were more popular until the invention of video games and that games from smaller creators and publishers have struggled to compete with the ubiquity of video games. Even a massively popular game like Settlers of Catan was released well after it was possible to own their own video game consoles in their homes. Hasbro and Parker Bros and the like had the benefit of starting when board games were about the most sophisticated forms of group home entertainment around. – chrischan9 years ago
I think looking at the rise of German style board games is important. One criticism I have of American style games that I played as a child was that you eliminated your opponents, so there would be a point where only two people are left in a 6-player game, and the end could take another hour to resolve. In a game like ticket to ride, settlers or scrabble everyone stays to the end. This keeps evreyone involved to the end, and makes games more fun to play. – ahalbert8 years ago
The whole indie board game culture appears to be rather new. This is unlike the Hasbro company that has been around a while longer. Although indie games do not get a lot of exposure, like hasbro games do, they still get a name for themselves. Games like Coup and Pandemic are being played by celebrities (Will Wheaton) as youtube channels and consequently kids and adults are spending their time watching these videos and it peaks their interests them and gets them involved in some way or another. – gamorth8 years ago
Every avid gamer thinks they can design a game, and sometimes it may not cost a lot to actually bring a blueprint to a playable format. Game design workshops and tournaments also pop up everywhere in the country. All this may explain the frequent release of indie games in the last two decades or so. It is, however, one thing that a game is playable but another thing that it is actually fun. I have play-tested a number of games and can affirm that game design is a grueling process: the mechanics, balance of power of different factions, balance of luck and skills, instructions, graphics, and so on. If you don't hate playing your game after this process, you probably haven't tested it enough. But if you can put all the pieces together and have an original idea, your game can become popular. The large gaming companies have the advantage of experience and a good sense of the market. Hence, indie games really need to be very good to take a share from them. – ctshng5 years ago
I know this is a hot topic but I feel like I can't gauge it will enough from my limited perspective. How many games are out there that portray women as something other than a hooker? How about as the lead and most vital character? When they are in the game what do they wear and can this representation be changed based on the comfort level of the user? I am all about wearing whatever you please. People should be free to wear what they like. However, I am curious to learn more about representation and if the options even exist. It seems that most often women are mostly naked, wielding a sword or gun, and are B-stars in video games. Is this accurate or is this mostly based off of media representation.
It's totally accurate. The writer of this might also want to mention that in some games, the male character actually gets points/achievements for having sex with the female character! – Jaye Freeland9 years ago
Off of the media point, I'm sure there is a difference in the frequency of female protags (and their portrayal) based on whether the game is Indie or AAA. Are you hoping to look more at games with a heavy story element as opposed to sandbox/open world games? Dishonored 2 is bringing a female protag to the title, which looks interesting. But there is also the Assassin's Creed debacle, which can't really be ignored here. And what is the difference between portrayal of female characters in general, and when the female characters are the protagonist? But maybe that is splitting hairs and veering off of an incredibly interesting topic. Best of luck to the writer! A few notable games: Portal, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us. – chandlerwp9 years ago
The fact that Naught Dog had to fight to put Ellie on the front cover of The Last Of Us is a testament to how the gaming community is perceived to be male dominated. The idea that a female can be a protagonist, and not overtly sexualized like early Lara Croft, and the game can be a success is still pretty foreign to developers. This would be a very interesting topic for someone to write about, but it would require a lot of research. Like chandlerwp mentioned, Indie versus AAA games have a pretty interesting disparity when it comes to portrayals of woman. That idea alone should be included in the article. I feel that this article would do well if the author could find reputable statistics. – Lexzie9 years ago
I think another thing to consider is female protagonists who are and aren't overtly sexualized yet still have good characterization. For instance, take Laura Croft and the tomb raider series or Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. Both are lead female protagonists with decent characterization and stubborn personalities that make them popular characters. Yet their physical appearances greatly differ. For instance, I personally find that while both of them are hardcore, gun-wielding, femme fatals, Lightning's outfit is actually in good taste. Perhaps you could compare the difference in popularity between female leads who fall within the stereotype or break out of it. There are a couple great examples of this (just naming another one off the top of my head is the game Remember Me where female protagonist Nilin is dressed well, has decent characterization, yet the game wasn't a hit out of the ball park). Another thing you can consider is the rise of female gamers and how the target audience is beginning to change for AAA games. – Mela9 years ago
Many games (RPGs especially) don't set a gender for the protagonist. Elder Scrolls: Skryim, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age all have player-made main characters. Dragon Age (and Mass Effect, to a lesser degree) has a number of very well-done female NPCs as well. – Tarben9 years ago
People have boasted about the power of fiction and movies in modern culture as a way to teach and inform people about important issues of the past, present and future. Can video games do the same? And if so, are video games seen as less of an art form in the public eye as opposed to movies or literature?
I don't think that video games have the same stigma attached to them that they once did. The gaming industry has evolved to the point where even non-gamers are beginning to recognize it as a "legitimate" medium of entertainment. The industry isn't what it used to be, and profits will show that. Especially considering the way games integrate diverse audiences nowadays. The Wii, for example, boasts its family-friendly games, like Mario Party. The Kinect dance games are good for parties and families, too. Think about mobile games also--a "gamer" might not consider Candy Crush a real game, but that's what it is. Games are so different from what they used to be that a large amount of people who play them wouldn't consider themselves "gamers," yet they too appreciate what the industry has to offer. I could go on and on about this. I think it's a good topic. – Christina Legler9 years ago
People take video games much more seriously nowadays and I think that their status is still in the making (ex: the appearance of female characters is still being debated and changing). You could take a look at Nancy Drew interactive games. They show gamers the consequences of their actions and they are educational. I think role-playing video games in general are a good way to help people realize important issues because they are in a character's mind and take things personally. – JennyCardinal9 years ago
The question "are games art?" is still highly debated to this day. Would be very interesting to get the perspective of non-gamers. – MrMuffin9 years ago
Examine the influence the JRPG series Mother has had on recent indie games, with examples being Undertale, Lisa, OFF, Space Funeral, Ib and Anodyne. Talk about how it's atmosphere and mix of quirky humor and cosmic horror has been modified and utilized by modern indie developers.
At this years, E3 Capcom reveal a trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 7. They also released a demo for the game. The Resident Evil series has been criticized for seemingly abandoning it's horror aspect. Resident Evil 4 was hailed as a masterpiece for changing the third-person shooter genre. The change is centered on the introduction of "offset camera angles that fail to obscure the action."
However, by adding these aspects to the game, Capcom appeared to ruin the "survivor horror" series. One reason for this seems to be the abandonment of zombies all together. Replacing them with a cult called "Los Illuminados." The cult members were infected with a parasite, and so were "mindless." They cool use tools unlike zombies, like guns, axes and/or vehicles.
To counter this the series shifted to become more action oriented. The horror element gave way to the action. This continued for Resident Evil 5 and 6, although there were other complaints. Resident Evil 7 promises to return to what made the series a great survivor horror series. Capcom's reveal of Resident Evil 7 demo was meet with mix reviews. The demo doesn't play like the last 3 games or the original games. It played more like the Silent Hill series. It was first person and featured less action.
The demo however will not be part of the "main series," according to director Koushi Nakanishi. He stated that it was more of a "tonal preview." He stated that the demo was designed to show the "fear/horror," elements and the "exploration of an environment." Some of the gameplay elements were left out of the demo. Koushi clarified that "puzzle solving, resource management, and combat," will return to the series as well.
Overall, the demo has sent the message that the series horror aspects are returning. Can this entry revive the series? Can Capcom find a balance between action and horror, while satisfying new and old fans? What do you think made Resident Evil 4 – 6 "abandoned" the horror. What would you like to see in the series of the future?
Determine whether the Final Fantasy series can return to prominence. With the new chapter "Final fantasy 15" expected to be released in September this year. Final Fantasy 15 was originally called Versus 13. There have been internal disputes within Square Enix, causing the game to be delayed for years.
Final Fantasy 15 is a completely different game than Versus 13 was. However, while the demo was generally well received, many fans have decried the simple and often uninteresting story. There are also complaints regarding the change in combat. The game will also be "open world." Does this help? What must FF15 do to continue the series success?
This is definitely a hot topic and the answer seems to be polarized. Many think the FF series should die (or be "final"), therefore XV doesn't stand a chance. That aside, many also dislike the new look, calling XV nothing but a "sausage-fest" full of emo-looking boy band members--and, oh yeah, the turn-based style is gone. Others, however, have high hopes because it is so different from the traditional FF game. I think it would also be worth noting how similar it is in style and gameplay to Kingdom Hearts. Why is it that some gamers were okay with KH not being turn-based, but aren't okay with XV not being turn-based? KH played well, didn't it? So why can't XV, too? If you can't tell, I'm on the "I have high hopes" side of the fence for XV. Ha. – Christina Legler9 years ago
