Serenity in Dystopia

In the world of anime, the apocalyptic world is a large part of the setting. Based on the reading, we can see that these post-apocalyptic worlds are coming out more and more on film and television, especially in the United States. Serenity (and the series it is based off of, Firefly) are set within this world. It takes place 500 years in the future. From what we hear in the film, the earth became overpopulated so humans left and made other planets their homes. The ruling powers that came to be in this post-apocalyptic world wanted a utopia but created a dystopia.

DKP

In the MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game) World of Warcraft (WoW) the main goal is the creation, and then development and advancement of a character or avatar.  Players gather experience points in order to gain levels, which in turn advances their character in terms of strength, magic abilities, items that can be used and/or equipped and so on.  The most common way of accomplishing this task is through completing various quests, often from in-game non-player characters, or combat with in-game enemies/raids.  As your character becomes more advanced, the quests become more complicated and eventually require large groups of similarly leveled players and quite a bit of strategy.  In order to complete more complex raids and quests players began to form guilds, player created and governed communities within the larger community of WoW itself.  In her paper, Dragon Kill Points; The Economics of Power Gamers, Dr. Krista-Lee Malone provided a fascinating insight into these guilds, focusing on the economic system known as Dragon Kill Points, or DKP. 

Raids are done in order to gain experience and loot, in-game items like weapons etc.  As the difficulty of the raids increase, the drop rate of loot decreases, but the loot is generally much more rare and valuable.  The maximum size of a raid is usually between 20 and 40 players, so this can be a bit of a problem.  How does one share a few items amongst that many people?  Enter the DKP system. 

Dragon Kill Points are essentially a score keeping system that also functions as an unofficial form of in-game currency specific to each guild.  The dropped loot is collected by the guild and given a price in points.   Points are given to players who participate in a raid, and can then be exchanged for said loot.  There are several different variations of DKP, and differing opinions on whether it’s a useful system or not.  In order to engage some of the end-game dungeons, specific items were needed.  In order to get those items, players would often have to replay the same raid scenario multiple times.  This led to some players getting burnt out, and contentions between veteran and newer players. 

DKP takes into account time and effort put into a raid, thus leveling the playing field a bit in the eyes of the veterans.  Some players felt this was unfair since they simply weren’t able to commit as much time as others.  There are contentions on whether DKP takes the fun out of the game, but fun is in the eye of the beholder. 

My first MMORPG

When my now wife and I started dating in 2005 I was not a huge digital gamer.  I played solo games on the console for my gaming needs.  My wife, Bridgette, was more of a gamer than I was.  Bridgette would play this game World of Warcraft on the computer, were she would laugh, have conversations with other people, and yes she even yells at the monitor like it will help when she is frustrated.  I was not interested in this concept of playing a game like WoW (World of Warcraft).  Bridgette would constantly pressure me to come and watch her play WoW, even talk to the other players in her guild.  This constant pressure from Bridgette continued for about two months.

The Less It Covers, The Higher The Armor Rating

It’s a common observation that women not only play fewer digital games than men but also spend less time playing games in general. But why don’t women play more digital games? Maybe it’s because character representation is digital games are geared toward male players. This article focuses on the stereotypical portrayal of female characters in digital games, and how digital games are visually geared predominantly toward males. This may be because of wider cultural factors, such as societies different perceptions of the appropriateness of females versus males playing digital games. 

However, because of the stereotypical representation of females in digital gaming, and also the advertisement of digital gaming focusing on the male market, it could be concluded that these factors play a major role in the gender differences in digital gaming. 

International research has consistently found that compared to females, males play digital games more frequently. According to the article Female Gamers: A Thematic Analysis of Their Gaming Experience, researchers have argued that the gender differences reported in gaming may be related to socialization factors, video games typically being designed by males for other males, and that a study argued that fewer females were playing video games due to recognized social norms of gaming being a gender-specific activity. The idea of digital gaming being a gender-specific activity is promoted by the representation of females in digital games. In an article titled Girls as Serious Gamers, they note that research about game content reveals that almost all games portray gender in a stereotypical way (p.237). The article also notes that “although the representation of powerful women in recent games should be applauded, the overall portrayal of them has not improved significantly because the emphasis on their physical attributes and female sexuality remains” (p.237). It’s frustrating going into a game but then feeling as though you are crossing into a man’s territory, where you can’t take the female characters seriously because of their ridiculously hypersexualized image. This could ruin a game for a female player and thus be a reason why digital gaming is male dominated. One of the reasons individuals enjoys digital gaming is that they are able to identify personally and physically with the characters they are playing, but “dominant game content only promotes masculinity, providing a one-sided technology of gender” (p.238), thus excluding females.

But it’s not just the stereotypical portrayal of female characters within games that gear the digital gaming world toward men, it’s also in the advertisement of gaming. According to an article titled Women Just Want to Have Fun – A Study of Adult Female Players of Digital Games, representation in the media, in console design and in games are strongly masculine. In the article gender and Racial Stereotypes in Popular Video games, they state that “In total, there were 26 human characters on the covers of the 19 games; 22 (84.6%) were males while only four (15.4%) were females. The only four female characters appearing on the game covers were all unrealistically thin, and half of them wearing partially revealing attire such as bathing suits” (p.928). For these reasons, it’s not difficult to see why many women may not play digital games, as they are not sold to them, and are simply advertised as a male product.

The example discussed above shows that the representation, or rather lack of representation, of females in digital games may radically change women’s interpretation of digital gaming. Games don't have to be completely redone in a feminist way, they just simply need to represent the average female in a more respectful way and take females into consideration for their advertisement. If females were able to play a digital game that didn’t include stereotypical characters, and that wasn’t forcefully advertising toward males only, this might lead to a proper appreciation of the content and make digital gaming appeal more to females in general. 

Citations

Jansz, J., & Vosmeer, M. (2009). Girls as serious gamers. Serious games: Mechanisms and effects, 236.

McLean, L., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Female Gamers: A Thematic Analysis of Their Gaming Experience. International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 3(3), 54-71. doi:10.4018/ijgbl.2013070105

Kerr, A. (2003). Girls/Women Just Want to Have Fun - A Study of Adult Female Players of Digital Games. School of Communications, Dublin City University.

Mou, Y., & Peng, W. (n.d.). Gender and Racial Stereotypes in Popular Video Games. Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, 922-937. 

Apocalyptic Visions in the Mainstream

When thinking about apocalyptic backdrops for stories, various anime may come to mind (as discussed in "Waiting For the End of the World: Apocalyptic Identity") or perhaps fringe or niche television, movies, or comic books. Though it could be argued films like The Matrix and Mad Max are apocalyptic/dystopic and mainstream, the focus of this post will be on television; specifically one program.

As of last year (2015), Fox released a show called The Last Man on Earth, which placed apocalyptic vision into mainstream television in a modern way. (May contain spoilers).

Image via slate.com

The Influence of Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki in Tokyo in 2010 (Photo: Nicolas Guerin)

Dubbed one of the greatest directors in history and the emperor of anime, Hayao Miyazaki has left an impression in the world of film that is matched by no other. According to Miyazaki’s IMDb page, he has won one Oscar, along with 72 other wins and 33 nominations. The 2010 Dazed magazine issue proudly describes Miyazaki as possessing a mixture of Spielberg’s technical skill and Disney’s emotional appeal.

Apocalyptic Anime Mirroring Japan's History

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Environment-POST-APOCALYPSE-20125872

               Out of post war Japan came numerous depictions of apocalypse culture. In Susan J. Napier’s book, Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalyptic Identity she analyzes four films created in the 80’s to the late 90’s that were imagined with Japan’s history in mind. The four films she looks at are Nausicaā of the Valley of the Winds, Akira, Legend of the Overfiend, and Neon Genesis Evangelion...

The world of Anime fandom (class discussion)

The World of Anime Fandom in America!

Does such fandom exists in American society today? When we think about anime most people from the outside looking in think of it more feminine. Yet no one know that early on it was mainly a masculine. Girls would be included too but came off more masculine than feminine to be part of this fandom.

In class we talked about how individuals that are outside anime and its fandoms would look at those that are in differently. Yet is it a problem that more and more people are being attracted into anime? It is wrong to be two dimensional? When we think about anime we think of geeks, nerds, and etc. But it is wrong for other like jocks to enjoy anime as well? Being two dimensional to me is more of an advantage than one dimensional. The term brogrammer came up in class it even though most of us didn’t know about it, this actually a thing. Being capable of programing and yet you can be a bro as well. We are seeing more and more people become like this. I myself is one was well; I love to work out, play sports, and yet anime is a big part of daily activities and lifestyle.

The best thing about class though was watching ponyo. This is a film by Hayao Miyazaki that was similar to the little mermaid about a fish wanting to become human. It is a great film and I highly recommend people to show other people or kids if they have any. This films teach its viewers many values and themes. For instance Miyazaki is known to have themes within his films. Such would be humanism, environmentalism, and family values. 

Anime fandom in America is more than a fandom, it is a subculture.

Anime attracts a very diverse audience in the west. Despite the sentiment in America that animation is immature for children, millions of Americans adults enjoy Japanese animation deeply.

“Anime…….Why Watch?”

“Japan’s ideas are better conveyed by being translated into cultural products”

This quote as stated by Kondo Seiichi is very powerful because of the ideas and values that are place upon anime. There is a different message about life and the struggles we face in each movie/show.

      

Two of my most favorite Miyazaki films. The quality of these films are amazing. For those that have not seen these films you should watch it. Each character is special in their own way and the films keeps drawing you in.

Yes, we can watch anime such as Naruto, One Piece, Full-Metal Alchemist, etc. and think to ourselves why watch these weird shows with obnoxious music and sounds but we forget that there are deeper meanings through such shows. Just like Disney movies anime shows/movies gives its viewers a deeper meaning to the concepts they are portraying. Hayao Miyazaki does this perfectly because all the films he has produced gives a message to its viewers. Not only does it do that but the pictures and quality of the movies are spectacular. One can argue that this can be a reason people are first attracted to the movies in the first place.  

What I like about his films is that the protagonist are usually female and she develops throughout the movie. Unlike traditional shows I very much enjoy that females can play a bigger part and even take the lead. When it comes to getting the bigger picture everybody is different in how they interpret the messages portrayed in the films. But, this does get one to think and ask why? Being able to send messages through films other than just speaking gives it a special meaning. Especially if it is put into things that would make people enjoy doing can very get one’s message out there. Hayao Miyzazki does this to perfection. 

"The World of Anime Fandom in America"

Particularly focused on the fans of Miyazaki Films (Like me!)

I will not hesitate to say that I believe that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films are some of the most beautiful works of art ever made. I think it's important to note that I am a big Miyazaki fan myself and I therefore have no small amount of bias about this subject. As I read this article I was able to relate to many of the themes, including a love of the artwork, the ambiguous ideas of good vs evil and the fascinating characters. I think the increased number of anime fans in the United States is a sign of our increased willingness to embrace art from other cultures, to better understand each other. I will use several Studio Ghibli films to prove my point. 

(I have to warn any readers of this post: SPOILERS MIGHT BE AHEAD. I have seen nearly every Miyazaki film that has come out and so I will talk about many of them liberally, flinging out spoilers to enhance my points. In addition, if YOU (yes, YOU reading this, right now) have little to now knowledge about Studio Ghibli films, you may soon become very confused. You have been warned!)

I feel obligated to say that my favorite of Miyazaki's films is Laputa: Castle in the Sky (pictured above) and I was a little disappointed that it was only mentioned once in the article. It is almost a perfect film, from the adventure, to the characters to the music... I could fanboy for hours about this film, but I will restrain myself. I was interested in the idea that this film, Castle in the Sky, might not be as popular among the community of fans discussed in the reading. 

I hypothesize that the reason for the lack of discussion is the lack of controversy. Castle in the Sky is almost an atypical Miyazaki film simply because it DOES have a clear villain and two nearly perfect heroes. The good guys love nature and peace and the bad guys love technology and violence. The film is filled with black and white themes, rather than grey ones. Both main characters are dragged, unwillingly on an adventure brought about by greedy human beings. In addition, it does not show many elements of Japanese culture that the other films would be more revered for: Spirited Away has the exotic bathhouse setting and Princess Monoke has a battle between Eastern nature gods, monks, miners, and an exiled prince. I think the discussion about Castle in the Sky has been reduced simply because it is a simpler film. 

However, I wasn't trying to turn this post into an attack or defense for one of my favorite films. I think it really proves my main point rather well. The fans of Miyazaki films discussed in the reading, are from all different age groups, occupations, countries, and religions. They are united by a love of Studio Ghibli films and I believe that their interest in the more controversial films is very telling. Films with unclear messages are more fun to talk about and deeper characters with interesting morals make for more entertaining debate. 

These discussions show a willingness of people from tons of different countries to attempt to understand each other. After all, the article points out the Studio Ghibli films and most anime in general, are aimed at the native Japanese audience first. I think the idea that Americans, Europeans and people from around the world are attempting to understand these films on their terms is admirable. After all, countries around the world watch American films and it is only fair that we should take a look at the works of other countries. I would wager that Japanese works like anime and manga are the largest source of foreign culture that the United States receives. This helps broaden our horizons and increase our own creativity. 

As much as I love a simple adventure film like Castle in the Sky, I understand the further "discussablity" of these other films. I believe that movies that challenge you to interpret messages on your own or understand different cultures are the best kind. A film that draws you in with gorgeous visuals but keeps you coming back for the complex morals and culture differences are expanding your comfort zone, bit by bit. Not to get all sappy at the end, but I think increased understanding of other cultures is the key to the future. It's why I study anthropology. 

Cruel Intentions?

The Illuminati was originally a secret society founded in 1776 who claimed special religious enlightenment. Even today we still do not necessarily know who the Illuminati are, but we understand them as a society that has a lot of control over unseen things. In class this week we watched a parody video connecting the famous hackers anonymous with Illuminati.  Anonymous is a loosely associated international network of activists and hackers who generally believe information needs to be free. They believe hiding knowledge is a form of control. Through out the parody, reading, and discussion for this week a question that came up is whether or not a room full of people could agree on if hacking was ever deserved. 

Hackers: Good, Bad, or Grey?

The word “hacker” is associated with “vigilante justice,” “crime,” and “government.” This week in class, we discussed different types of hacking, along with the ethical ramifications of these activities. 

An Anonymous Community

At first glance, the spying done by the FBI could possibly be equated with hacking. Both have the potential to dismantle people's lives and both are often done under the radar. But is there something more community-oriented integrated in hacking that draws people in, lets them contribute to a larger ideology, or take a stand for their beliefs? Cue Anonymous.

The Evolution of Hacking

With the evolution of bright, connective, and intelligent technology, came the invasive attack and misuse of it. Here I am referring specifically to hacking, and how it has evolved from a cutesy hobby to a unethical crime.