Games as a means of sharing non-typical cultures
In terms of my experience as a gamer much of what games are today is a wide variety of choices, some shit, and some great.
Beyond the realm of edutainment you get to a variety of genres which aren’t necessarily pick’em up, but do deal with some stereotypes. For one I’d like to complain about Life is Strange if only because as a time travel visual novel, its not really a ground breaking game nor is it frankly that good of a game.
When you get down to it a game is an immersive experience. From the text based MUDs to the open worlds sandboxes very much common today. Just like how museums aim for a complete sensory experience, Consider the following, how many gamers are familiar with Japanese mythology and culture through video games? Games like Ōkami are very steeped in this aspect where you are playing as one of the many gods.
For instance we can see the Earthbound games and how its kitschy pop culture references depict how Japan views America. There are various cultural differences present in the series which when brought over had to be changed. It’s less obvious that one of the main character’s best friend (Tony) is in fact gay which makes it all the more striking he’s in the Britain analogue where only decades earlier being gay was a crime. Mother 3 has a much more deeper story dealing with the corruption of utopia , themes of loss, modernization, family, brotherhood, gender roles, gender identity, and society as a whole.
Like having time to write about how Mother 3 is such a good story and also a good game is not something I can truly say. I can link one essay here and a panel here (some spoilers because Mother 3 is a game to be experienced. Enough Game Play walkthroughs exists to get a gist of it, but the level of details make playing it yourself.) Of course given that Mother 3 is a decade old at this point you need to find an emulator, a rom, and download the
Of course barring the American indie scene you have rise of Eastern Europe. See the Witcher series by CD Projekt S.A which is very much a Polish game. For a more historical game we can see the upcoming Kingdom Come: Deliverance which is a historical game set in medieval Bohemia (now Czech Republic/Czechia). Here’s a summary of the game.
The year is 1403, the region Bohemia, located in the heart of Europe, rich in culture, silver and sprawling castles. The game is based on a true story – a story of kings, heirs, a kingdom, castle sieges and bloody battles.The King is dead and his eldest son Wenceslas IV becomes the new King of Bohemia.Wenceslas’s enraged half-brother Sigismund imprisons Wenceslas and invades the country with his mighty army. Unfortunately, in the midst of this chaos, your character Henry suffers. The mercenary army destroys your home and kills your family, you are the sole survivor of the bloodbath and it is here that your road to redemption starts. Enjoy the detailed reconstruction of the 15th century landscape. Use weapons that were used by knights. Take part in epic historical battles that happened in Middle Europe and in castle sieges!
What is incredible is how historically accurate it is from the locations (many of which are actually visible) to the combat (a traditional sword fighting style unlike the typical hack and slash of rpgs like Skyrim) to the historical background of medieval Europe (in which you need to be a monk to be any form of literate).
Ultimately ever since the mid 2000′s games have been protected as art by the Supreme court. There will be good games, bad games, educational games, mind numbingly dumb games, but ultimately enjoyment triumphs over all criticism. But then again, this is a person who sunk hours into Zoo Tycoon 2 and really wishes a Greek Revolution game is made.