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sapphire-weapon · 9 months

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I saw how you said that you think the Leon/Ada ship has sank & I don’t know if that is true. I think Capcom will still continue with them to some extent.

The fact that people still talk about Ada and Leon to this day, 8 years after their last appearance in 2013 (not including the remakes), strongly contradicts the opinion: “It’s getting old”. (which is one of the most used arguments i hear against aeon) Their relationship is memorable and is among the most intriguing stories in RE.

I’m pretty sure Capcom is aware of their popularity as a couple and intends to keep it a mystery/ up for interpretation for a long time more. Leon is the poster boy of RE, so to finally conclude the Ada x Leon story would make his character less interesting and they wouldn’t want that.

See the Ada and Leon fan art, memes, and video edits for yourself; they need that kind of publicity for as long as they intend to keep those two relevant in the franchise. And that’ll be a long time because Ada Wong and Leon S. Kennedy are iconic names in the video game world.

RE is doing different things too now with new characters and all, so probably when the new set of characters become the new hot deal. They’ll finally put an end to the “will they will they not”.

Oh god, Aeon fandom is here.

So uh. A few things.

People talk about old shit all the time. Dudebros still have the "Asuka or Rei?" argument. FF7 fandom is somehow still debating CloTi vs Clerith, despite CloTi basically becoming canon with Advent Children in 2005. People still ship Goku and Bulma, for god's sake. I don't understand what "people still talk about it" has to do with... literally anything. At all.

Leon is not the poster boy of RE. Chris is. If you think that Leon is the poster boy of RE, you are wildly out of touch with the wider gaming community.

Springboarding off the above two points, shipping/fanart/fanfic fandom plays a very tiny role in influencing future game development. Capcom isn't listening to shippers. Capcom is listening to YT content creators and streamers and games journalists and maybe they'll read a thread on ResetEra here and there -- because those are the people who sell their products. And those people are predominantly the ones who are sick of the Aeon melodrama and hated what RE6 did to Leon's character.

Ada's name is not iconic in the video game world. At all. AT ALL. Not a single person who doesn't play Resident Evil knows who the fuck Ada Wong is. She's not Sephiroth or Master Chief or Nathan Drake or Lara Croft or Bayonetta. She's not even Jill Valentine. Hell, even Leon's name was only iconic up until about 2010 when Chris took back over and then RE6 shit the bed. When RE4 was a cultural phenomenon, people knew who Leon was. It's been eighteen years. They don't anymore. They know Chris and Jill, if they know anyone from RE at all. And Lady D. Because of course they know Lady D. If you're having trouble discerning who in the video game world is iconic and who's not: ain't nobody on the goddamn planet was clamoring for Ada (or Leon, for that matter) to be in Smash Bros.

Capcom clearly disagrees with your assertion that not having Ada in Leon's story makes him less interesting, considering that the last three original RE storylines that they released with him in it (Vendetta, ID, and DI) didn't feature or mention her at all. If Leon and Ada never met again after RE6, I don't think a single person outside of Aeon and/or wider shipping fandom would even notice.

There's not much time left for Capcom to "keep the mystery going." Leon turned 46 this year. By the time RE9 comes out, he'll be 48. Ada will be 50. How many more titles do you realistically think those two have left in them? RE9 will probably be the finale for most of the legacy cast, if not all of them. And not a single piece of supplementary canon (lookin at you, CGI movies) leading up to RE9 has been setting up Leon and Ada's relationship to be a thing that's going to be addressed at all. The conclusion of Leon's story is going to deal with his relationship with the government -- because that is the thing that's actually fueling his character arc; not Ada.

If Capcom was truly still interested in pursuing a romantic angle between Leon and Ada, then why did the Remakes turn out the way that they did? Why remove the declaration of love? Why have Leon hold Ada at gunpoint and say he never trusted her? Why create such a hostile, antagonistic dynamic between them in RE4make? Why set up Wesker to be at the heart of Ada's character arc this time around instead of Leon?

I just. I appreciate the cordial tone of your ask. I do. I recognize and appreciate the fact that you seemingly did not come here to pick a fight. And I don't want to fight with you guys, either.

But I need you guys to actually get in touch with the reality that is the games industry and understand that, despite women actually being in the majority in terms of the statistical numbers of video game players, video game publishers still largely listen to male voices in the fanbase -- because those are the people who generally tend to make it big as streamers, content creators, and journalists.

I need you guys to play video games other than Resident Evil and gain some perspective on how insignificant your ship actually is. EagleOne fandom is very self-aware about the fact that our ship, despite having a canonical romantic angle in RE4make, is never going to be pursued outside of the one title that it's featured, because it isn't important and it doesn't fucking matter. We are waiting for our Aeon brothers and sisters in Christ to join us in the self-awareness that is the fact that ships are not what sell Resident Evil games. Aeon isn't moving units -- and was, in fact, one of the contributing factors to RE6 being deemed a failure. People don't play RE for the romance. They play RE for spooky atmospheres in which they can make badass characters do sick wrestling moves on giant fucking monsters and blow shit up with rocket launchers, and if anything gets in the way of that (like Aeon kind of did in RE6), the wider fanbase wants it removed.

But what I really need you guys to do is just... let it go and let people have fun on their own time and in their own spaces. Aren't you tired? All you do is invade other people's Twitter accounts or TikToks or Reddit posts or Tumblr ask boxes (hi) and try to push some Aeon agenda that no one outside of Aeon fandom cares about. You look like out of touch boomers just clinging to the good old days. You do.

And this is coming from the queen out of touch boomers. I am basically the embodiment of the "how do you do, fellow kids?" meme, and even I'm like "you guys need to live in the now."

Like, be honest, man. Did you really think that coming into my ask box -- me, of all people in this damn fandom -- and simply stating "um actually Aeon is super important" was going to make me go "you know what, anon, you're right, and I'm stupid for not seeing it sooner"?

Come on.

I just want you guys to be better than this. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I don't wanna fight about this anymore or ever again. I'm here to analyze the story as it's written while taking into account wider game industry trends and practices and also provide shipping content as it pops up within the text that I'm analyzing, and that is it.

If you wanna talk about actual scripting and cinematography and the intended themes and messages of the Remakes and shit like that, I'm more than happy to have that back-and-forth with you. In fact, I would love that. I become a better analyst and critic by having those discussions with people who disagree with me.

But this? This ask?

I can't do a goddamn thing with this.

#and now im going to bed #it is so far beyond my bedtime holy shit

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neelgamesartanddesign · 4 months

Text

Digital Media Sources and Sognificance

Blogs

Blog 1:-

Unravelling the Yarn: My Adventures in Narrative Theory and the Tangled Threads of Video Games

I've long wrestled with the captivating conflict between customary account hypothesis and the intuitive stories brought into the world in the pixelated universes of computer games. Will Aristotle's "dramatic unities" of time, spot, and activity, created hundreds of years prior for a static stage, really envelop the rambling, non-direct stories turned by my button squashing and joystick punches? Bordwell and Thompson's (1993) "three core components of narrative" - exposition, complication, and resolution - appear to be unfit to deal with the fanning ways and rising stories encouraged by the player organization. This blog is our encouragement to wander past the recognizable, to investigate the complex accounts of computer games and the exceptional focal points we want to see the value in them.

Customary narratologists frequently end up stumbling over the regulator lines of player organization. They long for the straight directions of books and movies, the solace of a solitary writer moulding the story's curve. However, games love the chaos of interaction. Games like "Dishonored 2" (Arkane Studios, 2016) offer a confounding exhibit of decisions, each impacting the result, however the actual surface of the actual story. Do you kill your objective with merciless proficiency or coordinate a non-deadly takedown, gaining their resenting appreciation? Every way not only uncovers an alternate feature of the story but additionally challenges how we might interpret bravery and ethical quality.

Regardless, to disregard the symphony they play by treating these natural records as inferior cousins is to miss it. Janet Murray (1997), in her stand-out work "Hamlet on the Holodeck," argues that games offer a "participatory literature" where players become co-makers, outlining the story through their decisions and activities. This tendency is reverberated by Espen Aarseth (2003), who centres around the "procedurality" of game accounts, in which the genuine principles of the game make particular stories stand apart from every player's excursion. We're not lethargic eyewitnesses, but rather influential people, squeezing our strings into the record wound around show-stopper.

Take, for instance, the agonizing unfairness in "Firewatch" (Campo Santo, 2016). As well as affecting the result, your decisions in discourse and investigation convey Henry's dejection and frantic state. Alternately, consider the widely circulated "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" (CD Projekt Red, 2015), where an innocuous side excursion can enlarge outwards, impacting the fates of domains and, shockingly, forming Geralt's destiny. These games dark the lines between player and record, making us onlookers, yet the very experts driving the story forward.

This isn't to say conventional story devices have no bearing in this maze. Games like "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" (Naughty Dog, 2016) stunningly mix true-to-life cutscenes with vivid ongoing interaction, creating a convincing person bend for Nathan Drake that matches any blockbuster film. The profound punch of his gathering with Sam, interspersed by stunningly planned interactivity groupings, wouldn't be imaginable without the bedrock of exemplary narrating methods.

Eventually, the magnificence of computer game stories lies in their rebellion of classification. They're a combination of pre-modified universes and player-manufactured encounters, an embroidery woven with strings of written purpose and rising mayhem. To see the value in them completely, we want to embrace this complicated exchange, recognizing the exceptional apparatuses and challenges games present. As Ryan (2004) suitably puts it, "Narratives in games are less about telling and more about doing."

Thus, the following time you boot up your control centre, recall - you're not simply playing a game, you're taking part in a story dance. A dance where each button press, each choice, adds to a story remarkably yours, a story brought into the world from the impact of modified universes and your imaginative flash. In that zapping combination lies the genuine wizardry of computer game accounts.

References:

Aarseth, E. (2003). Computer game worlds: Story, play, and actors. Taylor & Francis.

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (1993). The art of cinematic narration. University of California Press.

Murray, J. H. (2004). Hamlet on the holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace. Free Press.

Ryan, J. (2014). Avatars of Story: Narrative Theory for Transmedia Narratives. University of Minnesota Press.

Dishonored 2 (2016). Developed by Arkane Studios. Bethesda Softworks.

Firewatch (2016). Developed by Campo Santo. Panic.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015). Developed by CD Projekt Red. CD Projekt S.A.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016). Developed by Naughty Dog. Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Blog 2:-

Beyond Balance: How Red Dead Redemption 2 Challenges Todorov's Narrative Horse

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games, 2018) spellbound me not simply with its rambling vistas and coarse gunfights, yet in addition with its nuanced story that unobtrusively undermines assumptions. It made me think: how does this advanced magnum opus hit the dance floor with the phantom of Tzvetan Todorov's (1939-2017) account hypothesis, especially his idea of "equilibrium"? Lock in, accomplices, since we're going to unload the story saddlebags of Arthur Morgan and perceive how RDR2 modifies the rulebook.

In Todorov's system, stories follow a natural circular segment: an equilibrium, disrupted by a force, leading to a struggle to restore balance, culminating in a new (though not necessarily positive) equilibrium. While RDR2 begins with Arthur settled in the ideal mayhem of the Van der Linde gang, a similarity to balance, it rapidly dives into the sloppy confusion of a world disintegrating separated. The Pinkertons fix their hold, the law shut in, and the group's inside crevices emit like fountains, breaking any deception of solidness.

Anyway, the strength of RDR2 is its hesitance to permit Arthur to reestablish the past requests comprehensively. This isn't a shoot-em-up where lawbreakers escape towards the skyline and reasonableness wins. Considering everything, the game permits us to see the vexatious breakdown of Arthur's existence, a microcosm of the looming breakdown of the American edges. As Arthur fights his own mortality and the power's downfall into moral haziness, the story's consideration changes into deceitfulness. Its force of scorn and fantasizing is glorious and massively profound.

Consider it like the Dutch's extraordinary plans - elaborate plans considering fickle foundations, bound to fall under the meaning of their own longing. In like manner, the possibility of an unsullied story debilitates as those gaudy dreams disintegrate. Arthur's fight isn't related to restoring plan, yet with finding importance in this continuous reality where the lines between perfect and horrible are on a very basic level generally speaking around as faint as the dusty ways they ride.

This is consistent with Ryan's (2014) discoveries that games give "participatory stories," in which clients assume the job of co-makers and shape the record with their choices. Our moral compass guides Arthur's actions in RDR2, influencing the people he eventually meets, the people he helps, and Arthur himself over time. Due to the weight of these choices, which range from supporting a ruthless land baron to assisting a stranger who is in danger, the narrative arc is further separated from Todorov's straightforward equilibrium-disruption-restoration model.

RDR2 doesn't offer a cheerful closure, a restored equilibrium, or an obvious triumph. All things being equal, it waits in the clashing uncertainty of Arthur's last minutes, passing on us to consider the expense of steadfastness, the heaviness of recovery, and the transitory idea of equilibrium in a world tearing towards disarray. This open-endedness repeats Aarseth's (2003) idea of "procedurality" in-game accounts, where the actual guidelines of the game - for this situation, the ethical decisions and eccentric world - produce emanant stories special to every player.

At last, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as a demonstration of the developing scenes of narrating. It embraces the intelligent idea of games, the muddled intricacy of human decisions, and the ambivalent real factors of a steadily influencing world. An account work of art doesn't simply follow Todorov's pony, it rides close by it, wandering off in an unexpected direction and investigating the wild outskirts of a story where equilibrium is a momentary dream and the genuine excursion lies in exploring the greyest of moral scenes.

In this way, accomplices, the following time you saddle up in RDR2, recall - that you're not simply playing a game, you're partaking in story unrest. a revolution that breaks the old rules and embraces the new, leaving you to ponder the gunshot echoes and fading whispers of a world that has changed forever.

References:

Aarseth, E. (2003). Computer game worlds: Story, play, and actors. Taylor & Francis.

Ryan, J. (2014). Avatars of Story: Narrative Theory for Transmedia Narratives. University of Minnesota Press.

Todorov, T. (1969). Poetics of prose. Cornell University Press.

Rockstar Games. (2018). Red Dead Redemption 2. [Video game]. Rockstar Games.

Blog 3:-

Beyond Bullets and Booms: Navigating the Murky Waters of Realism in Video Games

With war games, realism is the big issue that I've always struggled with. Titles like Battlefield V (EA DICE, 2018) and Call of Duty: World War II (Sledgehammer Games, 2017) guarantee vivid encounters, moving players to the sloppy channels and slug-zooming combat zones of history's most obscure contentions. In any case, how "real" could these advanced universes at any point really be? And is it even desirable to achieve perfect realism? Soldiers, buckle up because we are about to enter the murky world of video game realism and find out if what we discover is real history or just pixelated dust.

We ought to start by perceiving the undeniable: war is horrible, savage, and jumbled. In games like Battlefield V, the visceral depictions of close-quarters combat and the gut-wrenching cries of the wounded do not shy away from this darkness. In any case, validness isn't just about reproducing blood and grime. It's about depiction, getting what is going on, the climate, and the human cost of the dispute. This is where games like Call of Duty: WW2, which told the stories of traditional soldiers caught in the whirlwind of war, taught us that bravery and misfortune coexist in the brutal reality of war.

In any case, here's the rub: " reality" is abstract. Games always have their historical accuracy filtered through the developers' eyes. This, as per Ryan (2001), is the realm of simulation, where the game world mimics reality but isn't a perfect carbon copy. This isn't an imperfection, yet a component. Games can feature explicit parts of contention, zeroing in on brotherhood, the mental cost of war, or the moral quandaries looked at by troopers - angles frequently minimized in customary verifiable accounts.

In any case, this carries us to the concept of immediacy: the illusion of being "there" on the battlefield. Games influence general media innovation to create a substantial feeling of presence, the roaring blasts, the sting of shrapnel, and the terrified yells of individual troopers. This is where the lines between portrayal and reality obscure, making a strong hypermediacy (Murray, 1997), where the experience rises above the actual game and leaves an emotional imprint.

Be that as it may, could this hypermediacy at any point wander into hyperreality, where the pixelated world obscurations the authentic truth of war? Some contend that zeroing in on the instinctive rushes of battle chances extolling war or limiting its intricacies. This is where game engineers face a basic obligation: to offset vivid ongoing interaction with verifiable precision and moral mindfulness.

Eventually, the quest for ideal authenticity in computer games is a waste of time. All things considered, we ought to zero in on experiential realism: catching the substance of war, its personal weight, and its human expense. Games like This War of Mine (11 bit studios, 2014) or Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Ubisoft Montpellier, 2014) accomplish this perfectly, driving players to face the ethical ambiguities and regular citizen difficulties frequently missing in conventional conflict stories.

In this way, the following time you tie on your virtual boots and protective cap, recollect - computer games offer a significant focal point through which to investigate the war, however, that focal point is intrinsically bent. Embrace the force of hypermediacy to feel the heaviness of history, however, remain basic, mindful of the designer's decisions and the moral ramifications of playing battle in a pixelated world.

References:

Murray, J. H. (1997). Hamlet on the holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace. Free Press.

Ryan, J. (2001). Narrative as virtual reality: Immersion and interactivity in literature and electronic media. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Battlefield V. Electronic Arts Dice. (2018). Battlefield V. [Video game].

Call of Duty: World War II. Sledgehammer Games. (2017). Call of Duty: World War II. [Video game].

Blog 4:-

Beyond Buttons and Booms: Demystifying Meaning in Video Games with Semiotics

As a both player pixel-based undertakings and philosophical reasoning, I have forever been entranced by computer games' strange language. What certified importance can be found in these complex universes stacked up with unconventional creatures and pixelated scenes? Research the entrancing investigation of pictures and signs in the field of semiotics. We're going to set out determined to utilize semiotics to figure out the code of computer game stories, leaving no pixel unturned, so lock in, individual travellers!

Our aide on this excursion is the incredible Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who laid the foundation for grasping signs. He sets three key types: symbolic, where a sign's importance is inconsistent still up in the air(think the heart symbol for love); iconic, in which the sign resembles its symbol(a traffic cone pointing to roadwork); furthermore, indexical, where the sign has a direct actual association with its referent (smoke indicating fire).

Could we take, for example, the humble mushroom in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 2017). Depending on its size and variety, this seemingly harmless item can be a tasty bite, a potent mixture fixing, or even a lethal toxin. By separating these mushrooms according to Peirce's point of view, we see how their representative worth (well-being support, crafting material, risk) is gone through their famous appearance (size, variety) and indexical properties (sparkling for embellishments). Each mushroom transforms into a little language structure, mumbling its inspiration to the discerning player.

Regardless, significance isn't just about individual signs; it's also about how they partner and team up. This is where made by Claude Levi-Strauss, with his syntagmatic and paradigmatic analysis, turns out to be useful. The syntagmatic analysis sees how signs join to shape plans and developments, like the deals for things in a making recipe or the improvement of events in an excursion. The paradigmatic analysis, then again, sees how signs associate with each other through substitution and separation. For example, picking either a sword and a bow for the fight to come or contrasting serene towns with jails tormented by monsters are instances of paradigmatic models.

Consider the famous Mario platformer (Nintendo, various years). The succession of mushrooms, coins, and Goombas in each level structures a syntagmatic design, a mini-narrative with a test and prize. Yet, the player can pick various ways, subbing one enhancer for another, and making a paradigmatic encounter. Utilizing a similar arrangement of building blocks, this exchange of syntagms and paradigms makes a powerful embroidery of implying that makes each playthrough one of a kind.

Naturally, semiotics is not without its difficulties. Computer games are perplexing embroidered works of art of visuals, sounds, mechanics, and player organization, making it hard to nail down a solitary, conclusive understanding. In any case, the semiotic focal point gives an important device for unloading the layered messages and unobtrusive implications implanted inside these computerized universes.

In this way, the following time you fire up your favourite game, recollect that you are participating in a dynamic discourse about images and pictures as well as basically playing. Focus on the little subtleties, for example, the ambient sound or an individual's clothing colour. The jigsaw is made up of pieces that can be seen and understood by anyone.

References:

Barthes, R. (1977). Image-music-text. Fontana.

Fiske, J. (1990). Television culture. Routledge.

Ryan, J. (2014). Avatars of Story: Narrative Theory for Transmedia Narratives. University of Minnesota Press.

Nintendo EPD (2017) Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Video Game]. Nintendo.

Nintendo. (1985). Super Mario Bros. [Video game]. Nintendo.

Blog 5:-

Beyond Pixels and Polygon Counts: Deconstructing Visual Identity in Games

As a gamer who has an intense feeling of touch and a craving to grasp how we see ourselves, I've forever been excited by the force of visuals and in-game frivolity characters. We make images that mirror our personalities and goals by emulating these modernized universes, as opposed to just existing in them. Be that as it may, how do the pixels and polygons on our screens come to shape our healthy identity? Now is the right time to get our amplifying glasses and dive into the domain of visual culture and character in games, leaving no pixel unturned!

We should begin with the unrefined substances: representation. The characters, scenes, and items we experience in games are painstakingly developed visual accounts, loaded down with social implications and suspicions. From the hyper-masculine warriors of God of War (Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2018) to the splendidly hued fashionistas of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo, 2020), each visual component says a lot about what our identity is supposed to be, who holds power, and what standards are thought of "normal."

In any case, these portrayals aren't vacant shells; they really help to frame our refined character. We select their garments, hairdos, and, surprisingly, actual changes as we investigate these unrivalled universes, making an exhibition of photographs that develop into expansions of our identity is. Crawford (2009) contends that this presentation of decision turns into a kind of "self-fashioning," permitting us to try different things with numerous forms of ourselves and challenge or support customary assumptions.

This, in any case, goes with its requirements. Games frequently work inside thin scopic systems (Crary, 1992), privileging explicit approaches to seeing and collaborating with the world. The "oculocentric" centre around vision in many games (Murray, 2004) can underestimate different faculties and support existing power structures. For instance, the hyper-sexualized portrayals of female characters in many games can propagate unsafe generalizations and cut off player organization in creating different personalities.

Be that as it may, there's in like manner space for oppositional aesthetics (hooks, 1990) - a way to deal with recuperating and controlling visual metaphors to subvert winning stories. Games like Gone Home (The Fullbright Company, 2013) or Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 2017) offer choice scopic frameworks, allowing players to explore character complexities past spread out principles, whether through LGBTQ+ depiction or nuanced portrayals of profound prosperity.

At long last, the visual scene of games isn't simply a stunning setting; We build, dismantle, and rethink our sound character in this exceptional wilderness rec center. As we continue, we should challenge prohibitive scopic systems, commend the rebellious capability of games to expand visual character prospects, and basically inspect the gave portrayals.

References:

Crawford, M. (2009). How videogames are changing the way we live, think, and relate. Norton.

Crary, J. (1992). Techniques of the observer: On vision and modernity in the nineteenth century. MIT Press.

hooks, b. (1990). Yearning: Race, gender, and cultural politics. Routledge.

Murray, J. H. (2004). Hamlet on the holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace. Free Press.

In Harvard referencing, video game titles are formatted differently depending on whether you're referencing the whole game or a specific element within it. Here's how to convert the two game titles you provided:

God of War (Santa Monica Studio, 2018). [Videogame] Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD & 1-Up, 2020). [Videogame] Nintendo.

Gone Home: The Fullbright Company. (2013). Gone Home [Video Game]. PC.

Night in the Woods: Infinite Fall. (2017). Night in the Woods [Video Game]. PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Blog 6:-

Beyond Pixels and Power-Ups: Unpacking Politics, Diversity, and Identity in Games

I've long felt the thunder of legislative issues underneath the outer layer of even the most dreamer virtual universes. Games, similar to any social item, are not unbiased jungle gyms; they're woven with belief systems, predispositions, and portrayals that address genuine power elements and characters. Today, we're airing out this computerized Pandora's crate to investigate how games draw in with politics, diversity, inclusion, and the complex landscapes of race and gender. Lock in, individual explorers, in light of the fact that the journey for a more impartial and enhancing gaming scene begins here!

How about we start by recognizing the glaring issue at hand: representation matters. From the hyper-manly champions of Call of Duty (Activision, various years) to the hyper-sexualized female characters in numerous RPGs, games frequently sustain destructive generalizations and cut player organization in making assorted personalities. This absence of portrayal, as Nakamura (2008) contends, can build up true imbalances and bar minimized bunches from completely partaking in the gaming circle.

In any case, in the midst of this haziness, there are traces of trust. A few games, like Gone Home (The Fullbright Company, 2013) and Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 2017), give complex portrayals of LGBTQ+ communications, while What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017) digs profoundly and mindfully into the subject of close to home wellbeing. As Alexander (2015) brings up, these games undermine the tried and true way of thinking and prepare for additional careful and convincing portrayals.

However, diversity is more than just ticking boxes; it's about inclusion. How are these diverse characters integrated into the narrative? Is it true that they are consigned to token companions or do they drive the story forward? Do their encounters widen how we might interpret the game's reality, or would they say they are basically window-dressing? Games like Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019), with its different cast and player organization over character decisions, offer a brief look into a comprehensive future where player personality crosses definitively with the game's reality.

Notwithstanding, we can't overlook the insidious power of power structures. Games frequently reflect and support genuine disparities, portraying imperialism, double-dealing, and fundamental persecution in manners that can be coldhearted or even manipulative. This, as de Castilho (2019) cautions, can minimize complex policy-centered issues and propagate unsafe accounts. Assassin's Creed: Unity (Ubisoft, 2014), with its generally wrong depiction of the French Upheaval, act as a wake-up call, helping us to remember the requirement for basic commitment to the political belief systems implanted inside game universes.

At last, we should go up against the prickly issue of race and orientation. How do these developed social classifications shape our encounters in games? How really do game mechanics and stories build-up or challenge existing predispositions? Critical Race Theory, as applied by Hooks (2015) and others, offers an important focal point for looking at how games sustain racial generalizations and could work as stages for perceived hostilities against players of variety. Also, women's activist scrutinizes, as expressed by Consalvo (2010), feature the gendered suppositions and mechanics that can estrange or typify female players.

The excursion towards a more fair and enhancing gaming scene is a complicated and progressing one. By basically inspecting the governmental issues, variety, and character legislative issues installed inside games, we can turn out to be more dependable players, designers, and pundits.

References:

Alexander, L. (2015). Gamergate and the crisis of video game criticism. MIT Press.

Consalvo, M. (2010). Challenging gender norms in video games: From Mario to Lara Croft. Routledge.

de Castilho, R. (2019). Gaming politics: How video games play news and power. Oxford University Press.

hooks, b. (2015). Black skin, white masks. Routledge.

Nakamura, L. (2008). Don't just stand there... Dance!: Racializing space and identity in videogames. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Gone Home: The Fullbright Company. (2013). Gone Home [Video Game]. PC.

Activision. (2019). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [Video Game]. PlayStation 4.

Night in the Woods: Infinite Fall. (2017). Night in the Woods [Video Game]. PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

What Remains of Edith Finch: Giant Sparrow. (2017). What Remains of Edith Finch [Video Game]. PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Disco Elysium: ZA/UM. (2019). Disco Elysium [Video Game]. PC.

Assassin's Creed: Unity: Ubisoft. (2014). Assassin's Creed: Unity [Video Game]. PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Blog 7:-

A Gunshot to the Gut: Immersing in the Gritty Emotionality of Mafia 2

I'm drawn to stories that have a big emotional impact on me as a player., My emotions were hit like a Molotov cocktail by Mafia 2 (2K Games, 2010). From the messy roads of Empire Bay to the melancholic piano harmonies reverberating through smoky speakeasies, the game wasn't simply a digital playground; It was a visceral experience that changed the way I thought about how emotionally invested people are in video games. In this way, individual wiseguys, get your tommy guns and your handkerchiefs, since we're going to plunge into the close to home maze of Mafia 2.

Let's start with Massumi (2008) idea of the raw power of affect, which says that emotions are not just internal states but embodied intensities that run through our being. Vito Scaletta, a young Italian-American caught in the web of organized crime, is the protagonist of the game. The clunking of glasses in private cabin bargains, the adrenaline surge of avoiding disasters in a Submachine gun fight, the bone-squashing effect of treachery - these aren't just visual or hear-able boosts; They are real experiences that make your heart race and make your palms sweaty. Mafia 2 doesn't simply recount to you a story; You get a gut feeling of it.

Yet, influence alone isn't sufficient. To really charm, a game requirements another viewpoint, as Ryan (2010) contends. Mafia 2 doesn't offer the romanticized perspective on the hoodlum life so frequently glamorized in mainstream society. All things being equal, it dives you into the ethical entanglement, constraining you to observe the mercilessness, the disloyalties, and the empty shells of men consumed by covetousness and neurosis. This change in context, this awkward closeness with the clouded side of the Pursuit of happiness, makes a remarkable profound mixed drink - a mix of elation, repugnance, and a biting feeling of disquiet that waits long after the credits roll.

The music, on the other hand, is the lifeblood of Mafia 2's emotional landscape. The score, a masterful fusion of jazz and blues, is more than just noise in the background; it's a person in itself. The despairing kinds of "Lonely Woman" saturate the smoky climate of a bar, reflecting Vito's segregation and longing for a daily existence past the horde. The sporty piano riffs during vehicle pursues uplift the elation of the departure, while the forlorn trumpet performances going with burial services highlight the expense of a day to day existence interweaved with brutality. Mafia 2, as Perron (2013) calls attention to, utilizes music to lay everything out, except to control our feelings, directing us through the emotional rollercoaster of Vito's excursion.

At last, Mafia 2's emotional commitment lies in its tasteful delight (Carroll, 2001). The game doesn't just engage; it makes a lovely, though disastrous, world that attracts you and makes you care profoundly about its characters and their destinies. The painstakingly created climate, the nuanced exhibitions, the music that grips to your spirit - they all work together to make an encounter that rises above pixels and polygons, leaving you with a waiting feeling of despairing, reflection, and maybe even a bit of wonderment for the force of a very much recounted story to move us so profoundly.

Thus, the following time you boot up Mafia 2, recollect - it's not only a game; it's a personal odyssey. Focus on the subtleties, from the gleaming gaslights to the fatigued looks on the characters' countenances. Allow the music to wash over you, feel the mood of the city beat in your veins. Mafia 2 is an update that computer games, at their best, can offer something other than rushes and spills; they can cause us to feel the full range of human experience, leaving us changed and perpetually set apart by the reverberations of gunfire and the mixed notes of a blues melody.

References:

Carroll, N. (2001). Art, beauty, and the future of aesthetics. Cornell University Press.

Massumi, B. (2008). What affects can do: Philosophical essays. Duke University Press.

Perron, B. (2013). Playing to feel: A theory of ludic affect. MIT Press.

Ryan, J. L. (2010). Narrative as virtual reality: Immersion and interactivity in literature and electronic media.

2K Games. (2010). Mafia II. 2K.

Blog 8:-

A Dance with the Void: Embracing the Uncomfortable Depths of Dishonored's Emotionality

Dishonored (Arkane Studios, 2012) wasn't simply a game; it was a drop into an ethically uncertain void that left me wrestling with awkward feelings long after the credits rolled. It wasn't the raw power of supernatural abilities or the visceral terror of stealth missions that truly resonated; it was an inconspicuous, disrupting cacophony, a steady murmur of scrutinizing that bothered my heart. Thus, individual voidwalkers, get ready for an exciting mixture of effect, stylish disquiet, and new points of view, since we're going to unwind the profound maze that is Dishonored.

The game tosses you into the shoes of Corvo Attano, a shamed protector push into a universe of political deaths and extraordinary powers. From the plague-ridden roads of Dunwall to the extravagant, choking out bounds of the Brilliant City, the actual environment throbs with influence, as Massumi (2008) portrays it. The squeaking woods of deserted houses, the throaty moans of plague casualties, the eerie murmurs of the Void - these aren't just hear-able signs; They are sensations that are embodied and seep into your skin, causing a constant feeling of tension and unease. Dishonored doesn't besiege you with obvious profound triggers; it develops an inescapable climate of moral vagueness, compelling you to stand up to the inconvenience of exploring a world without clear legends and miscreants.

In any case, this disquiet isn't simply a dormant experience; Ryan (2010) asserts that it is a deliberate shift in context. You are not a typical legend wielding a weapon and maneuvering through hordes of enemies. The viability of Corvo's powers is captivating, however they accompany a cost. Each squint through time, each responsibility for body, chips away at your humankind, leaving you faltering close the actual edge of the beast. Dishonored does not shield you from the consequences of your actions; It compels you to observe the profound cost of employing such power, the weakening of sympathy, and the plummet into distrustfulness that accompanies controlling life itself.

What's more, subsequently, there's the music, a melancholic three-step dance among greatness and decay. Daniel Licht's score doesn't offer triumphant songs or blood-siphoning calls to war; Reflecting the decay of the city and Corvo's internal turmoil, it is an embroidery of melancholy strings and piercing murmurs. A substantial sign of the human expense of upset and the scars left by viciousness, the despairing hold back of "Streets of Dunwall" keeps on playing long after the credits roll. According to Perron (2013), Shamed uses music to set the mood, but it also increases moral and emotional ambiguity, leaving you with a waiting sense of unease and reflection on the cost of reclamation.

Eventually, Dishonored's commitment lies in its tasteful joy (Carroll, 2001), however, it's a wound, awkward joy. The game doesn't offer idealism or therapy; it drives you to defy the offensiveness inside yourself and your general surroundings. It's a hit the dance floor with the void, a three-step dance through moral ill-defined situations, an orchestra of discord that waits long after the last reverberates of Dishonored's chilling decision.

Thus, the following time you dig into the profundities of Dunwall, recall - this isn't a power dream; it's a mirror held up to your soul. Focus on the unobtrusive subtleties, how shadows dance on disintegrating walls, and the flash of vulnerability in Corvo's eyes. Feel the weight of the decisions you've made and the challenges you've faced as the music penetrates your soul. Shamed is an update that computer games, at their thinking for even a second to best, can cause us to feel the full range of human experience, even the awkward pieces, leaving us everlastingly different by the shadows we find inside ourselves.

References:

Carroll, N. (2001). Art, beauty, and the future of aesthetics. Cornell University Press.

Massumi, B. (2008). What affects can do: Philosophical essays. Duke University Press.

Perron, B. (2013). Playing to feel: A theory of ludic affect. MIT Press.

Ryan, J. L. (2010). **Narrative as virtual reality: Immersion and interaction

Arkane Studios. (2012). Dishonored. Bethesda Softworks.

Blog 9:-

Beyond Buttons and Bosses: Exploring Intertextuality and Transmedia in the Video Game Universe

I've forever been captivated by how computer games play with intertextuality and transmedia narrating as a gamer who appreciates stories that weave mind-boggling networks across different media. From subtle motions to imaginative beasts in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, 2015) to the meandering aimlessly transmedia space of Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment, 2016), games are not commonly restricted islands; their enthusiastic focus focuses interconnected with weaving of references and stories. Utilizing the hypothetical systems of structuralism, poststructuralism, extremist intertextuality, and multimodality, we are diving into this entrancing field today to find the associations between games and the more extensive social scene.

We should start with the central idea: intertextuality. As Kristeva (1967) contends, no text exists in a vacuum. Each story draws upon, rethinks, and undermines previous works, making a trap of interconnections that improve the understanding experience. Games are no exemption. The Witcher 3, for example, is filled with implications to Arthurian legend, from Geralt's chivalric code to the Woman of the Lake's puzzling presence. These references, as Jenkins (2006) notes, flash an exchange among games and different media, welcoming players to become dynamic members in translating and reevaluating meaning.

Regardless, intertextuality gets impressively more empowering when it embraces multimodality. To recount their accounts, games use visuals, sound, ongoing interaction mechanics, and even player offices. Contemplate Bioshock Infinite (Irrational Games, 2013). The floating city of Columbia doesn't just reference Yankee fables and optimistic norms; It exemplifies them with its transcendent engineering, taking-off aircraft, and enthusiastic residents. Investigation and battle that oppose gravity further submerge you in Columbia's particular world, obscuring the line between text and experience.

Transmedia describing takes this blending of texts to an unfathomable level. Foundations like Overwatch, as Henry Jenkins (2007) raises, expand their records past the genuine game, twisting around stories through comics, spiced-up shorts, and, shockingly, in-universe news reports. Subsequently, the line between shopper and maker is obscured in a transmedia world where players effectively add to the creation and development of the legend. The Overwatch social class' energetic fan craftsmanship, cosplay, and, shockingly, vicious esports scene exemplify this agreeable story improvement.

In any case, a central centre is expected to investigate these intertextual and transmedia labyrinths. Garrety (2007) proposes progressive intertextuality, which prompts us to ask about who controls the significance-making process in these amazing stories. How do players participate in transmedia storytelling and interpret references? Do players have agency? Or on the other hand, would they say they are restricted by the pre-decided stories set by designers and partnerships?

Intertextuality and transmedia in games are eventually engaging because they can undermine ordinary thoughts regarding creation and portrayal. They empower us to become dynamic members in a more extensive talk by laying out joins, changing around references, and in any event, describing mutually delivered stories. Hence, the accompanying time you boot up your main game, centre around the mumbles of various stories inside its world, explore the transmedia climate including it, and recall - you're not just playing a game; you're adding to an enthusiastic, reliable creating weaving of shared experiences.

References:

Garrety, K. (2007). Radical intertextuality: The transformative potential of citation. Palgrave Macmillan.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. NYU Press.

Jenkins, H. (2007). Transmedia storytelling: Imagining and building transmedia worlds. The Journal of Media Education, 41(4), 133-142.

Kristeva, J. (1967). Word, dialogue, and novel. Fordham University Press.

CD Projekt Red. (2015) The Witcher Wild Hunt [Video Game]. CD Projekt Red.

Blizzard Entertainment. (2016) Overwatch [Video Game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

Irrational Games. (2013) Bioshock Infinite [Video Game]. 2K Games.

Blog 10:-

Shifting Gears: Gran Turismo 7 and the Evolving Landscape of VR, AR, and MR

Having completed my share of virtual miles as an experienced racer, Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital, 2022) conveyed something beyond a new layer of paint on exemplary circuits. It filled in as a brief look into the eventual fate of hustling games, one where the lines between the real world and reenactment obscure further because of rising innovations like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). Today, we're locking in and taking a hypothetical refuelling break to investigate how Gran Turismo 7 and its possible hug of these advances can rethink how we might interpret interactivity, immersion, and the actual idea of the dashing experience.

Interactivity, long the foundation of computer games, takes on another aspect in VR. Envision venturing into the driver's seat, feeling the sun warm your advanced hands as you grasp the virtual guiding wheel. Gran Turismo 7, with its fastidious vehicle models and laser-examined tracks, as of now lays the foundation for an instinctive VR experience. In any case, as Ryan (2010) contends, genuine intuitiveness goes past imitating actual activities; it's tied in with fashioning a profound association with the virtual world. VR, whenever executed mindfully, could cause us really to feel like we're essential for the race, the thunder of the motor a heartbeat in our ears, the g-powers an actual sensation.

In any case, drenching isn't just about tangible loyalty. According to Baudrillard (1994), it is about extension, which blurs the lines between reality and representation. Envision checking tire tension in a virtual pit path or changing mirrors with a flick of your wrist. AR overlays could improve track mindfulness, showing hustling lines or contender positions progressively, obscuring the limit between driver and machine. This consistent mix of physical and virtual components, as Azuma (1997) places, could rethink the actual idea of a dashing game, changing it into a cross-breed preparing ground and virtual circuit.

Naturally, with advancement comes the possibility of becoming obsolete. Customary regulators and level screens, when the main entries to dashing universes, could feel artifact-like notwithstanding vivid VR encounters. Be that as it may, rather than grieving the past, we should consider it to be a development. As Crawford (2009) reminds us, games are not static mediums; they adjust and change close by innovation. Gran Turismo 7, with its potential VR and AR executions, offers a brief look into this development, preparing for a future where the experience of hustling rises above pixels and polygons, turning out to be nearer and nearer to the genuine article.

Be that as it may, this advancement isn't without its difficulties. VR, for example, raises issues of openness and inclusivity. Many people are physically uncomfortable in virtual reality environments or unable to afford expensive VR headsets. According to Bardini (2012), retrieval is just as important as innovation as we race toward an immersive racing future. Developers must ensure that no one is left behind on the starting grid in the future of racing by utilizing traditional controllers and flat screens, which still provide valuable access points for a wider audience.

Last but not least, there is always the possibility of reversal. VR, while vivid, can disengage players from the actual world. We are brought back to the social aspect of racing by Gran Turismo 7, with its extensive car culture and online communities. MR, with its capacity to mix the virtual and genuine, could offer the smartest possible scenario - thrilling VR races accentuated by imparted festivities to companions in the front room. This exchange among disconnection and association, as boyd (2014) contends, will be urgent in molding the fate of hustling games, guaranteeing they give individual rushes as well as encourage a feeling of shared local area.

Along these lines, lock in, individual petrolheads! Gran Turismo 7 is something beyond a dashing game; it's a harbinger of a future where VR, AR, and MR change how we experience the excitement of the circuit.

References:

Azuma, R. T. (1997). Re-engineering Reality: Towards a More Powerful Tool for Human-Computer Interaction (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Bardini, E. (2012). Game culture: A new approach to cultural studies. Springer.

Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan Press.

boyd, d. (2014). **It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens

Polyphony Digital. (2022). Gran Turismo 7. Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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