July 2, 2008
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Robot Factory!
This is an amazing album!
OK, so I got an e-mail from Nathan (my 17 years-strong best friend back
in England) the other day and it inspired me to make this update. I
would like to make an observation about the vast majority of
Western-made video games and their character designs. If you would
kindly glance over the following photographs:
Gears of War 2: Square-jawed, skin-headed cybernetically enhanced guy with a massive gun!
Fracture 360: Square-jawed, skin-headed, (possibly) cybernetically-enhanced guy with a massive gun!
Unreal Tournament: Square-jawed, (almost) skin-headed, (possibly) cybernetically-enhanced guy with a massive gun!
Mass Effect: Square-jawed, skin-headed, cybernetically-enhanced guy with (it’s not displayed in this picture but I assure you he has it) a massive gun!
Too Human: Square-jawed, skin-headed, cybernetically-enhanced guy with…. OUT a massive gun!!? Seemingly. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though….
OK, so is it just Nathan and I or are all these guys basically the same character design? They are from 5 different video games (and there seem to be endless others who look just like them out there!) I’m not saying all Western-made games suck balls and have lame, generic, cookie-cutter testoster-drones wielding massive- “I’m totally comfortable with my man-tackle, I swear I’m not compensating” -guns but there certainly seems to be a trend here. Japanese character design > Western character design!
Whilst I’m being inspired by other people’s writings I’d like to borrow from Dani’s latest blog entry and talk a bit of politics. I’m never quite sure how I feel about politics. Weird for someone whose degree effectively had him minoring in Global Politics! Part of me hates it; the dirt, the lies, the muck-raking, the back-stabbing, the fact nothing ever really seems to get done! But the INFP world-peace-seeking humanitarian in me just can’t help but get involved. I’ve always been drawn to it. I can’t resist a discussion (however emotional and objectivity-lacking I may be) and I spend a lot of time considering various view points, mulling over things and trying to reach some kinda ideal balance that would naturally lead to world peace and harmony if someone would just put me in charge of the universe! Anyway, Dani effectively turned my attention to the US Presidential Race and it got me going. Honestly, I really hope Obama gets it! I admit I have a certain liberal bias (I regard myself as a considerate liberal) but by and large I hate party voting. “I always vote Democrat. I always vote Republican. I vote Labour. I vote Tory. I’m conservative. I’m liberal.” How about actually considering more than your own blinkered, probably parent-inherited, view, people? Anyway, I admit I have only done minimal reading on Obama and McCain but I think they’re both strong candidates and could be very effective presidents. I hope that whichever one gets in they can achieve a balance that undoes the damage the Bush administration has done. Seriously, whether you back Bush or not, one fact remains; he has eviscerated America’s international standing! This is no day and age for any nation to be thinking unilaterally. No-one can afford to be thinking of their nation and their nation alone, least of all the leader of the world’s numero-uno superpower! We need to be thinking about rubbing out the lines in the sand, breaking down borders and fostering good relations, not further insulating xenophobic “them and us” attitudes. Speaking as a none-American I back Obama simply because of the change he represents. Conservative America has been championed for too long and it has done considerable damage. America does not need conservatism. It does not need liberalism. It needs balance, and it does not have balance under George W. Balance will be brought about by change and, whilst I hope either candidate could bring that about, I am more inclined to trust in the younger, more progressive candidate to do so than the 70 year old political veteran. We do not need the political equivalent of another square-jawed bazooka wielder! I say “we” despite this being an American issue because it is not just an American issue. “We” is not America. “We” are the world.
“We are the world…..?” Tell me I didn’t just say that…..! >_<
Yeah. So the rest of my life is cool. My rant last week was an isolated incident. In fact the day after I was in the BoE (Board of Education) and the guy I spoke to told me he had been at my school the day before and was extremely happy with how I was doing! I got the distinct feeling that he never saw my lone-teaching disaster but he showered the praise so much I suddenly felt overwhelmingly vindicated. Though being up around 7 every morning is always gonna be a task for me I have to say school (with the exception of a few niggling annoyances) is usually a pleasure for me! I did get to go to an awesome party this past weekend for the Tono (the region between Tajimi and Nakatsugawa) ALTs, albeit sans Matt and Dani. Got to know some cool people and one very wacky, just-what-is-he-smoking Japanese guy. I guess I do feel pretty drained sometimes, being on the go constantly and the fact I don’t get to spend enough of my free time quite how I’d like to (PS3ing is awesome, but I’d rather it not be all I do with my time off) but in 2 and a half short weeks term ends and I hope this will soon rectify this. Sarven and Holly will be back, Calex will be Honshu-bound shortly after Sarv’s arrival. Coupled with the massive amounts of free-time most of us will have (sorry, guys who won’t) I certainly hope this summer will be as awesome as I’m dreaming it will be!
It’s over. I have the high ground…. Later peeps!
“… say whatever you want cos I can laugh it off….”
Comments (14)
i definitely think that game developers in the u.s. (in general) are at once copping out of the challenge to develop deeper characters and taking advantage of a huge market for all the flag-waving nationalists who want to take out the terrorists (and who probably aren’t as confident as they claim). halo has a decent story at least, but i’m getting a little tired of all the tom clancy (et al) games. i miss the old RPGs like king’s quest. ever play those? fantastic, for their time.
politics. oy vey. i have the same love/hate relationship. while sometimes it seems to cause more problems than it cures, i suppose it’s a necessary evil? sometimes i try to be apathetic about it, rolling my eyes at all the spin, but i can’t be entirely. my political heritage is strong republican, but i’ve tried to go with my instincts at each election. i would have voted for george w. the first time (then and still, but i was too young), but i didn’t the second time. now i’m somewhat torn. i think i’m leaning towards obama, but it’s also fairly obvious that he has an amazing p.r. rep. most of the things i’ve heard him talk about are just feel-good topics with buzzwords like “unity” and “better world,” but ultimately i still haven’t a clue what his plans are. both seem a little closer to a middle ground, which is where i tend to be, but i guess i’ll still have to wait and see.
we are the world… classic.
congrats on almost summer break! how long do you get?
Western action games = fun for 15 minutes
And don’t forget about the fast-approaching trip to Mt. Fuji! By the way, Have you been in touch with Sho about it? He needs to know who all is going so he can make reservations at a hostel. And I think between your mad drawing skillz and my lacking, yet workable photoshop skillz we could come up with a pretty cool Fuji shirt design….no pressure, but it would be pretty cool.
They were playing Jimmy Eats World at Coco Ichiban the other day. Then I found 500 yen. Blood everywhere.
Yup, pretty much every western-style action FPS has the same mould-made character… with the exception of a few but still fit in… Gordon Freeman: Beard, Short hair… but still has big massive gun… well kinda, if you consider the gravity gun/RPG’s big guns. Jack Carver (i think thats his second name from Far Cry): Has hair on top, but still has that “my face has been in a vice for too long” face. Even older FPS games has the same look. But fortunately things like enemy A.I. make things more appealing. God knows how many times i have almost jumped out of my skin playing against the enemy in F.E.A.R. let alone facing off with Alma (freaky “The Ring”-esque girl). I just enjoy shooting the crap outta the enemy and to see how well the A.I. adapts to my style of play that makes the “Hello My Name is Chris Fox and everyone has a square face” ordeal bearable.
Politics: Everyone is a lying bastard with no agenda for anyone but themselves. Egotistical, selfish wankers and should all burn in the fires of Hades. =^_^= <- Deserves a kitty face for no reason…
Hmm.. I think the Square-Jaw-With-A-Big-Gun thing applies mostly to one (albeit broad) genre of western games. I also blame the Terminator series for starting the whole thing. You have to admit that although it is gradually changing, the better part of the target audience for those games has long been along the lines of the teenager or young adult that isnt all that athletic and outgoing. They might just wish an outlet for their angst that others might find in martial arts or sports, they might wish an escape from their everyday mediocrity, they might even, deep inside, fantasize that they arent scrawny/overweight/average/acne-ridden/etc, but some larger-than-life hero that is the apex of the western stereotype of manliness. With a big gun. Like all good companies they see a market that works and are over-exploiting a stereotype. I think it will eventually die out.
I also think that its pretty much the same thing everywhere. Rare are the Japanese RPGs where the hero is a girl warrior. There are some, but they are pretty rare. Like western shoot-em-ups.. I think Tomb Raider is an example (though that one falls into another stereotype). Or also the defunct Starcraft Ghost. I alwaya used to joke with my geek friends hoe if you’re a female elf in a japanese RPG you HAVE to be either a cleric or mage. Of course some exceptiong like Deedlit in Record of Lodoss Wars. Though thats originally an anime and not a game
In fact, I think the Japanese stereotype is very much present too. I mean.. for RPGs.. Isnt the hero usually a young man, usually wielding a sword? Sometimes a really big sword? Nees I draw a parallel between swords and guns and male genitalia? Of course the Japanese idea of manliness might be diffrent from the western idea, or maybe they just dont make it a central theme. Maybe they see manliness not as so much as muscle, square jaw and army-type of person, but as a mysterious, cool man of few words that gets the job done. I dunno.
Its also interesting to think about why westerners feel the need to cling to that image of the super-manly military guy with a big gun, whereas japanese people do not feel the need to put so much emphasis on that. Perhaps, as explained above, Japanese see manliness as something else than muscle and warfare? Or perhaps, because those that arent strong or virile in that sense instead of feeling a longing or need to become like that instead become bitter and resent muscled people as “kinniku-baka”, and resent them? Maybe the fact that in the western world, women have become stronger, free and are able to pull their weight be it emotionally or financially? Maybe thats making alot of guys question what virility is? Making them feel inadequate? Something not as present in Japanese society, where sexual roles are still strong and respected.
Interesting.
Anyways, If I can manage to get off my lazy ass, i might put up a counter-article on xanga for the sake of discution. Maybe I can get pictures of the Japanese stereotype and make a parallel or something.
Hmmm, well at least I don’t have the square jaw then… >_<”
Having played very little (if any) video games in general I really have no way to comment, though on the counter side I find many of the images of Japanese video games I ahve seen you guys play or in posters (etc.) reflecting what Japanese guys want to be – excessively large hair (why?), very feminine features like pointed jaw lines and big eyes (of course), slim and athletic as opposed to muscular, and so on… It must be cultural, because I personally see absolutely nothing I would aim for in that list (if I had to choose I would definitely opt for the western masculine image without a second thought).
Looking forward to Fuji!
Glad to hear life is not all dreary and mostly going well! The highlight of your summer will, of course, be my return to Japan. (That’s a joke.)
@sarven - @ShinRaijin - True. And I did think about this whilst updating. There is an equally cookie-cutter approach to Japanese heroes sometimes. So here we have another somewhat andriginous teenage boy with big spikey/long/long and spikey hair and a sword! I get sick of that too. the real issue for me is soemthing that`s hard to blog about, especialy when this was just intended as a light-hearted poke at how remarkably generic these characters are. The real issue is personality. Most of this Western-designed characters are basically mannequins. Over-muscled mannequins with a bazooka strapped to them. Whatever Japanese characters may look like they are at eat “alive,” usually. I hate them, sometimes, but at least I`m getting something from the character. They`re at least expressive, give a sense of personality (even if that personality is really annoying!) Calex has a point with The Terminator remark…. but the thing is the Terminator was (in the original movie anyway) a ROBOT! He was a lifeless drone designed only to kill… and that is basically what Western designs give us in supposedly human characters. It`s the writer and drawer in me, I guess, that requires stylistic consideration and character expression. I may be biased (probably am) but I find the Western generics far more uniform and lifeless than even the girly Japanese generics I hate.
haha. yes, yes you will.
i’m not sure why i keep posting, actually. you and matt are 2 of the 3 people who read it and/or comment.
and thanks for the luck!
I guess a lot of the games are made to be easily-digestable for the common audience and hence regardless of country there will be many cultural similarities, stereotypes, etc. It is also probably a lot easier for them to speed up the game development process if they just recycle ideas (and it all comes down to money in the end, right?). Pity.
Let’s not forget Cortez from the TimeSplitters series! He is the perfect example – bald, square-jawed, big-gun-wielding, with a more stylised approach to his graphical presentation so he kinda holds a mirror up to the genre. But there’s a reason for this kind of character design! (Oh, and let’s not forget Sam Fisher [Splinter Cell])
We have these near-identical main characters because they’re easy to forget about and allow you to invest yourself into the game. If you lose the sensation that you’re playing a unique character then you can suspend your disbelief and the game becomes a personal adventure. A… choose your own adventure?!?
It was the same thing with Raiden in MGS2, who, as mentioned above, has few of the qualities we would find desirable as a Western audience – he’s super slim and feminine with carefully maintained girly hair. But he was made to have white hair and bear little personality of his own so that gamers would put themselves in his shoes, making themselves the secret agent. (Note: It didn’t work. Everybody hated Raiden)
So I guess my point is… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
And another thing. Don’t talk to me about free time…..*shakes fist*
@invisiblebalex - I’m amazed I forgot Sam Fisher!
Personally I feel a lot more involved when I have a flesh-and-blood-feeling character I can relate to. Solid Snake is a good example cos it was the jarring lack of Snake that led many to hate Raiden and his bland girliness. I still love RPGs like Chrono Trigger but the lack of personality in the main character actually makes me feel a bit…. uninvolved. Rather than implanting my persona over a blank slate (which is rather limiting, since games often restrict greatly the level of real influence you can have game-play and story-wise) I prefer a cast of well-developed characters you can relate to. Maybe there won’t be a single character who fits you exactly but you can feel more like you’re involved in something real, with real people, rather than a generic drone. like I said before, though, it is probably the writer/drawer in my that finds this jarring. These generic characters are generally from FPS games where character development, emotional involvement and storyline are usually none-existent. Guess I’m barking up the wrong tree here, but I’d still like to see some originality in designs rather than Chiseled, Body-Armour Clad, Bazooka-Packing Colonial Marine Mark. 41785.
you’re in for life now, sir.
hello =D
Thankss!
I really like what you said; Its how i feel sometimes, I have probably notebooks full of stuff i have written, but i am afraid to put it online becasue i am afraid people will steal what i have written. I have been in a bad mood. I think i am bi-polar or something. =/