Topics: Slaidey

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Mom and Dad and Soundtracks

Mom and Dad is a polarizing movie, to say the least. But critics are focusing on the acting, and not enough people are talking about the over-the-top and louder-than-necessary soundtrack that plays throughout the film. Were the music/audio queues a miscalculated mistake, or a statement?

Write an article assessing the accompanying audio to the movie. Do the loud stereotypical mood sounds take away from the narrative or add to it?
I found the soundtrack an interesting element that added extra commentary to the narrative. Although the actors took their roles seriously, the audio’s juxtaposition to their struggles, highlights a lack of seriousness (especially when scary buildup music is playing in the beginning, constantly threatening danger before any is close to being presented). The situation the characters experience are dire and unfortunate, but the noise in the background continuously reminds audiences that the premise itself is still ridiculous.

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    "Detroit: Become Human" and the Acceptability of Violent Depictions Across Different Media

    "Detroit: Become Human" is a video game made by Quantic Dream coming out in 2018. It’s a choice based game shaped by the player and there has been controversy over the acceptability of it’s brutal story telling/choice based outcomes. The main character may supposedly choose to act or not act in a situation that can result in the death of a child by her father’s hands or the main character killing the father instead. People are calling for the scene to be taken out from the game. Some say the former outcome will fuel abusers’ fantasies while others worry the latter outcome will put victims of abuse in danger by inspiring them to seek violence in return. Neither situation is unique, as in, such events have been written about and occurred in films and art before. People want to draw the line so harshly for video games and what they can portray because of the interactivity. Is it fair to treat video games so differently? Provide examples of highly controversial video games depicting violent or disturbing scenes from the past, and speculate on whether their reception will shape Quantic Dream’s decisions in addressing such concerns. Are these concerns valid?

    • This is an old debate, but still an incredibly important one. Something to consider would also be to look at academic journal articles of psychology studies that have been published around the link (or absence of the link) between gaming and violence. This is a great topic to discuss. – SaraiMW 6 years ago
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    • I believe some people are so keen to start making standards now because once Virtual Reality hits mainstream and those experiences become something akin to reality, what will the psychological effects be? Can someone get trauma or PTSD simply from playing a war game? – Slaidey 6 years ago
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    A Cure for Wellness Analysis of Inconsistencies

    "A Cure for Wellness" is a movie filled with loosely defined answers in need of a good article to analyze it’s potential hidden meaning. The movie is saturated with the presence of eels; why eels over any other aquatic life? A quick google search says seeing eels in a place they aren’t meant to be is a sign one is out of their depth (as the protagonist clearly is on multiple occasions) and the touching of an eel represents a missed opportunity. This fits well enough with the protagonist’s experience/character but that leaves the question, how often were these sightings real? The movie tries to throw watchers back and forth between believing whether everything is real or in the protagonist’s head. At the end when the Baron is confronted it’s assumed for a short time that all the strange happenings were real and influenced by a degree of brain washing, however, in the last frame of the movie the protagonist is seen smiling with a full set of teeth when earlier in the movie he lost two. When asked about this the directors remained ambiguous on the significance, if there is any at all. Can it be deciphered how much of the film is based in reality or illusion, or is the it an unanswerable question?

    • I believe the film is supposed to be a combination of reality and illusion, especially considering that the majority of it takes place in what appears to be some sort of institution. – Sarah Bish 6 years ago
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    I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House: A Refreshing Change

    Write an article about "I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House," a Netflix original. It’s format and creative choices in story telling, narration, and cinematics, leaves viewers surprised. It isn’t what most expect to find, as many have become accustomed to jump-scare and gore films when it comes to entering a movie with the mentality "this will be scary."

    Someone please write an article that not only examine the director’s choices and how it differs from other modern films (more resembling the re-telling of an old abstract horror short story) but an article that will also contextualize it. Does it have literary ties to another work or was it made simply to resemble such? How and which literary elements did it adopt and to what effectiveness?

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      Why Minions Went Viral

      I’ve been asking myself for a long time what made minions from the movie series Despicable Me get so out of hand in merchandise and web presence. With the third movie soon coming out this topic could get a lot of attention. People tend to be in one of two categories: they love minions or they hate them. But, why Minions? There are plenty of slapstick sidekicks in cartoons but none have blown up to quite such proportions. There’s a lot of them, they aren’t identified as individuals, and they don’t talk, but until they became mass-produced cringe inspiring merchandise, they contributed a heartfelt dynamic to the family image in Despicable Me and that’s now been forgotten. Did they catch fame so quickly because of their central role in the movie or was it just their slapstick humor that caught people’s attention… or was it something more subtle? From memes to merchandise Minions are presented as androgynous. Is this what made them so marketable? A non-gender creature appealing to anyone? In a world with so much gender controversy, maybe Minions were the solution to a time full of uncertainty and a need for PC? Study the marketing strategies presented for Minions, and perhaps on a anthropological level, explain their success.

      • I think either Ralph Sepe or IHE (Youtubers) may have covered this in their Minions videos. It's partially based on the simplicity of the character design that emphasizes 'cuteness,' and the nonsense-speak achieves a similar result (I know they speak Spanish occasionally, but they also say fruits or whatever; it's not a language). Gender....really has nothing to do with it. Lightning McQueen was pretty marketable, as was Frozen's Olaf, and both were clearly male. And I doubt the Minion-loving crowd cares about anything being PC or not. [They have traditionally-male names/mannerisms anyways, I don't know how you drew the androgynous conclusion?] I'd definitely like to hear the gender-argument you're proposing, but I don't think it's built on solid ground so far. But like, definitely prove me wrong because I love analyzing kids' movies (Sorry if that sounded aggressive; if so, it was unintentional). – m-cubed 7 years ago
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      • I agree with m-cubed that I don't feel like their lack of stated gender really did much. I also agree with the points the aforementioned Youtubers made about simplicity both in design and in their nonsense speak. I think "mass-produced cringe inspiring merchandise" might be a little too heavy-handed since it veers on personal opinion (even if I agree). I think looking at why they inspire so much hatred in particular might also be interesting. If I had to wager I believe it's a counter-culture attitude. When something is so all consuming in products, media, and, in the minion's case, social media it generates an over-exposure annoyance. This "annoyance" I think was made worse due to the fact that their content is rather culturally base. It's nonsense speak and slapstick, which are pretty low on the cultural totem pole and thus easy to hate if you are outside the common denominator. By distancing themselves from this cultural phenomenon, it was seen as a statement of having higher standards and taste above the lowest level of the "cultural totem pole". – LondonFog 7 years ago
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      • Yes, you are both really informed on this (as I'm not, I didn't look into it ahead of time and just threw this up because of the trailer). Anyone who takes this article shouldn't get caught on the androgynous thing, it really was just a call for an article going into why they were so mass-marketed and why the reactions to them were so strong in either direction. Taking already analysis into synopsis and adding to them would make a fine easy piece of writing to get views for the upcoming film. – Slaidey 7 years ago
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      • I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Kevin is a male minion. – Tigey 7 years ago
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      ME!ME!ME!'s Imagery as a Warning

      ME!ME!ME! is not a new video but I recently stumbled across it and was taken away by it’s imagery and symbolism. Normally watching such blatantly sexual animation is deterring, but it’s underlying message shone through. Other critiques have been made on the video but I feel the Artifice’s community especially would appreciate another thorough analysis. Pick apart ME!ME!ME! as a warning for the destructive powers of the protagonist’s lifestyle (becoming overly obsessed with anime characters). You can find a light analysis on youtube by Gaijin Goombah, but he also makes it quite personal in the end. Write a more professional and organized article on the theory, hopefully starting with something close to his main thesis, followed by specific imagery in the video to solidify the stance. Perhaps address various case studies on the reality of being addicted to such fantasies; statistically how many lives are ruined by this fascination and is there such thing as rehab?

      • Hi Slaidey, I think there is a typo for "quiet personal">>>>>"quite personal." – Munjeera 8 years ago
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      • "The crux of the proposed article is not clear. Are you suggesting an article that argues against the use of violence in viodeo-games, utilizing Me!Me!Me! as a case study? What is the underlying message that you mention? Be clear, because even if I'm familiar with the game (which I'm not), individual interpretations of texts (like this game) are not universal. Overall, I would like to see some clarification regarding the argument that you're proposing."- AnaMRuiz. I wish there was a way to reply to revision suggestions. ME!ME!ME! is not a conventional AMV from any anime/show/game. It could be considered an animated short film since it is animated and sound-tracked with originality (to my knowledge) but is often referred to as an AMV because it intentionally follows that style-- but with a specific message and point in mind. Individual interpretations of it may vary in some degree but it was animated with an intended message that should be easy to notice, so it's not a case study imposed on any external media. I would suggest watching it first, to understand what it's going for. It's the story of a young man who became over obsessed with anime and ruined his real social relationships because of it. – Slaidey 8 years ago
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      Published

      Where Did All the Editors Go

      Where do you go for your news? Somewhere renown for legitimacy like The Huffington Post and The New Yorker, or perhaps somewhere mainstream like Buzzfeed? No matter the reputation of the site I’ve noticed one recurring thing: errors. Grammar errors, spelling errors, syntax errors. These are all extremely popular media sites, used by millions of people every day, and yet there seems to be no one taking the time to proofread or edit their articles. Where did all the editors go? Are media sites cutting editorial costs or is the flow of content too great for them to handle? Do popular sites even have editors?
      Have we reached a point in our society where language standards are lacking to the point where it doesn’t matter? Do people even care? As a writer, this is a topic near and dear to me and I’m sure to a great many others on the Artifice because we aspire to self produce worthy content. Give me an article with a definitive answer about the decline in quality writing for various magazines/newspapers and whether it’s worth our time to try so hard? Has there been a recoil from dedicated readers over the decade or have such practices actually opened up their client base?

      • I have often been wondering the same questions and thoughts that you bring up myself. – Kevin Mohammed 8 years ago
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      • I wonder if it's related to the amount of students engaged in cyber cheating. – Tigey 8 years ago
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      • My local town newspaper let go of the editorial staff in order to reduce costs. Now the writers have to proofread their own articles, and naturally they miss errors. We tend to miss our own mistakes because we see what we meant to write. It's a shame that rising costs have driven smaller journalism outlets to eliminate staff, but the reasons behind bigger name outlets may be similar. – Lexzie 8 years ago
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      • What a relevant topic!! I cannot believe the amount of typos I find in articles, as well as grammar, spelling, and the lack of concision in these publications. I think this is an excellent topic, and I do hope someone picks it up. I would be curious to see what one does with this particular subject that is especially relevant in this "digital reliance," age. – danielle577 8 years ago
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      • I think it could (like you mentioned) a cost-cutting measure to let writers edit their own work, or maybe many sites want their writers to use as much of their voice as they possibly can without hindrance. To me, it doesn't really matter though, as no written work is as good as it can be without another set of eyes looking at it. I wish there was a more definitive answer out there. – jlcook42 8 years ago
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      • This is a super important topic! As someone that aspires to be an editor, I think it would be really good to know what's leading to the lack of editors and where the problem really lies – LilyaRider 8 years ago
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      • News production has taken on a 24-hour cycle which lasts three days. This time frame is how long the audience is interested in a topic and the follow up. Depending on how much money a cable news network can make and in these times of being cost effective, everything depends on the almighty dollar. Many in the press corps are concerned about their traditional news coverage declining even the Washington Post. On line news is taking over and it is likely that given the speed of technology that news in real time has trumped fidelity to concerns about traditional grammar rules. What is taking over is talking points and sound clips. Remember Marshall McLuhan's "the medium is the message?" That certainly has become true. – Munjeera 8 years ago
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      How Do Public Beta Environments (for ongoing MOBAs) Benefit Gamers?

      There was a massive overhaul to League of Legends’ "Rift" after Riot’s mid-season patch. Every new patch usually comes with some controversy but this one takes the cake. Players are complaining about "RNG" being added to the game with new random elemental spawning dragons. People feel that changes to the Rift Herald which now gives a twenty minute long buff (which in some cases is essentially the entire game) to one player that cannot be lost during death is unfair. And of course, there’s the running saying that any newly released champion is overpowered (which marketing-wise is probably intentional, it gives people incentive to buy the character right away since it will be nerfed later).

      Many players have access to the PBE and some youtubers make a living off of releasing the newest PBE content before it hits the game. With so much potential feedback it leaves me wondering how some obviously un-liked and controversial updates come to fruition. Though it need not focus on Riot I think it would be great to see an article focusing on the process of decision making that happens behind the scenes. What is the company structure? I’m sure gamers would like to know how much of their input goes into certain gaming companies’ decisions. Perhaps it could even serve to relieve some tension from between the two parties. Are more direct and preemptive quality feedback strategies necessary for any variety of gaming companies; are PBEs enough?

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        Esports and Player Transfers

        I am no sports expert, but it seems to me that esports suffer a greater frequency of cross-continental player transfers than "real" sports. It could make an interesting article to examine why this happens, is it just because there are less restrictions? Unable to speak for other esports like StarCraft etc., it’s apparent in League of Legends that a great deal of players on NA teams did not originate in North America and transferred over from a European or Korean (etc.) team. Last season I believe is was OMG, a Chinese team, that transferred over to NA entirely and played for a split before returning back. How are teams’ regional identities so flexible? Also seen often is a player from another region which transfers to NA but is unable to play due to "credit card complications." Why does this happen so often, and ultimately is it worth the risk? I’ve seen far too many times during LCS that teams lose because they don’t get enough practice with their core lineup because of complications and an inability to play since there was a transfer issue.
        Examine this issue and assess the pros and cons of cross regional player transfers.

        • I have no idea what Esports are - is it just the name for a certain type of game? This is an interesting topic and has a lot of potential given it is fleshed out enough. – Jordan 8 years ago
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        • I'd be less interested in the "pros and cons" article, and more interested in a "what does this mean for e-sports and the post-internet world as a whole" article, but I like the topic. – Christopher Vance 8 years ago
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        Published

        Is Undertale Overrated?

        The game Undertale is quickly rising in popularity in the gaming community. It’s been promoted by many well known youtube game play content creators such as Sky William, Videogamedunkey and GameGrumps. It has been acclaimed as hilarious, cute, emotionally moving and beautifully designed. How does Undertale stack up to previous 2-D "RPG"s? What is it that truly sets it apart as unique? Perhaps the buzz around it’s release isn’t because it’s the best of it’s genre, but that Undertale just breaks the mold of other video games currently being released? Does Undertale deserve it’s reputation?

        • If you are a human being with a soul, and you regularly succumb to "the feel?" Then yes, it does deserve it's reputation. Simply put, "Undertale" intentionally appeals to both men and women of any number of gender and sexual orientations, due to its gender neutral main character, and the numerous relationships that blossom before your eyes as you go through the game: more than half of which are what we would consider homosexual in nature. It's a game that includes tropes and gags reminiscent of anime and manga: jokes that only a youth culture now familiar with Japanese humor could appreciate. Along with that, it is a virtual meme production machine, allowing any number of people to take numerous memorable screen shots and make up their own gags from them, not to mention an overabundance of fan-art. Basically, it's popularity on Tumblr is likely by no accident, as it is a game almost perfectly designed to cater to that crowd, and their sensibilities. I can't speak exactly for how it differs or improves on ideas and mechanics used in other similar 2D RPGs. But I don't think it's popularity really has anything to do with its game play, other than the fact that you are encouraged to be a pacifist rather than fight and kill all of your "enemy encounters." It's likely so popular because it appeals to an audience that loves everything this game has to offer as far as its characters, its story, and its romantic situations are concerned. No other game has achieved what this game has in those specific areas, and no other game that I know of has included more gay relationships than it has straight, because at this time, only an independent game by an independent developer is comfortable and courageous enough to design their game that way. For me personally, I love this game, not for the gameplay, but for the story. If I could have just read a comic book about it, or watched an animated video about it all, I may have preferred that. But, putting this all into a game makes the experience perhaps more rewarding, because you required to beat the difficult parts of the game in order to see how this incredibly well-conceived story continues, and how all your new monster buddies turn out in the end. Sure you can watch the cut-scenes on youtube these days. If you want the most out of it, though, then you'll play the game entirely by yourself, and experience it as it was intended. So yes, it deserves every accolade that it gets, because there's nothing else like it, and there might not be another for a little while still. – Jonathan Leiter 8 years ago
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        • With all that I previously said, what I really meant to respond with was: No, it is by all means "not" overrated. If anything, it is still rather underrated by the rest of the gaming community who has yet to play it, and truly understand how enjoyable it is. Because I imagine there are still some reluctant people who have yet to try it themselves, and who may be convinced that what they see filling their Tumblr feeds is more annoying than enticing. lol – Jonathan Leiter 8 years ago
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        • Lol I am glad you are so motivated to express yourself about Undertale, and so strongly. I haven't played it personally, just watched commentaries and gameplay videos. It looks really interesting but I found it surprising no one has anything negative to say. I hope someone like you takes this topic and writes something really moving about Undertale with it! – Slaidey 8 years ago
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        • This could take a lot of research into demographics and the liking. I very much consider myself a gamer and an avid fan of YouTube, yet I've never heard of this game. Mind you, I rarely mix the two. I don't watch Let's Plays and such. – Austin Bender 8 years ago
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        • I think one of the more interesting aspects of Undertale is that it knows it's a game. During replays, or if you go back to another save to make a different choice, certain characters know what you did and will comment on it. That fact it's programmed to be self-aware is an interesting thing to bring to the gaming industry. – tateltael 8 years ago
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        • I think it's very important to know that the sort of moral choice present in Undertale has been done before and I would argue better executed in Indie Games like Iji. I think part of the reason Undertale has become such a runnaway success is partly due to changing winds in interests on Tumblr, and partly due to Toby Fox's placement in Homestuck fandom. Which isn't to say that the game isn't good, but its meteoric rise in popularity is not indicative of its quality. Similarly many members Undertale's have not actually played the game and only know it from lets plays. – MattHotaling 8 years ago
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        Published

        Videogame Walkthroughs

        All gamers know what a walkthrough is and many use one from time to time. Whether you’re stuck in a dungeon and can’t find your way out or you don’t know where to find the last item you need to finish an quest/achievement, they can be extremely helpful. But where do we draw the line? People make walkthroughs on youtube for commentary and entertainment and that’s great and all, but gaming companies also publish full books hundreds of pages long with every detail of the game laid out. When do walkthroughs stop being a tool to help and start being a force which dominates your gaming experience? Are you a real gamer if you use these walkthrough guides or are you a poser just trying to get to the end so you can brag about it?

        • I personally don't have a problem with walkthroughs for video games most of the time. When you watch a walkthrough that shows how to beat a tough boss, you still have to do that. For example if you watch a walkthrough on how to defeat Ornstein and Smough from Dark Souls, it will show you some helpful things on how to fight them, but you still have to do it yourself, which is never easy. I also am ok with it in story based games. Some people really only want to play a game for its narrative, and the gameplay itself acts as a blocker for them. I can't tell you how many obscure Point and Click games I've looked up the answers to particular puzzles on because I didn't care about how the puzzle was constructed, I just wanted to see the story. The only time that I think walkthroughs are not good is when the game is specifically about the Puzzles. If the main focus of the game is puzzles and you look up the answers then it robs you of the satisfaction of solving the puzzle, ruining the game for you. If you just watched someone play Portal 1 and saw where they shot portals to get through the puzzle, its not really an accomplishment to do that yourself, and you get no satisfaction out of it. – Cojo 9 years ago
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        • I would never get through Witcher 3 without a walkthrough, this may well warrant losing my "real gamer" status. – Jeff 9 years ago
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        • You should probably focus on the subculture of walkthrough uploaders. They dominate the industry and fandom. – Joseph Manduke IV 9 years ago
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        • Interesting topic! I think you left out another utility of video game walkthroughs. Some people, myself included, watch video game walkthroughs of games they can't or will not play. Since there are so many consoles, so many games, and so little time, you might not be able to play every game you'd like to. But by watching a walkthrough you can still experience the game. – Cagney 9 years ago
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        • The article would need to pat down exactly what it's referring to in terms of walkthroughs. When I hear that, I think online guides on IGN and other sites alongside the giant printed books. If that's the case, then a lot can be said as to giving the player the power to create their own in-game experience. Where the developer wanted the player to be confused and stuck (or just under-prepared), the guide allows the player to swiftly move through the narrative at their own leisure. Of course a bunch can be debated for either case. But it might be interesting to see where Let's Plays fall into this category also. A side issue could also be printed guides. Although that might just flood the topic with the physical vs. digital debate. – Travis Cohen 9 years ago
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        • I don't think it really matters what medium walkthroughs are available in (print, video, etc.) because what matters is that they are there for anyone who needs them. Gamers shouldn't judge other gamers for using them if they are genuinely in need of help on a particularly difficult boss fight or if they want to find a rare item. I guess it all depends on what kind of experience you want, is what I'm trying to say. – Tanner Ollo 9 years ago
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        The Rising (but still Miniscule) Number of Professional Female Gamers

        I was watching the NA Challenger Series for LoL last week and was surprised to hear team Renegade had a female member! We live in a society which openly accepts women’s participation in male dominated virtual sports, but still, where are they all? I remember once hearing about a female gamer in a competitive Dota2 match that was really controversial because an enemy team’s member tweeted sexually harassing things about her, but other than that the only "professional girl gamers" I hear about are team Sirens (who are basically a joke).

        Can someone tell us why there is still a lack of female representation in competitive gaming? (The only reason I can understand is that in LCS, LoL teams live in a house together and male/female residents might get complicated?)

        • I remember asking a girl when I was very little if she liked Nintendo. Her response was 'Most girls don't like Nintendo.' So... I've been wondering this same thing. Part of the problem will be the male dominated games out there. It stats with Mario, a man who rescues a Princess, which once again serves the role of man rescuing damsel. Link, same thing (though apparently, they're changing this.) The only exception is Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and I guess the problem there is the male dominated cast around her. – SpectreWriter 9 years ago
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        • I feel like for me, someone who is a girl, a gamer, and likes Nintendo, I identified more with being the hero for once. I am in the process of starting a game review/let's play channel on YouTube, and while I'm not sure if this answers your question, I am personally concerned about thoughtless comments just because of my gender. I'm reminded of a professional gamer from Australia who went to the commentators' mothers to stop the harassing. The incident is available for researching on YouTube. – BethanyS 9 years ago
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        • I play video games myself and I have friends who are girls that love to play games themselves too and they're quite good! I think the problem can probably stem to either there is not enough coverage on professional female gamers as the media specifically seems to focus only on the male demographic, only strengthening the stereotype that only boys play video games. And also most likely that those harasses you mentioned are one of the major reasons that female gamers are scared off. Which can be either that many of the online community that are male, for some reason feel threatened whenever a woman participates in their activity. That even happens when a product that was intended for girls, gets popular with boys, and yet certain boys scare off the girls while claiming it was never for girls. The mindset is almost territorial to an extent. Also, and this one might be a weak reason for your article, but most people online could just spout crap to anyone cause they can. They hide under the guise of the internet, which I compare as to wearing digital masks, so they can be anybody else or nobody and get away with such vile bullying and sexist remarks because no one knows who they are and find them. – Ryan Walsh 9 years ago
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        • The fighting game scene actually has a fairly diverse community of men and woman, although there is still a definite uneven ratio. It would also be interesting to look at Ricki Ortiz, a transgender fighting game professional as well as some of the other woman that are prominent in the fighting game community. – DullahanLi 9 years ago
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        • One interesting tidbit from my experience is that in the Counter-Strike scene, there is actually an all-female pro league for CS:GO. While it doesn't generate nearly as much prize money as the main ESL circuit, they are still just as competitive. – marknm 9 years ago
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