Many video games with their own universes create a religion to follow it. It is tough to create a religion that seems both believable and also seems like something that people would purposely devote themselves to. Lots of these religions (like in Dead Space or Resident Evil 4) are cults but occasionally there are religions that mirror real life faiths to such a degree that they almost seem believable in their own world's mythos. Religions like the Chantry in Dragon Age or the comicly overdone Epsilon Program of GTA V feel believable in their world because they represent a lot of things that people believe in within that world. I personally don't know much about religion in the real world so I don't feel qualified enough to really write about this but it could be an interesting topic to write on.
Religion is also a major theme in the Legend of Zelda series and at this point is pretty much accepted by fact as all the characters. It is also constantly evolving and plays a more and more major role with each console game. It would be interesting to compare this to how religions operate in the real world (which is often very static) – Grace Maich10 years ago
Assassin's Creed would be a great example here. – Joseph Manduke IV10 years ago
I know Final Fantasy XIII is not that popular, but the storyline has a lot of against gods and fate. – Jill10 years ago
Final Fantasy ten would be a great case here and specifically looking at Seymour and the conflict with Sin. Organized religion is usually made to be either a main villain, or some type of sub villain. This topic would be fairly broad though. Maybe focus on either spectrum? The representation of religion in video games as evil or good? Maybe ask questions as to why this might be the case. – Xemnas10 years ago
The Order in Silent Hill could be examined too. – Lexzie9 years ago
Music has been thematically important to The Legend of Zelda series since A Link to the Past, and has played an even greater role in future games in the series like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. Explain how music is used symbolically and culturally in the Zelda games.
Important to note the use of the music for dramatic effect or for epic conclusions. Also worth nothing is the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour – cdenomme969 years ago
Absolutely, 100% support this topic. I can't help but associate certain moments with certain songs from the series. The Ocarina of Time alone allows the player to manipulate the music by giving you the option to play a tune at most points in the game. There's so much to say about the Legend of Zelda series and the music deserves a lot of attention. I feel that this topic could be broken up into different articles, categorized by the chronology of the various games that make up Link's adventures. – RobertCutrera9 years ago
Yandere Simulator is an Indie Game that explores the yandere archetype, as the objective of the game is to kill all the love rivals before a certain date. It's development has been documented via blogging, and many Youtubers have played and tested this game. However, this game can be seen as unethical, as the player can kill students with weapons, make them commit suicide, and use lewd photos to receive information. This article would go in-depth about why this game has garnered interest, and how documenting it's development has generated such a wide audience.
I do believe that the hype which has carried Yandere Simulator through over two years of development is not simply due to its constant update, although granted, it has been helpful, but mainly because of its topic. There is something really crucial in discussing the topic of yandere as an archetype and the love it gets in the online communities. – Ewilan9 years ago
Explore the coming of age of virtual reality as a technology with the potential to revolutionize video games. What is virtual reality? How will virtual reality affect gaming and the gaming industry? How does the technology work, and how close is it to becoming a household item? What are some of the major companies that are working on virtual reality technologies right now?
Analyse and explore how the success of the few has mobilized an army of individuals to seek riches with independent game development. Explore the difference between the evangelist indie developer and those who are chasing the dream.
The video game industry suffered a tremendous blow over the weekend. Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata tragically passed away Saturday evening. He was 55.
Unlike much of the leadership of modern gaming companies, Iwata is first and foremost a gamer. Iwata has always been deeply involved in games, dating back to the 1980s, where he first started at Nintendo as a programmer. He was an important figure in classic titles like Kirby, Balloon Fight and Earthbound. In 2002, he became the fourth president and CEO of Nintendo.
It would be good to chronicle Iwata's key contributions not only to the company, but to gaming as a whole. Specifically, many significant innovations in the industry were brought about from Nintendo during his leadership tenure. -The Wii, which outsold both of its console competitors (the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360) -The huge success of the 3DS, which continues to sell in spite of an increasing demand for mobile gaming and smartphone use -The persistence to not give up the Wii U system in spite of fledgling sales, and continuing to develop creative and unique games for it You can look at how Iwata helped bring Nintendo to record-breaking successes.
On the flip side, there were several hurdles Nintendo faced over the years, such as the commercial underperformance of the GameCube and Wii U systems. You can also look at how Iwata worked hard to help the company as it struggled through these difficult times.
You should also talk about the plans for Nintendo's future that Iwata set in motion before his untimely passing. The idea that Nintendo would ever bring its IP to mobile games would have likely been absurd to people in recent years. As well, the company's plans to partner with Universal Studios amusement parks to make attractions based off its beloved franchises was equally surprising.
Finally, as a fitting tribute to a gaming icon, you can mention the influence and inspiration he gave to millions of people. Many figures in the industry have paid their respects to Iwata since the news broke. Some of their anecdotes about their personal experiences with him and/or his work can be a great way to show the lasting impact he has had on video games.
The fact the man was able to pull apart and then port the Pokemon red and blue battle system for N64 Pokemon Stadium is an amazing testimate to his skill (http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/iwata-nintendo-retrospective/) – carboncopyben10 years ago
@Carboncopyben. Exactly. Also Pokemon related, it was due to his effort that the entire Kanto region was added into Pokemon Gold/Silver. I mean, because the Johto region wasn't great enough, he basically doubled the size of the game. I can't honestly think of another developer that worked to add so much content for the players like that. – BradShankar9 years ago
Crafting in video games specifically large scale ones like RPG's are almost required now a days. It seems not only is crafting required in RPG's but also adventure games such as Minecraft. Crafting is being used more and more as a game mechanic and it would be interesting to see how it has evolved over the years. To my knowledge the most unique form of crafting has been with Minecraft with it's item placement.
There are a couple of things crafting does in video games, generally speaking: it forces the players (or rather, gives them cause) to look closer at the game world, and at more of it, in order to harvest or collect components. Rare ingredients, carefully placed, can inspire players to explore parts of the world they might not have bothered with otherwise. I find that I visually interact with the world differently (even in the same game) when I'm playing a character that harvests ingredients than when I'm playing a character who doesn't -- I look for different visual cues and go different places. But the actual making of things allows (usually) a player to custom-create items not otherwise available, or available in that form. Even changing the color of a cloak or shield can make a huge difference in terms of creating a visual that more closely represents the character you're playing, which matters tremendously for immersion. Customizing the game in any way adds to the experience overall, and extends game play. But the great thing about crafting is that (usually) it's a completely by-passable activity, for those who hate doing it. Best of both worlds. – Monique10 years ago
In the pokemon games, the father is only present in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. In the series, Ash Ketchum also does not have a father figure present in his life, and relies on his mother for support. What is the reason for the lack of mothers in this franchise? Is this symbolism? Do mothers have something that fathers lack? Fan theories can be introduced in this article, and the writer can create their own analysis on why this is so. This can focus on either the games or anime, although I've only noticed this pattern when playing the games.
Edit: Title should read 'lack of father figures' or the impact of a mother. – YsabelGo10 years ago
Ash's mother did mention how his father would be proud in the first couple episodes so that counts. – SpectreWriter10 years ago
The parents never truly provide a significant part due to the fact that the story is supposed to be all about the PLAYER. In the case of Pokemon, you have to remember that the game is strongly marketed towards kids. Kids want to immerse themselves within the world of the game and believe that the adventure is all about them. The games make you care about your rivals and friends because you are supposed to defeat them in the story. Kids can imagine their real life friends in the roles of their in-game friends. Perhaps it's harder for a child to imagine a link between their real parents and their in-game parents? – cdenomme9610 years ago
The lack of mothers is not limited in Pokemon. It's everywhere... e.g. Fairy tales and numerous orphan hero epics. – Jill10 years ago
Yes, Jill is right. Peanuts has no adults at all, same with cartoon Ed, Edd and Eddy, – SpectreWriter10 years ago
