The Realities in a Fantasy World

On An Essay in Unitard Theory

"[Comic books] ... fail to prepare you for what lay outside those covers" 

There is an assumption that people like to watch TV, play video games, or read comic books just to escape reality. To be fair, that is somewhat true. 

Indulging yourself in fantasies and placing yourself in a story out of this world is pretty stress relieving. I myself fall into that demographic- I play MMOs and watch many anime series just to get rid of some of the bottled up stress I have. Fighting a raid boss with other people gives me that sense of community I don't really feel when I'm at school. Being able to relate to other characters in a show or in a chapter helps me feel like I'm not alone in whatever I'm facing. Sure, I'm just a shy person, but sometimes just getting out of the real world can be fun. I can't say anything for more extroverted people, but I think it'd have the same effect on them. 

I disagree, though, that fantasy is useless, that it doesn't prepare you for the real world. 

A coming-of-age story, Oyasumi Punpun, or "Goodnight Punpun", is my favorite manga (Japanese comic) of all time. Contrary to its appearance, it's an extremely dark and depressing story in its entirety that focuses on the daily life of Punpun, symbolized by a bird. I'm not going to summarize the whole story, as it is a vast network of plots, but Punpun is placed into various situations that test his moral capabilities. Through Punpun, the reader is also tested and asked "What would you do" in those very same situations. I found myself often choosing different options than what Punpun chose, which often frustrated me at times. Does he continue an outlaw and murder everyone else or does he turn himself in? Does he love for lust or love for the sake of love? Does he take advantage of others after being abused himself? Those are the questions the manga continually asks Punpun- and the reader- throughout its entirety. 

Now, an argument can be made that the book never taught me any real practical skills like changing a tire or doing gas. Well, that depends on your definition of what "preparing you for the real world" means. 

Personally, I find moral development one of the most valuable skills a human can have in the real world, because honestly, not everyone has them even into their adult years. Indulging in fantasies that question your ability to think and act as a person is a great personalized way to learn how you will make decisions in reality. 

Violence can solve some things. Some things.

On Violent Media is Good for Kids:

I guess this is more of a situational phrase, honestly. Sometimes, as shown by the author, violent media, or any type of "strong" media can truly help in emotional development (inspire confidence, self-growth, socially understanding, etc.). I think what people focus on the most is when violent media actually leads to violent acts rather than a change in mentality (For example, the anime Death Note, a show about a notebook that brings death to anybody whose name is written on it, inspired a few incidents of unprecedented murder. The anime/manga Berserk, with its focus on detailed gore and horror, influenced many manga readers at the time to act and roleplay a bit more... "extreme").
Personally, my actions are very hard to influence, so all the violent anime and video games I play just change my perception on a few things rather than make me go crazy. Honestly, I'm a person who has low self-esteem; I don't think of myself too highly even when given phrase. I think I'm humble, but people say I take it to the extreme. A commonality with most "violent" media is that there always seems to be a leader within every group of characters, someone who is strong yet not necessarily brags about their abilities. They fight with a cool air about them and never dash in without thinking. The reason they fight is almost always for a greater cause, not for some selfish desire of theirs. My personal favorite type of fighting show is the anime called Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. The action is nonstop, and almost every episode at least three people are getting their face pounded in a hilarious way. But more than the combat being shown, we see the characters develop through battle. Some overcome personal struggles, while others overcome the death of a loved one. For example, Muhammad Avdol, one of the main characters (SPOILER) dies in the latter episodes, which inspires Jean-Pierre Polnareff to finally start thinking less arrogant and selfishly about battle and to approach it in a more calm fashion. Until that point, he was a brash swordsman who always boasted about his swordplay- It is this type of development that I watch these types of shows for. Violent media may show feats of superhuman strength 90% of the time, but I watch for the remaining 10%, the type of emotional strength that can overcome the most horrible of experiences.

I suck at making friends, so gaming really helps.

On Why Videogames Should Be Played with Friends, Not Online with Strangers

I will agree on one point.
Videogames should indeed be played with friends. Be it single-player or multi-player, having company is an extremely fun way to game. Why?
I mean, multi-player games are meant to be played that way- it doesn't really work with one person.
Single player games? In my opinion, it's like watching a funny TV show. One person messes up hilariously (the player) and the others have a good time off of it (friends). Keep on switching turns, and it's pretty much a party, at least from my perspective. I've jumped off the ledges too far in too many Mario games to know the feeling of messing up. But it's fun!
And that's all I'll agree with.

Now, online gaming with strangers. Why do I think it's actually a good idea?

1. It helps people cope with communication troubles- I had/still have social anxiety, and for a while, even ordering food at a restaurant made me lose my breath. Some people have trouble talking to others in person, and you can't necessarily blame them for all of it. Some people were just more confined to the house, others weren't raised in a social enough environment, etc. Online games that have the means of communicating with "strangers" help train people to converse with others in real life, even if it means using the keyboard as "square one". Games are naturally goal-oriented- this creates an optimum environment for communication as both players would have the same goal. Of course, in competitive gaming, there is admittingly strikingly different goals for each team, but the pressure only adds to the need to communicate. Automated pings later become chat messages which later evolve into voicechat on Skype/Discord- Players become very articulate with conveying what they want/don't want.

2. Friends- All of our friends were once strangers, so what's stopping that in gaming? Granted, you can't see them or physically interact with them, which is a turnoff for some people. But for others, they are completely fine with that. I guess it all depends with your definition of "friendship" honestly. Mines, personally, is just "somebody who advises, relates, and respects you". Nowhere in that definition do I want "physically there for me" as a requirement, because alot of people are there, but not really "there" for you. Honestly, I would take a screen name who is true to me over a real life person who's faking their friendship and just using me.

3. Anonymity- In only certain cases do people become drastically different online. I know a few people who say nothing while in school yet have the mouth of a sailor when we're playing League of Legends. When you're playing with your friends and tend to get emotional, those emotions can affect the mood of your friends as well, potentially ruining some relationships. And yes, I know, some of those fights are just little squabbles, but those build up over time into something real. Some people lose friends in the heat of wanting to win a game, and I know from experience (I haven't lost a friend myself from that, but I've seen it happen in a chatroom). Sometimes, people just want to vent and not drag in their friends with them. Playing with strangers online under different screennames just helps that sort of "venting" happen, really.

Game for the sake of it. It's simple.

Why the Fandom is just as Important as the Canon

On Teen Literature and Fan Fiction

I think I've already stated that I consider myself a well rounded geek. I like to play video games, read comic books, watch a variety of animated television, attend conventions, and so forth.
From the perspective of someone like me, the "canon", or rather what is official in some title of film/game, is very cut and dry. For example,  there is a Batman with defined character qualities who has adventures in ways written out by the creators; that series is the Batman canon. The fan works, however, add a bit more flavor. Because fan fiction enables enthusiasts to essentially create their own world out of premade elements, it breathes life into the title. What if Batman's parents never died? What if Joker was the Batman? How about entirely new villains? The fandom relieves that "what if" itch.
The best examples I can think of about the contributions of the fandom to a title are the Japanese games "Touhou" and "Kantai Collection". Standalone, they are nothing but a "Space Invaders" game on steroids and a pokemon game with battleships personified as cute anime girls respectively. However, the massive following of  those two games have spawned productions of arguably the highest quality; I must restate the fact that Touhou and Kantai Collection are just mere games. What is being sold in conventions, what is being animated- All of these creations were done by the fans.

[The above is an example of a Touhou Fandom Work]

As shown above, the production quality of this video rivals that of some official anime, aesthetically speaking. The voice acting, the animation, the music- Nothing of the sort was funded by the official creator of Touhou. 

[The above is an example of the Kantai Collection Fandom] 

Fans take their work seriously. In the Kantai Collection video shown, the historical context of the game is considered and expressed as tragic story by one of the fans. The attention to the dates and events shows that the fandom takes pride in their work. 

Personally, I too support this fandom movement. Fanfiction is actually my hobby, since I like to write up stories and draw characters in my free time. 

And well, fanfiction helps inspire the creation of original works too. Most famous manga artists in Japan start about by writing fanfiction to build up the confidence and skills needed to start their own independent works. 

Why I still have a fat PS3

I also would like to mention Lutz's With These Words I can Sell You Anything by talking about a little story. It's important to see how Lutz defines "improved"- He defines it as something different than before, not exactly better. What we should notice is the "not exactly better" portion of the definition, because alot of people see that word and begin to expect something "revolutionary" with better experiences. They experience something "new" most of the time, but they don't really see it as an "improvement", in THEIR definition.

So, I am a gamer. I like to play my games in the most optimum manner possible. When I used to game on consoles, I was an avid SONY fanboy and had the PS series. I was very attached to my fat PS3, which is the older model of PS3, and I never got rid of it- I still do have it to this very day. However, a few of my friends who were also SONY fanboys submitted to buying the newest PS3 slim, as it was advertised as an "improved" model. The PS3 slim on release was a new experience for them, but not exactly a better one. Why? 

- It's a slim model, therefore needed more care for handling, as it wasn't made out of metal like the old PS3

-Homebrew (homemade) software wasn't on the slim for a while, which infuriated many people who were accustomed to the PS3's homebrew. 

-Heating problems and excessive noise (I mean, you're trying to minimize space, but keep the same, if not, add more functionality. The tradeoff for that is heat due to less "space". 

I enjoy my quiet PS3 in all its fat glory. 

Too bad I'm a PC gamer now. 

Hello All~

Of all the assigned RPC readings on the 9/1 section of the schedule, I felt like the two that really had an impact on my mind were Barthes's Toys and Ho's Craving the other, mainly because I can very much relate the authors' sentiments with my own childhood.

Barthes's Toys made me realize, first of all, how different cultures view "childhood playtime". Assuming that Barthes's essay holds true- that French toys are miniatures of adult appliances- then I am astonished about what this says for French culture. Coming from the Philippines and growing up here in the States, I was used to more "conventional" children's toys, such as action figures, LEGO blocks, foam guns, and stuffed animals. What I played with were toys that expressed "childhood" and "innocence"- in the United States and in Southeast Asia (At least in the Philippines), we like to spoil our children by giving them something lighthearted and "fun". We don't start introducing children to the real world until they grow out of those little amusements and desire something more. My childhood contrasts with the type of playtime described in the essay, the type of playtime that is geared less towards "playfulness", but rather focusing instead on productiveness- getting the children used to the real world. Personally, I think children should enjoy their time as kids and have more "spontaneity" in their playtime, because the real world sets in quick and hard.   

In reading Ho's Craving the other, I found myself being able to relate extremely quickly to the author. Specifically on the point about being a "guide" for a cultural experience, I believe that some of my friends view me in that manner when I take them out to eat Asian food. The first time I took a few friends out to eat with chopsticks, all of them stared at me as I began to pick up my noodles, just so that they would know how to properly use a pair of chopsticks. They also kept glancing at the way I distributed the spices and sauces to each individual dish, eventually copying me and acting like everything was natural. It's a bit funny really, but food isn't everything to learning about the cultural experience. I'm Filipino and eat Filipino food nearly everyday in a household that gossips in Tagalog, but I can never understand what it means to "be" Filipino in terms of emotions and priorities. Perhaps it's because I came to the states when I was only five years old? In all honesty, it's a bit sad that I can seem like an expert about Filipino food when I treat people, but in actuality my cultural knowledge about my home country is lacking.