Video Link Dump Thread

[o.pwuaioc]

Intelligence meaning booksmarts - he obviously knows how to perform research

Wisdom meaning application of knowledge to the real world

He's intelligent enough to do research concerning stereotyping, but perhaps not capable of realizing that the concepts of racism and stereotyping in this instance do not actually apply, because JRPG is a term used to designate role playing games similar in style to Dragon Quest, as opposed to the term "WRPG," which does not include the stylings that developed in Dragon Quest, despite both lineages coming from the same baseline: games like Wizardry, which was in turn based on Dungeons & Dragons. If anything, JRPG and WRPG can be seen as separate from other descriptors, such as dungeon crawlers, action RPGs, strategy RPGs, because both sets incorporate the elements of these various types. But artistic styles, themes and their handling, and societal tropes come from a lineage of these splits. Can Westerns create a JRPG? Yes. And a Japanese developer can create a WRPG. It comes down to their style, which is why I don't find JRPG to be a racist term and instead think this guy is trying to find fault by applying knowledge he has acquired through education without actually having said ability to apply it because he misunderstands the situation.

Yeah, you really need to actually watch the whole thing before criticizing him. To save you the trouble of actually going back and watching it, I've uploaded the relevant slide which negates your criticism.

[Ack]

Meh, very well.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I looked through more of this guy's YouTube stuff. He's completely off his rocker. Seriously. I wouldn't even bother to analyze that video further. In all seriousness, the dude needs help.

[elmagicochrisg]

I looked through more of this guy's YouTube stuff. He's completely off his rocker. Seriously. I wouldn't even bother to analyze that video further. In all seriousness, the dude needs help.

I got that from the title of the video alone...

[Ack]

Ok, o.pwuaioc, I watched the video in its entirety. Originally I was going to post a lengthy and sarcastic response to you, because frankly I feel you could have produced a much better(and significantly more polite and socially gracious) way of pointing out that I should watch the video. Instead, I feel that you came off as an impolite asshole, and I question whether your post was meant to be seen as mean-spirited.

That said, I watched the video.

First, I feel he is an extremist in his views. The ultimate purpose of his argument seems to be to target game journalists he accuses of pro-Xbox fanboyism. While I believe the criticism and in some case threats that he received are immature, out of place, and frankly frightening, I do have to disagree with him greatly on several points. But I also feel it necessary to disagree with the arguments he was fighting against from the getgo, so some of my issue is apparently with his blanket "game journalist" community.

First, Japanese-developed RPGs do often have a different visual style, based on manga and anime or earlier , versus the RPGs developed in the western world, meaning North America and Europe, based on western comics or . This is not always the case, and both will modify their art styles according to the market they seek. But Japanese RPGs generally take their art style also from the relevant historical periods of Japan, which over the centuries was heavily influenced by Chinese and other "Far East" influences which managed to find their ways to the island nations. WRPGs, on the other hand, typically have a style more reminiscent of that found in representations of medieval Europe, adhering to more Germanic themes or styles. There are crossovers, of course. Games like Fire Emblem will often do some kind of take on Euro-centric knights and armor, while games like Ultima Online feature weapons and equipment of distinctly Japanese origin. But the dominant are styles of both sections of the world(Japanese being generally Eastern Asian in influence, while North America is generally European in influence) can make for widely divergent art styles. That does not mean there is anything wrong with either artistic movement, of course! And as is often the case, foreign influences have affected both, particularly now with the advent of the Internet. But to argue that a different visual style does not exist at all is to deny the historical artistic influences which have been pulled upon to shape these games as well as the artists and designers who created them.

Next, turn-based...no, I agree with him, that is not a means of determining whether an RPG comes from a particular region. Both RPGs of Japanese and Western origin feature a variety of methods for conveying gameplay, both in real time and turn based. JRPGs offer dungeon crawlers such as those found in the Megaten series alongside WRPGs such as Might & Magic. Diablo and Secret of Mana are both action RPGs. Strategy RPGS(or tactical RPGs, depending on your preference) such as Jagged Alliance and Front Mission are further examples. So no, mechanics such as gameplay style is not a decent descriptor.

As for "simple" or "more complex," both actually originate from the same source material: Dungeons & Dragons. The lineage of the JRPG traces through Dragon Quest, which was directly influenced by Wizardry, which was directly built from D&D(in fact, Wizardy and Might & Magic maintained popularity in Japan and say several console releases in the NTSC-J regions that the NTSC-U and PAL regions never received). Both have games which may follow relatively simple or complex algorithms, depending on the game designer. This is not a qualifier for either region, and I agree that it should be discouraged.

But I believe there are some differences in terms of simplistic and complex that he only scratched the surface of when he mentioned gender selection, and that has to do with story presentation: in WRPGs, characters are often built or designed, even if it something as limited as a gender choice. JRPGs deviated from that system particularly with the release of Final Fantasy IV, which used characters built solely by the game who would only grow more powerful in particular methods while following a plot built around them like a work of literature. Yes, there is some choice in powering up characters, such as gaining summons, but this is negligible when compared to character development and leveling systems of games such as Knights of the Old Republic. Even something as seemingly insignificant as a gender change could lead to massively different characters in a game such as FFIV, so those characters are required to be designed in such a way. Meanwhile, in a game such as Fable, the game still provides a story but allows a greater deal of player interaction when developing the character's abilities as they grow more powerful.

Now yes, there are cases where this is not always true. FFV's job system does allow characters to switch how they develop, while a game like Nox designates player powers based on the initial class picked. But these are typical of most RPGs considered mainstream from either region.

Finally, there is an important element that I feel was left out, which is how story and themes are developed. As I said earlier, North America is generally European in outlook and character when it comes to such things, which is why "the West" can be lumped together into such a term. WRPG fantasy games generally feature stories more closely resembling European medieval periods: Arthurian legend, stories resembling the themes and ideals of Christian mythology such as St. George and the Dragon or European ideas concerning good and evil. JRPG fantasy games take a different view, built up more from their medieval history, based on epic myths of samurai and the emperor's court, with influences from religions such as Shinto and Buddhism. While organized religion is often involved, it's more often an invader of some sort, and themes of organized government and militarism are often viewed in a negative light. Something that often strikes me in Japanese-centric RPGs is an interest and affinity towards nature that I feel borders on an environmentalist message.

Now, none of these are bad things, and the two groups do intermix. Games like Septerra Core, a "JRPG" developed by a Western studio to run on PCs, do exist. As the two groups are able to come into contact more and more, we are seeing various ideas merge together. One of the arguments that the video mentioned as false was that JRPGs have not innovated, and I agree that they have and they are, based on the technology available and the markets definitely, but also as game developers continue to be influenced by each other. Valkyria Chronicles was definitely influenced by a European-centric history, despite its use of an art style born of Japan as well as related themes. Perhaps eventually the two will meld enough as to make the terms entirely useless.

Anyway, all of that out of the way, I think that the real issue is that this guy likes what are traditionally considered JRPGs but dislikes fanboyism, particularly what he perceives to be Microsoft fanboyism, and feels that by labeling his opponents racist he can damage their reputations and also win a victory for his chosen views. I disagree that the designations he pointed to mean that people are being racist and favoring a Microsoft console simply because they have a misunderstanding of various terms related to RPGs. While I do agree that game journalism has serious problems and is rife with favoritism towards chosen companies and consoles, and I do agree that prejudice of various forms exists at large in the gaming community, I don't see this argument he is championing.

[elmagicochrisg]

TL;DR

[SamuraiMegas]

TL;DR

beat me to the punch, damn.
also

fucking DJ Q-Bert is a scratching master, there is no question about it.

[SamuraiMegas]

I want to post a video but the jokes i would make would be extremely offensive
:I

[J T]

Yes, Qbert is probably the greatest turntablist of all time:

[J T]

Marina Abramović is an artist who has been performing a "silent opera" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The piece is called "The Artist is Present" and visitors to the museum are allowed to sit across from the artist in silence and gaze upon each other for a brief period of time.

Marina was in for a surprise though. Back in the 70s, she had an intense love affair with a man named Ulay. They lived together in a van that they performed their art out of. They ultimately decided their relationship had run it's course, and to end it they went to the Great Wall of China, started on opposite sides, walked the entire course of the wall, and met in the middle for a final embrace. She has not seen Ulay since that time in the 70s. This is what happened when he arrived.