Analytical Otaku

DC is stupid. That’s not news. From their convoluted crossover events to their asinine editorial decisions, they’ve stuck their foot in their mouth more than once. The most recent offender is the New 52. The New 52 isn’t all bad (only about 90% of it), but it’s been over a year and some much needed corrections still haven’t been made. My biggest pet peeve: the absence of Stephanie Brown. Here are five reasons Stephanie Brown should be brought back.

Reason 1: Anchor for Tim

Tim’s been down a slippery slope these past few years. With the New 52 it’s a bit unclear exactly who he’s lost and when (thanks for clearing that up, DC). However, he is not a happy-camper. The cheerful chipmunk from days of yore (the 90s) is gone, replaced with a constantly scowling grump. Stephanie’s presence could fix this. Even if they weren’t officially a couple, she could be his emotional anchor. It would allow the writers to continue to develop this new, darker side of Tim (in the hope that it one day goes somewhere) while using Steph to occasionally pull him back to the good old days.

Reason 2: DC needs more girls in their line-up

I hate to play the gender card, but it needs to be said: female superheroes need help. Even existing female icons like Wonder Woman and Black Canary are played up for their sexuality. Fine, whatever, I won’t write a ten-page rant on how impractical Starfire’s costume is. I just think that the equation needs to be balanced. The comic world needs more characters like Stephanie Brown, younger women who aren’t played up for their sexuality. DCverse needs Steph precisely because she isn’t defined by her gender. She is a well-rounded character with a lot to offer. And she just so happens to be to be female in a genre that needs more strong female characters.

Reason 3: Foil for Damian

Damian is an obnoxious little fart with all the social graces of a roasted peanut. Stephanie is everything Damian is not. She was a great socializing force for him, putting him in situations outside of his comfort zone. It both humanized him and forced him to grow as a character. Their banter was hilarious, but more than that, they had a great dynamic. Steph was a great “rival” for Damian, providing someone on his level that he could treat as a peer, and vice-versa. Without her, Damian’s become the DC equivalent of a crazy cat person. Okay, his menagerie is freaking adorable, but Steph was giving him skills that could help him be a functioning human being.

Reason 4: An emotional counter-point for the whole Bat-clan

As far as pseudo-families go, the Bats are as morose as a pack of timber wolves. Even characters who used to be shining paragons of go-lucky have slipped deeper into the darkside (Tim, I’m looking at you). I’m not accusing them of being a one-note angst-fest (they are a symphony, thank you very much), but Stephanie provided an excellent contrast. Her wide-eyed optimism provided a much needed balance. It allowed the family to have its dark, somber moments while still being 3-dimensional.

Reason 5: Hope vs cynicism

Gotham is a rotten dumping-grounds where gross things go to die. You won’t find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy in all of comic books. In a city as corrupt and unlikable as Gotham, it’s occasionally hard to see why the heroes bother saving it. Why exactly is Batman dedicating his life to preserving an already rotten corpse? Stephanie Brown is a beacon of light. She is a naturally bright and hopeful (and even shown as a Blue Lantern in the last issue). Her outlook on life allows the audience to see the good in Gotham. It’s a perspective that more cynical, world-weary characters like Bruce and Jason can’t bring to the table. Allowing Stephanie to infuse the city with hope enriches all of the Batfamily books, because it gives the audience a reason to care.

So there you have it. Bringing Stephanie Brown back wouldn’t just appease angry fans; it would make a wealth of other books better. The world needs more Steph. DC, feel free to redeem yourself at any time. Until then, I’ll just be over here. Complaining.

Leave some love in the comments if you want Stephanie Brown back, too!

And check out my article about Young Justice being cancelled. This blog is a cornucopia of nerdiness.

Being a nerd is officially cool. Video games are widespread, superheroes are mainstream, and Jediism is the seventh most popular religion in the UK.  I guess people have finally figured out that nerds rule the world, and they’re eager to get a slice of the action. Except that this new, mainstream nerdiness is an insult to us purist nerds. After all, part of the experience of being ageek is the social ostracism.

Everyone is welcome to be a nerd. I genuinely hope that one day people can feel the same unique combination of joy and shame I feel when buying My Little Pony figures. At the same time, every one has a little bit of hipster in them. We all want to feel unique, and we don’t want to do things just because they’re popular. So when the things I like do become popular, but most of the fans are shallow people looking to fit in, I feel cheated. Do I need to get over it? Probably. Will I? Hey, part of being a nerd is socially unacceptable passion.

So what can we do about these fair-weather fans? Since I don’t have an answer, I’ll have to make do with sarcasm and irony. Until then, you can weed out your fake nerd friends by taking my ULTIMATE NERD TEST!

For each answer you respond yes to, reward yourself with points. Unless stated otherwise, each question is worth one point. This is in no way a complete listing of all possible aspects of nerdiness. It’s just a general overview of the many ways one can be socially awkward.

This test is for fun. Don’t stretch your butthole out of shape if you don’t get a score you like. Even I wouldn’t get a hundred on this test, so take it with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila.

Nerdiness on the internet

1.     Have you trolled someone online? 2 points

2.     Do you know what a meme is?

3.     Have you ever role-played online with people you have never met?

4.     Do you regularly follow an abridged series (Dragonball Z abridged, YGOTAS, etc.) 2 points

5.      Have you ever been Rickrolled?

6.     Do you scour ebay for rare/ collectible items?

7.     Do you comment on Youtube videos?

8.     Have you ever edited a wiki?

9.     Off the top of your head, can you name four Youtubers you enjoy watching? 2 points

10.       Have you ever had a real-world conversation about something you read or watched online? 2 points

Creative Nerds

11.        Do you read fanfiction?

12.        Have you written fanfiction? 2 points

13.        Do you ever look at/ draw fanart?

14.        Have you created an OC?

15.        Have you ever handmade a replica of an item from a series you like? 3 points

16.        Do you watch AMVs?

17.        Have you ever given a hand-made gift to a friend?

18.        Does your dream job have to do with working on or creating the sort of things you enjoy?

19.        Have you ever remixed music? 2 points

20.        Have you ever reenacted a favorite scene? 2 points

The Otaku

21.        Do you listen to Vocaloids? 2 points

22.        Have you seen more than ten different anime series?

23.        Have you ever imported anything from Japan? 2 points

24.        Do you read manga?

25.        Have you ever sought out or bought a food, just because you saw a character in anime eating it?

26.        Do you wish you lived in Japan?

27.        Do you own doujinshi? 3 points

28.        Do you own any bootleg anime?

29.        Do you own any legal anime DVDs?

30.        Have you ever forgone social events in order to stay home and watch anime?

Old school Nerd

31.        Have you ever played D+D? 2 points

32.        Have you subscribed to a comic book? 2 points

33.        Do you listen to techno?

34.        Do you watch cartoons aimed at adults?

35.        Cartoons aimed at children?

36.        Do you know how to play any sort of Trading Card Game? (Pokemon, Yugioh, etc.) 2 points

37.        Do you regularly read science fiction or fantasy novels?

38.        Is your room decorated with posters/ paraphernalia for an obsession?

39.        Do you own more than a hundred books? 2 points

40.        Do you own a pre-1990 TV series on DVD or VHS (Star Trek, Twilight Zone, etc.)?

Coming out of the nerd closet

41.        Have you attended a convention of any kind? 2 points

42.        Have you ever been to the midnight release of a book?

43.        Have you ever cosplayed, not counting on Halloween? 3 points

44.        Do you sing in the car?

45.        Do people look at you funny when you dance in public?

46.        Have you ever approached a stranger when you noticed that they were reading a book you liked?

47.        Do you own a T-shirt, bag, hat or other article of clothing advertising an enjoyed hobby?

48.        Do you look for opportunities to talk about a hobby you like, bringing it up even when it isn’t relevant to the conversation?

49.        Have you ever overheard someone trash-talking a hobby or interest you like, and angrily called them out? 2 points

50.        Have you ever integrated your hobby into an assignment or project for school? 2 points

Video Game Nerd

51.        Do you listen to video game soundtracks?

52.        Have you ever helped program something? 3 points

53.        Do you own more than one game system?

54.        Do you own an old school (more than 15 years) game system? 2 points

55.        Do you have a subscription to an MMORPG?

56.        Have you ever spent more time working on a game’s sidequests than on the actual plot itself?

57.        Have you ever completed a game 100%?

58.        Have you ever bought a game the day it was released?

59.        Have you ever participated in a video game tournament? 2 points

60.        Do you play a variety of games, from more than three genres (ie: puzzle, shooter, RPG, action, etc.)? 2 points

Social (awkward) Nerd

61.        Have you ever argued over which fictional pairing is the best? 2 points

62.        Have you ever argued about which fictional character from a series is the most attractive?

63.        Have you ever celebrated a fictional event (a character’s birthday or major date in a series, etc)? 2 points

64.        Were you frequently picked last for sports?

65.        Do you laugh at your own jokes?

66.        Were you on the honor roll at school?

67.        Do you cringe when you meet someone who likes a lot of mainstream stuff?

68.        Have you made most of your current friends through a shared nerdy interest? 2 points

69.        Do you do things that are considered uncool or weird because you like them so much?

70.        Are you out of shape?

How did you do? Below is the rating scale. Make sure to leave a comment saying what score you got. I will most certainly use the data to make some sort of spreadsheet or other nerdy analysis.

0-10 pts

You aren’t even a little bit nerdy. You probably took this test as a joke. Surely there’s no way you thought you were an actual geek, right? No, you probably wear glasses indoors and go to the gym on weekends. Weirdo.

11-25 points

Congratulations, you’re normal! Yes, you might have a few quirks, but for the most part you can enter and leave a party without getting a wedgie once. You will have 2.1 one kids, work a boring job, and generally fly under the radar.

26-40 points

You are a borderline nerd. This means that you are probably under the impression that you are the world’s biggest geek, but you aren’t! This is a golden area, where you can still enjoy things with a high level of passion while functioning in a social setting. It’s the best of both worlds. Like that one Hannah Montana song. Because that’s what you are. Someone living a lie.

41-60 points

You are a nerd. But this probably isn’t news to you, is it? Chances are that you were mocked during high school. However, once you get out in the real world, you’ll find that your passion profits you well. You’ll have a lot of drive to pursue your dreams. I just hope most of those dreams don’t involve socializing with anyone other than other nerds.

61-80 points

You are a giant dork. You have probably brought shame upon your parents at least once with your nerdy obsessions. However, you bring great pride to your fellow nerds. You aren’t afraid to stand up and say, “You know what? My interests are socially stigmatized, and I’m okay with that.”

81-90 points

Extreme nerd alert! Just being around you makes some people uncomfortable. You’ve always stood out from the crowd, and not in a teen-comedy sort of way, but in a don’t-make-eye-contact way. As long as you are comfortable with who you are, though, other people’s opinions shouldn’t matter. After all, you’ll always have your online guild.

91-100

All hail the uber-nerd! You make even other nerds uncomfortable with your obsession. You’re the guy with the giant Princess Leia poster above his head and a wastebasket full of questionable tissues. You might want to consider pulling back a little, lest you isolate yourself forever. Then again, normal people just aren’t as interesting as the strange fantasy world you live in.

Not satisfied with your nerd score? Read some articles on this blog to help brush up on your nerdiness! Here are some articles that will help you get your geek on:

In Defense of Vocaloids: A series of articles about why Vocaloids rock (sometimes literally).
Friendship is Heroic: An analysis of why My Little Pony is as heroic as any given superhero movie.
How to get your friends addicted to anime: A practical guide for sharing your obsession. 
Seeing is Believing: How Camera Placement Can Make or Break Video Games Part of a series of articles on the rhetoric of video games (ie: what makes video games cool).

Young Justice isn’t getting a third season. This is immensely disappointing, because the show hasn’t been around that long. There’s still a lot of momentum to the story, and I haven’t had my fill of the amazing characters. There are thousands of comic stories the series could draw on.

But that’s the thing. The DC Universe has so many stories, subplots, and characters to draw from that it would be impossible to fit them all into one show. Yes, Young Justice ending is sad. I would love for the series to last longer and develop the characters more. However, you can rest easy knowing that this isn’t the last time we’ll see these characters and their stories animated.

In a way, Young Justice ending now is better than the show dragging on longer than the creators planned. They have a story they want to tell, and after they tell it, what’s the point in continuing? Just look at Teen Titans. That show was amazing, and everyone was disappointed when it ended. Fan interest remained high. And what do you know, they actually have plans to bring it back. As a sketch comedy. Yay.

I won’t judge Teen Titans Go! before I see it, but part of what made the original Teen Titans awesome was that each of the characters had their own arcs; they developed independently and as a team. Their stories have already been told. That’s probably the reason this new incarnation is going to stay away from continuity or character development.

All good things must come to an end. After a while, a cartoon loses its drive, or the main creative team loses passion, or whatever. Look at shows like Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, and a wealth of others that continued past their expiration date. Young Justice ending only means that there is room for a new creative team with a different vision to tell a tale starring teenage try-hards. Yes, there is no guarantee that the next incarnation will be good. But there wasn’t that guarantee when Teen Titans ended. If the producers had decided to continue that show forever, we would have never gotten Young Justice. Who knows what good shows are just a few years away? Small condolences, I know, but endings are only as sad as you make them.

Who knows, that next great show could be Beware the Batman. Or not. Once again, I'll withhold judgement until it comes out.

Do you like comics? Check out my post about Stephanie Brown. 
Or if you're more of a cartoon person, read my Old vs New debate.

Last time we talked about how video game objectives can influence how much a player values something. The careful designer can set up an objective that forces the player to temporarily adopt a value-set that is not their own.

 Speaking of forcing their values on players, Every Day the Same Dream is an indie game with a bleak outlook on life. The player is stuck in a vicious cycle of waking up, getting dressed, and going to work. The only way to “beat” the game is to go against the system. The player must accomplish five tasks. They are given no instruction on what they are supposed to do, but must figure it out for themselves by going against the flow. For example, one of the tasks involves going to work in their underwear and being fired by the boss. Another task involves the player throwing themselves off the roof of the building where they work. The goal of the game is to break out of the everyday routine and have players think for themselves. The player is forced to “fight the man,” regardless of their current job satisfaction. And because being a free-thinking douche is the only way to win the game, the game advances an anti-establishment doctrine.

What’s more, the way players accomplish this goal is rhetorical. Players are rewarded for suicide in the sense that it helps them progress in the game. The sparse bits of dialogue in the game don’t mention the main character dissatisfaction or frustration. The game never tells you that it wants you to refuse labor and become an individual. It doesn’t have to. Simply by making that a goal, the game illustrates its argument to the player. If you sit down at your desk and work like a good little drone, then the cycle repeats ad infinitum. But by throwing social norms to the wind, players are rewarded with advancement. It’s positive-reinforcement for rebellion.

Portal also preaches an anti-establishment rhetoric. In the beginning of the game, you are in a lab undergoing a battery of dangerous tests (for science!). An anonymous voice instructs and encourages you over the intercom. Players are given little context for what they are doing and who they are working for. Even though they’re kept in the dark, the only way to move forward is by completing the tests. The players have no choice but to abide by the rules of an unknown force.

As the game progresses, the disembodied voice shows signs of impairment and malfunction. Still the only option is to continue through the tests. Things change when the computer running the tests tries to dump the player into the furnace. The tables are turned, and now the only way to survive is to rebel and find a way to shut down the malicious computer running the facility. In this way, the players are both literally and figuratively encouraged to bring down the system.

Portal puts gamers in a situation where they have to blindly follow the voice of authority. Then the game takes that authority and makes it insane and unreliable. Players are forced to rely on themselves, not an anonymous authority. The game is a sort of pro-solidarity/ anti-authority science-fest.

Visit the main video game rhetoric directory here.

View Part 1 of video games and goals.

View Part 3 of video games and goals.

Check back in a few days for the next part in the series!

Welcome back to the rhetoric of video games! For these next couple of posts, we will explore how goals influence gamers. If you missed the first couple of posts, make sure to check them out.

What makes video games “games” is that they have goals. Without a goal, then it is just an interactive piece of software. Of course, some games have really loose goals, like Tetris wanting you to stack a bunch of boxes. Others have very specific goals, like defeating an evil sorcerer or escaping a testing facility. 

No matter how lightly the game takes its primary objective, the goals still have rhetorical effect. By designating something as a goal, a game implies that it has worth. For example, if the goal of the game is to “save the princess,” then that implies that the princess is valuable enough to go through the effort of saving. “By stating a rule that defines a winning scenario, the simauthor is claiming that these goals are preferable to their opposite.”¹ So the player will see the end goal as the right thing, and the opposite conditions, or losing, as something that is bad. When properly applied, goals and the methods to achieve those goals can motivate the player and convince them that something is worth their time.

The setting of Final Fantasy VII is a run down, dilapidated world. Big business has exhausted natural resources, and the whole planet is on a downward spiral to disaster. Despite this, the goal of the game is to save the world. This implies that the world, no matter how run-down and used-up it is, is still something worth fighting for. 

Many games force players into the role of a messiah, combating evil in an attempt to restore balance. However, “evil” can be anything the developer wants it to be. If the developer makes the enemy a bunch of cartoonish pigs, the player has to fight them to win. It doesn’t matter how the player personally feels; while ‘they are playing a game, gamers operate under the logic of the programmer. The designer’s goals become theirs.

1.     1.  Frasca, Gonzalo. "Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology." The Video Game Theory Reader. Ed. Mark J.P. Wolf and Ed. Bernard Perron. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print.

F

     Visit the main video game rhetoric directory here

     Learn more about goals and their influence on players here
  
      Learn how perspective affects games here

   

Welcome to producer spotlight! Here I’m going to highlight talented Vocaloid producers and their works. This week’s producer: Iwashi-P.

Iwashi is a fairly obscure producer, with only a few of his videos getting more than 10,000 hits. That’s a darn shame, because he (or she?) is an absolute god with KAITO. One of the best things about him is that he has a distinct, signature style to his tuning. In his hands, the normally shrill KAITO sounds husky and deep. Probably some mixture of gender factor and low clarity.

Don't think KAITO can be hardcore? Just wait.

His songs have a dark, mournful feel. They are very atmospheric, with lots of pulsing rhythms. Not quite techno, not quite rock, but a sort of earthy-pop. KAITO appears to be the only Vocaloid he works with, but don’t let that turn you off if you don’t like the blue boy. Let’s take a closer look at some of his works.

His very first song was called “receive,” released back in 2008. I couldn’t find any uploads of it on Youtube, so if you want to check it out you’ll have to use niconico. Anyways, this is definitely an amateur work, more of a test run than anything. However, you can tell that the composer has talent. It sounds distinct and cohesive, albeit with only traces of the elements that would later define Iwashi. http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3222294

Things improved immensely with “crow.” Once again, it’s not on Youtube. This song finds a nice balance between sounding like a dirge and a war chant. It’s face-paced without being sugary.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3381164

“Oni to Musume” (or ogre and the maiden) is probably his most popular work. It’s based on a Japanese folk-tale about a blind girl falling in love with a monster. The sounds fits very well, with a rustic, old-school Japan feel. There are a lot of traditional instruments, and the overall feel is that of a ballad. The mixing isn’t the greatest, but it is a beautiful song. And it comes with a cute PV!

From this point on, his songs are all awesome. My personal favorite is “Scissors.” I only understand a few words, but I would guess it’s some sort of bitter break-up song/ yandere thing. What’s great about it is that it sounds more angry than whiny. It’s filled with longing and resentment. And a pretty sick beat.

His latest song to date is “free word mind game.” It’s much more “pop” than a lot of his works, with a very bouncy, upbeat rhythm. However, the chorus has that cyber-punk element that makes Iwashi unique. Definitely worth a listen.

Iwashi only comes out with a couple songs a year. However, every one of his songs is a treat. He’s talented, and he deserves more views than he gets. So if you like KAITO or electronic music, check out his stuff. You won’t be disappointed. 

Do you have a producer you want spotlighted? Feel free to leave me a suggestion in the comments!