Character Analysis- Snowe Vingerhut from Suikoden IV

There are plenty of characters in the Suikoden series that players simply adore, like the subject of my previous character analysis, Odessa Silverberg. But, there are also plenty of characters that are just plain hated, for a variety of reasons. Some of them are hated because it takes too much work to recruit them, only for the character him/herself to be mediocre at best. Others are hated because their voice acting is horrid, or their design is uninteresting, or they have zero personality. But today's character is not like that. He's hated for a different reason: his personality. This character is called Snowe Vingerhut.

Look at him. That's some sweet armor he's got there, isn't it? The fact that it didn't come with a helmet is beside the point, as none of the other main characters wear one either. That's plain stupid, but whatever. Acceptable breaks from reality. 

We shall begin with a brief description of why Snowe is so hated. He's a rich daddy's boy who has never put in an ounce of work into his life, betrayed his best friend, sold out his country, and worked for the enemy as a pirate hunter while his people suffered. I know what you're thinking, "what an ass". It is little wonder why he's so hated. But, a question: does he deserve the hate? Who is Snowe, really? What makes him tick? That's what we're going to look into today.

On Violence in gaming, and violence and gaming

I wasn't going to write about this. I was going to write about Pokemon today. I had written an entire entry today that was going to talk about how Pokemon Gold and Silver were superior games to Red and Blue in practically every way. The blog was half written, with several pictures and everything. But deep down I knew that there was something else that I needed to talk about, something far more important. On August 24, 2013, an eight year old child shot and killed his grandmother in the home that the two shared.

The child, when questioned by police, claimed that it was an accident. However, upon investigating, the police found some evidence that the shooting was deliberate. Basically, they found out that the kid was playing Grand Theft Auto 4, just minutes before the murder.

Gangsters, prostitutes, murder, theft. Oh yes, this is totally acceptable children's entertainment <sarcasm>

White Knighting and Katawa Shoujo.

She's the typical gamer's fantasy girl. She's meek, she's shy, she's quiet, she's frail, she looks like she could cry at any minute. She's the girl who sits way behind in class, away from everyone else, the one who buries herself in her book. She could cry at any minute, she has extremely low self esteem. She's short, but not too short, with milky white skin, long, flowing hair black as midnight. She's thin, almost like a supermodel, and holding her is like holding a little bird. She's Hanako Ikezawa, from the freeware Visual Novel Katawa Shoujo.

"Uh...hello...you...want to...talk to...me? Uh... no...don't stare... uh...IGOTTOGODOSOMETHING!"

I feel like I'm forgetting something about her. What was it? Hmm. Did I mention she was shy? I did. Did I mention she has low self esteem? I did, didn't I? What did I forget about her? Hmm... Oh yeah! The reason Hanako is so shy and withdrawn is because when she was 8 years old her parents died when her house burned down. Oh, and she's also physically scarred due to third degree burns obtained from said fire. 

Princess Peach versus feminism- is the Princess as bad as they claim?

Feminists hate her. She's the quintessential damsel in distress. She's weak, can't fight very well, extremely girly, blonde, and wears a lot of pink. She's Princess Peach. 

And upon seeing this, the feminists reading my blog have just puked in their mouths.

We've all heard the criticisms. "Peach is anti feminist because she has no character", "Peach is the ultimate example of a weak woman." To be sure, no one can ever claim that Peach is a feminist icon. When you get down to it, Peach is a distressed damsel, someone that needs to be rescued (constantly). You can make the claim that this is harmful to women in gaming, and honestly, that's not entirely wrong. A character that is constantly getting kidnapped does seem weak, and to have her be not just a female, but also the major female character in a series that otherwise lacks them, it doesn't look good. But! We also need to take a step back and look at things from a wider perspective.

Learn from this- Harvest Moon

There are those that say that there is nothing to learn from video games, that they are a waste of time. There are those that make the ignorant claim that gaming will turn your brain to mush, that the youth is better off without video games. Today's blog is a simple list of lessons gained from a video game franchise: Harvest Moon. This short list alone proves these people wrong, as not only are these lessons applicable to real life, but they are important lessons that every person needs to learn.

Lesson 1: Sometimes a curse is a blessing wrapped in hardships to overcome.

 When you first start the game, you are given a simple, run down farm. There is nothing in it: no animals save for one dog, the fields are chocked with weeds, tree stumps and rocks, and you've got no way at all of making any money. Sounds like someone played a prank on you, right? Nope, quite the opposite in fact. This run down farm? The land is fertile, rich, and can provide for you if you work it. With your hands, and ONLY with your hands, you can turn this barren field into a money maker. The ground is good, and it can provide if you work hard on it. This doesn't happen overnight, however. The field is huge, and your hours are short. Time used on cutting weeds, chopping stumps and moving rocks is time that isn't being spent on growing crops, tending animals and raising your family.

This will one day be a giant field of grass, where your cows can run free and graze to their heart's content. But today, it's a dump, and the only way it can become a field is through your hard work and sacrifice.

This leads us to our second lesson...

Lesson 2: You don't have infinite time, so use it wisely.

  Like in real life, your days on Harvest Moon consist of 24 hours, no more. With those 24 hours, you need to do the following: eat, tend to the crops, till the soil, care for your animals, spend time with your family, socialize with the town folk, purchase seeds for future crops, keep your own health replenished, and finally, sleep. It's intimidating, isn't it? And since most of us gamers tend to sleep in rather late (I used to sleep in until noon!), it sounds like an especially daunting task! How can this be done?

Alright, I'm almost done watering my crops. Lunch is in fifty minutes. During the afternoon, I'll go to town and see what's up, and at sundown I'm having a beer with the guys. 

I know that a lot of us are allergic to routine. We can't stand the idea of doing the same thing, over and over for the rest of our lives. But, this isn't about routine. It's about planning ahead, about knowing that you don't have an infinite amount of time, and about knowing that your responsibilities come first. This leads me to the next lesson...

Lesson 3: The busier your day is, the more important it is for you to wake up early.

A lesson I had to learn the hard way is that 12 PM is not a good time to wake up if you have things that need to be taken care of. Noon is a good time to wake up if you're going to have a lazy afternoon anyway, if it's your day off. But when you have things to take care of, errands to run? Horrible time. Likewise, in Harvest Moon, if you wake up this late, you will not have enough time to do your errands. In Harvest Moon, your day starts at 6 AM. No, you don't wake up at 6, you start working at 6. By 6 AM you already woke up, got dressed, and ate breakfast. You're charged, you're wide awake, you're ready for work. Six in the morning.

Busy, busy, busy! As soon as I'm done milking the cows, I gotta water the crops, collect the eggs, shear the sheep, brush my animals AND feed the chickens! Once that's done, I gotta head to town to pick up that tool I ordered, visit the mayor, head to church, visit the in laws, buy some food for tonight's dinner, and of course I gotta visit my pals! Good thing I woke up early today!

Lesson 4: Plan for tomorrow, today.

When you wake up, you need to know precisely what it is you need to do today. You need to know beforehand what it is that needs doing, and then go out and do it as soon as possible. How? By planning. In Harvest Moon, you are given every tool available to know how your NEXT day is going to be like. The weather report is always 100% accurate, and by 6 AM tells you what kind of weather you're having the next day. I know that this isn't realistic, but then again, we also have the science to predict the weather. Living day by day might be good for a while, but when you have responsibilities, those take priority. You plan ahead and take care of what you need to do. Which leads me to the next lesson...

Lesson 5: It's OK to have free time. Have fun!

Now there's an idea!

If all you do in life is work, you'll find that your days are miserable. Likewise in Harvest Moon, if all you do is plant crops and work, you'll find yourself hating the game. Go out and have fun every once in a while! Play, dance, sing, have fun!

Lesson 6: Patience is a virtue.

You're not going to have a money making farm overnight. You're not going to have a family one week from meeting the girl you fell for. Your crops are not going to grow within minutes of you planting them. Everything takes time. Everything. You need to learn to wait patiently. Speaking of love...

Lesson 7: Love takes time to grow.

In every Harvest Moon game, you can marry someone of the opposite sex. (How heteronormative, but hey.) When you meet them, you'll be a stranger to them, always. They don't know you, you don't know them YET. But hey, a goal in these games is to find a spouse and raise a family. To make the candidate fall in love with you, you need to shower that person with gifts, talk to him/her on a regular basis, and wait for his/her love level to be in a good enough level. For example, in Harvest Moon Back to Nature, the love level is measured by heart colors. Black means total stranger, purple means new acquaintance, blue means friend, green means she/he has a little crush on you, yellow means he/she has a crush, orange means he/she really likes you, and red means he/she loves you 100%. When can you ask that person to marry you? At the red level, no earlier. To get to that level takes time, lots of it. In fact, I spent a year and a half of in game time before I was ready to marry the girl I had been romancing that entire time! But, it was worth it. Love takes time and effort. (And money)

"I don't want, anybody else. When I think about you I touch myself!"

Lesson 8: Love needs to be maintained, or it will be gone.

It does not do for you to ignore your new spouse after you marry him/her. Oh what, you think that just because you got married, that's it? Nope. Your spouse is still an individual with needs, and one of those needs is love. YOUR love. He/she married you because he/she loved you. Marriage isn't an achievement to unlock, it's a commitment. And you need to commit to make it work. Otherwise, you'll lose your spouse, and it's going to hurt.

"You don't care about me anymore. You never tell me good morning, you just scarf down what I cook for you without so much as a thank you, you forget our anniversary, my birthday, and you're seldom home. You rarely look at me anymore, and sometimes I feel more lonely in your company than I do by myself. I can't do it anymore. I'm leaving, and I'm taking our son."

World Analysis-Final Fantasy 8

On my last post, I looked at the world of Final Fantasy 7- a nightmare of unchecked, unstoppable capitalism. But today, I'd like to take a look at a world that is somewhat similar, and at the same time, entirely different. Today I look at the world of Final Fantasy 8.

The world of Final Fantasy 8 is never named, so I shall refer to it as 'the world'. The world is technologically advanced, slightly ahead of our own. Television is high definition, computers are flat screen and use touch pads for keyboards. The nation of Galbadia possesses long range, intercontinental missile technology, jet packs, and militarized robotics. In Trabia, the Shumi race has managed to construct an entire village underground. And that's not even getting into the nation of Esthar, which is pretty much like something out of Star Trek or Star Ocean.

And yet, technology is slightly schizophrenic. Automobiles utilize gasoline, which makes them unreliable compared to electric transportation. And the best way to traverse between continents and nations is not by way of airships, but by train. (Though the trains are fast, to the world's credit.)

The world's trade currency is called the gil. Like every previous Final Fantasy, it is global, and can be used in every nation, even among the Shumi. This can be forgiven as a gameplay thing, but I think that this is something that requires at least a little questioning. Let's get back to that in a while, shall we?

Unlike the Planet of Final Fantasy 7, the world is divided into several nations. First off, there's Balamb, an island nation situated between the East and West continents. 

In the West Continent, there are three nations. The first is the Dukedom of Dollet, a city state that possesses the world's last fully functioning satellite. Dollet is a seaside city, possessing a marina. The city itself is full of cobbled, narrow streets. All buildings are made of stone, possessing neon lights. A ways north west of Dollet is Galbadia, the most powerful nation in the Western continent, and one of the world's strongest military powers. As I mentioned, Galbadia possesses long range missiles, but it also possesses a prison system that can dig itself into the desert sands, a missile base that can self destruct, and the world's finest public transportation system. (Those buses are free, punctual and reliable!) South of Galbadia is Timber, currently under Galbadian occupation. Timber is a nation in a crossroads, a central hub of not just the printed and broadcast media, but also the Central Station for the Western Continent's trains. Every train that passes through the Western Continent comes out of Timber, which may explain Galbadia's interest in occupying this nation.

Running between both continents is a railroad. Yes, a rail system that travels the ocean. Imagine that. Anyway, in the middle of this rail system lays the independent, and artificial, nation of Fisherman's Horizon. This entire nation, which is actually just one big city, is built in the middle of the ocean, atop many platforms and iron towers. There are very few plants, but there is a giant field of solar panels that provide the town with free, clean energy. The town is made of the descendants of several engineers that deserted the nation of Esthar when it was under the rule of the sorceress. Fisherman's Horizon's culture is based on pacifism, engineering, and fishing.

The Eastern Continent possesses two nations: Esthar and Trabia. Trabia is a small, barely populated nation comprised mostly of the Shumi and the occupants of the Trabia Garden. More on the Garden later. Esthar...

Wait, when did I start playing Star Ocean?

West of this place, the best piece of technology is flat screen computers, highly accurate long range missiles, robot spiders with machine guns, and a satellite dish. Here, people have developed force fields, space travel, hovercrafts, cryogenic freezing, etc.

No more needs to be said about Esthar. There is, however, one last location in need of discussion: the southern continent of Centra. There is no one living there. No one. No villages, no towns, no nations. Nothing. Why? Because of a natural disaster that occured fifty years prior to the game: the Lunar Cry.

Every hundred years, monsters from the Moon fall down to the world, causing untold amounts of death and destruction. These monsters fall into one spot on the world, seldom the same place. The nation of Centra, once a technological superpower, was completely destroyed by the Lunar Cry.

The world is one where magic is scarce, but present. Special beings, known as Guardian Forces, possess extraordinary abilities far beyond human capability. When paired up with a human, via the process of junction, they allow the human a limited use of magic. However, there is one human, always female, that possesses unlimited magic: the sorceress. This person possesses unequaled magic, and can transfer her power to another person upon dying. A future blog entry will delve more into this.

The world is highly divided, with every nation possessing a unique look, feel, and tone. An observant gamer may be able to observe hints of each nation's culture. For example, people from Dollet have an appreciation for arts, while citizens of Galbadia have more appreciation for consumer culture. The capital of Galbadia, Deling City, is sleek, modern, with several modern amenities like a shopping arcade located within walking distance of a giant architectural wonder: an arch like the Arc de Triumphe. Timber is very centered on every day life technology, while at the same time maintaining a sort of reverence to the woodlands that surround the city.

Alright, let's ask the burning question. If the world is so divided, if every nation is so different, and if there's a severe tension between Galbadia and everyone else, then WHY DOES THE ENTIRE WORLD USE THE SAME CURRENCY? Why is gil used and accepted pretty much everywhere? What is this, the European Union? Esthar itself is pretty much disconnected from the rest of the world, yet it uses gil? Fisherman's Horizon is located in the middle of the ocean, with the only way of reaching it is via either a boat or by walking on the railroad track, yet they use gil? What? You can make the argument that this is just a video game thing, that it requires suspension of disbelief. No. It works for Final Fantasy 7, because there are no nations and the Planet is under the direct control of a single company anyway. It works for Final Fantasy 10 because the world does not have any nations either and everyone is pretty much united under the church of Yu Yevon anyway, except the Al Bhed. But in 8? It makes no sense! You can make the argument that gil is a special currency that's accepted everywhere because it's special money that is rewarded to the main characters, but that doesn't make a lick of sense! And you can just as easily claim that gil is a special international bond that can be used as a substitute for real money, but that raises more questions than it answers! What organization makes gil? Which organization decides how much it exchanges for? Why does everything cost the same everywhere? It makes NO SENSE! But, as many of you may be telling me: it's a video game mechanic, and I should get over it.

The world of Final Fantasy 8 is a fantasy based on reality. And yes, I am aware that such a thing is currently, as of this writing's, the caption for Final Fantasy 15. Yet we need to remember that Final Fantasy 8 did it first, and did it during a time when the technology did not allow for little more than polygons on pre rendered graphics. It is a world that blends our reality with fantasy, in more ways than one. Of all the Final Fantasies, this one, to me at least, feels both the most real and the most fantastical. A future blog will be dedicated to analyzing the way Final Fantasy 8 blends reality and fantasy to create an experience like no other, and why it deserves a remake. But for now, I will end this entry here.

World Analysis- Final Fantasy 7

What can be said about Final Fantasy 7, that has not already been said? Very little, if anything. One of the most influential games ever made, this game pretty kicked open the door for the RPG market outside of Japan. Like any good RPG, Final Fantasy 7 takes place in a constructed world, and it is this world that I wish to analyze.

The Planet

The world of Final Fantasy 7, referred in game simply as the Planet, is a united world, undivided by nations of any sort. There has not been a war for over ten years. There are no governments anywhere to tell the citizens what to do, what to think, and what to say. There are also no taxes (there is no evidence for it), so every coin earned by the people, stays with the people. The markets are absolutely free, and there is very little, if anything, that stops a merchant from just opening up a box of wares, setting up a table, and calling it a store. It's a libertarian Utopia.

But it's hell. There may be no governments, but there is still a power that rules over the world. This power is the Shinra Electric Power Company. Yes, you've read that right. A private enterprise that specializes in providing people with electricity rules the world. How?

The Shinra used to be a weapons manufacture company that, one day, discovered a new power source. Far more reliable than oil or coal, and loads more plentiful, this power source could be extracted from anywhere, manufactured, and then provide the people with cheap, steady, and reliable electricity. This power source is Mako. The problem? Mako is pretty much what keeps the planet together.

To be more precise, Mako is condensed spirit energy, extracted from the Lifestream, which is kind of like the blood of the planet. I want you to imagine a race of parasites that live on your skin. These parasites, for a long time, have been living in peace with you, maybe not with each other. One day, a few individuals discover your blood, and then discover that they can turn your blood into electricity via a process that requires them to extract your blood with tubes. They start sticking these tubes right into your skin, extracting your blood continuously. The parts of your body near the tubes become scabby, bruised, and somewhat infected. That is what Shinra is doing to the Planet.

The people? They live. Some live considerably better than others. Not all corners of the planet have Mako reactors, which allows for many places to retain their natural look. But Midgar, the de facto capital of the world, is a hellish place to be. The city is divided into two parts. The more affluent part is located upon a giant metal plate built hundreds of feet above ground. It contains cobblestone streets, fine architecture, and the city's eight Mako reactors supply the city with much needed electricity, making life there easy. The part below the plate...

Not pictured: A safe place to raise a family.

Pictured: A shanty town that is home to hundreds of people, including children

Below the plate of Midgar, below the affluence, lay the less fortunate. Here in the slums of Midgar lay those forgotten by the elite, the ones discarded by the market that had no need for them. The slums never see the sunshine, for the plate blocks out the sky. Pollution is rampant, crime is everywhere, and there is little escape. There are a lucky few that dream of leaving the slums, to go up above and escape this hell on earth, but the truth is that most people that end up here, stay here. But why would anyone stay here? Well, I will just let this in game quote explain it:

"Maybe it's cuz they ain't got no money. Or maybe it's cuz they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets."-Barret Wallace, when asked why wouldn't the people in the slums simply move out of the slums.

This is one of the more economically diverse slums in Midgar. That structure in the middle houses a pair of stores that sell medicines and necessities, while the wrecked bus sells a few low grade weapons. Free Market for the win! (sarcasm)

There is a part of the Midgar slums, of course, that is more affluent and more economically stable. That place is called Wall Market. 

This is but a small corner of Wall Market. In this photo: A restaurant, a boutique, a Materia (orbs that give one the ability to use magic) store, a pharmacy, a diner, and a hotel. The path going right leads to a brothel, and the path going up leads to a crime lord's mansion.

Aside from Midgar, what else is there? There's also the harbor city of Junon, which may as well be called Little Midgar by the Sea, since the two cities are extremely similar. Like Midgar, Junon also has a poorer area located directly beneath the more affluent part. The poorer area is also heavily polluted, not very productive, and overall unsafe.

Across the sea is Costa del Sol, a resort town that houses a beautiful beach, very nice hotels, and serves a good deal of tropical drinks. A top notch tourist resort, it is.

Across the mountains from Costa del Sol lays the Gold Saucer, the world's finest amusement park. Built in the middle of a desert, on top of several golden plates located miles above ground, this is THE place for family fun. To enter it, you just have to pass through the town of North Corel.

Child: Mommy, why do all these people live in tents and rubble?

Mother: Because fuck the poor. Come on, son. We'll miss the cable car to the Gold Saucer.

Do you see the pattern here? In the Planet, the world can be divided between two people: the haves and have nots. There are people who have money, and people who don't. And the people that don't have money have NOTHING. They have no opportunities, no power, no rights, no hope. If you have money, you can buy yourself a God damn villa by the beach. If you don't have money, you learn to call a fucking sewer pipe home. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a society with zero safety nets looks like.

Final Fantasy 7 was released in 1997. That was sixteen years ago, as of this writing. When it was released, it was seen as a dark, gritty game that brought gaming to a whole new level. Ever since, several games have tried to copy the elements that made this game so good: a brooding hero, a complex plot, a very unique world, top notch graphics, etc. But few games can come close to what Final Fantasy 7 has accomplished completely by accident: it's still relevant. The realities of 1997 (social inequality, the destructive nature of capitalism, environmentalism) are still around today. Final Fantasy 7 touched in 1997, sixteen years ago, several topics that are still hot button to this day. Sixteen years, ladies and gentlemen.

And there are people out there that WANT to live in a world like the Planet! They WANT a world with no social safety nets! They want a world of haves and have nots, they want a world where everything, even the police, is handled by private corporations. These people do not know what it's like to live with nothing. That's why a good many of them refer to the have nots as "soon to haves". But such a term is merely a masking term, to hide the very fact that they don't have what others have: money. And in a society where money is the key to everything, even safety, to not have it is more than a disadvantage, it's a death mark.

And that's the world of Final Fantasy 7. A world where having money is the one difference between living in a villa and living in a sewer pipe. Want to live on this world? Be my guest. I'd rather live in the world of Final Fantasy 8, but that's something I'll cover in my next entry.