In the spirit of mid-terms, I thought I'd share a somewhat humorous small apocalypse that I experienced this weekend while I was busy not writing my term papers.
While the videoclip is an obvious satire of people who take games too seriously, there are some ideas they mention that are worth examining. One of the pundits remarks that most fantasy games are probably not accurate depictions of the post-apocalyptic world. Yet, how effective are these games in shaping our perception of the post-apocalyptic earth? Which depictions does our society seem to trust more: the wasteland of crumbled buildings with no signs of human life or the modern cityscape where freakish, mutant creatures run rampant and humans are forced to fight for survival?
As a side note, I've noticed that the majority of the well-known apocalyptic videogames are Japanese (Final Fantasy VI, Odin Sphere, Fist of the North Star, etc.). Perhaps the Japanese have a stronger perception of apocalypticism after their experiences with the atomic bomb in WWII. Do people find their perception of apocalypticism more believable as evidenced by the popularity of their games?
Another pundit remarks that there's no point in trying to "train" our children for the apocalypse via these games because most children will become mutants anyway (again, a satirical comment). Many of these games certainly promote the future after the apocalypse as gloomy and desolate (and possibly promote the futility of life in general) yet one of the definitions from Merriam Webster describes "apocalypse" as a revelation in which all earthly evils are destroyed. If we adhere to this definition, does that mean that many of these games depict society as corrupt and in dire need of purification?
I hope the broadness of this topic and the many open-ended questions will spur a lot of comments. I honestly don't know what to think about apocalyptic games, films, books, comics, etc.
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I think the observation about the more popular apocalyptic games coming from Japan is a really interesting one. It does makes sense, given the history of the country. It's kind of like those really intensely violent independent films from Germany (I'm German, so I can say that). One has to wonder how much and in what ways culture is reflected through art. Obviously, there will always be intentional representations of history in art, but there are so many unconscious developments of the mind because of culture and they undoubtedly manifest themselves where we least expect it. The idea that the Japanese may have a better grasp on apocalypticism because of their war-torn history as opposed to other countries (I'm reminded of the Unites States' big hit, Grand Theft Auto...), is most-definitely a valid one.
ReplyDeleteThe presence of zombies in an apocalypse film is always interesting. Zombies are a brainless bunch that eats on living humans. They are formerly alive humans that are infected and labeled “undead.” Another thing to note about these creatures is that have no intellectual capacity whatsoever. So in all the major zombie films that are released in theatres, the world is being destroyed by idiots who have banded together to destroy the world. Recently, cable broadcasted FOX news has taken notes in running heir operations.
ReplyDeleteZombie films present characters who despite their physical strengths and at least average intelligence cannot band together well enough to stop whatever threats come their way. These films comment less on the horrors of the bad things in life but more on the bad plans of good people. But this doesn’t solely have to be applied to horror and zombie films, it can be adapted to Homer’s Odyssey when Odysseus’s crew when they choose to eat the cattle of Zeus and are in tern slaughtered. The ills that plague humans in these films focus on when people cannot adequately commit to rationality when it is then their best interest.
Wait: Molly, when you say "I'm reminded of the Unites States' big hit, Grand Theft Auto"—this seems like a slight fallacy. Just because we live in the U.S. doesn't *necessarily* mean we know what it is like to be a thug, or that we have some collective fantasy about stealing cars and shooting and raping people, does it? I think we should hesitate to project the bomb back on all of Japanese culture because of video game content. Certainly, the two nuclear bombs dropped over Japan at the end of WWII reverberated symbolically (and actually) through the country and its culture in myriad ways, but I think we need to be careful about assigning the significance of video game contents to a very real traumatic event. Aren't there countless other thematic video games coming out of that same culture? And where would we locate the sources of those themes? Furthermore, who actually produces and consumes these games? It seems like the really strange correlation here happens between a booming economy and all the technologies predicated thereon, and the vast wasteland of the video games—there would seem to be an annihilation fantasy, a wish image of a scarier presence than is felt in an office chair, sitting in front of a screen.
ReplyDeleteConcerning zombies, Joe, when you state "Another thing to note about these creatures is that have no intellectual capacity whatsoever."—I think this is a really interesting point. I too am often struck by this in movies like "28 Days Later" and "I am Legend." Yes, the zombies seem unable to be intelligent and to be driven solely to destroy the world—but let's remember, this conclusion is drawn from a human perspective. From the perspective of the zombie—I know this sounds crazy, but run with me for a minute—who knows what the 'purpose' of existence is, and how, from outside human consciousness, zombies might actually be enacting their own form of intelligence? Of course, if it seems absolutely insane, that is only because it is truly different from human sense. But who are we—as humans—to say that the zombies don't have a 'plan' (it would just be one we can't see or understand)? And, in the absence of all humans, who's to say that the zombies wouldn't adapt and evolve—maybe even make the world a better place? If this sounds absurd, it's precisely because we are strongly resistant to thinking seriously about the non-human (and SO MUCH of existence is non-human). What would a zombie movie be like in which all the humans are gone, and zombies remain? I suppose to use it would either look like a sci fi comedy, or a campy music video (Thriller?). But what are the limits of our abilities to imagine life beyond the human? Can we imagine (rigorously, seriously) past these limits?
One thing to consider about these video games is the fact that though they all are set in an apocalyptic world, the main goal of them is to survive. When children play these games, (or adults for that matter) they are asked by the game to survive the apocalypse and allow the human race to continue. I am not the biggest fan of video games but it seems to me that playing games such as this allows people to celebrate the permanence of life and to fight for it’s continuance. While the violence may not be the best thing for a growing child to intake, it can at least give him an idea of survival and how important it is for human life to flourish perhaps.
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