Repetition and Zelda’s Darkest Game
Majora doesn’t rely on scary typical imagery of death. It’s not dark because of the presence of torture devices or pools of blood or zombies. It’s dark because of the confusing nature of the story – the familiar feel of a game that is twisted to something slightly different than we’re used to. And more importantly, the way we play through the game forces us to see the terrible works wrought upon the world of Termina, and then we must reset it.
Baccano and the Art of Nonlinear Storytelling
The interesting thing about Baccano is it's use of storytelling as an art itself. Baccano utilises non-linear storytelling to tell a complicated tale of a huge array of characters. While the characters are simplistic, the simplicity is part of the necessary exploration of storytelling in ways that are innately familiar to the viewer, calling on simplistic natures of folklore and myth to build archetypes which are both familiar and special.
Whoddunits and the Mystery Plot Structure
The whodunnit is a fascinating bit of plot structure that has its seeds all the way back in some classic crime novel structures, like Sherlock Holmes. Tzvetan Todorov, a structuralist literary critic and sociologist, among many other things, wrote about the structure of the whodunnit as consisting of two different narratives happening in one story. The first narrative is that of the murder - it tells of the events of what happened, how it occurred and why. The second narrative is the detective solving the story of the murder, piecing together each of the pieces and ultimately catching the murderer.
Research Roundup: The Meaning of Mythology
This list is for that secondary thought, that curious wondering as to what it all means and why so many people from all around the world have cared enough in words to tell stories in the first place. This list is for those who wonder about the meaning of mythology and want to dig into all the reasons why it’s so unique but also so everywhere.
Reddit’s Sympathetic Monsters
What makes reddit’s sympathetic monsters so interesting is how it treats what is considered monstrous. The images presented are what we typically think of as “monsters” – creatures who echo demonic bodies, or hybridized forms which cross boundaries of our categories of specific animals or animal types. These monsters are not presented in situations which capitalize on their horrid forms, however. They, instead, are portrayed in caring and – well – sympathetic ways.
Cake and Food as Mythology
Cake fills the same role as narrative and myth. Like our myths focused on performance, cake is not something which can be written down. This post itself is a struggle to include all the intricate aspects of the crumb and what makes them not only delicious but remarkable. And in many ways, cake comes to life the same way mythology does.
Simple Myths
But to define a myth by what it contains (extravagant adventures, superhuman beings, etc.) is to have a substantialist definition. I prefer, however, to view myth as something more functional. A narrative is far more than the elements it contains – a narrative is also doing something every time it is read, discussed or performed. Narratives affect people – they engage with the world around them. And with that view, myths do not necessarily have to hold extraordinary narratives to have an impact on the people who read them. Myths can also be simple, and these Myths of Simplicity can tell us a lot about what we find comfort in.
The Myth of Maternity
The Myth of Maternity is a narrative frequently found throughout society whose morality is a little fuzzy. This story paints women as bearers of inherent maternal instincts and wishes – women are all mothers, whether they already are, are wanting to be, or are simply confused on the matter. The problematic nature of this social story is tied to troublesome views of women, as well as troublesome definitions of womanhood. Regardless, the myth of maternity is spread throughout our society and culture – and is prevalent in our popular culture.
Worldbuilding and Implicit Mythology
Worldbuilding is one of those words frequently used in circles of video game developers and fans. It's process, development and successes can be best understood through a concept given to us by the anthropological study of mythology: implicit mythology. Implicit mythology teaches us that myth is performed, lived, and shared between individuals. Video games as implicit mythology tells us that worldbuilding in video games is a symbiotic experience fostered between developer and player.
Reality TV and the Myth of the Anti-Hero
Reality television shows us how fickle the concept of the hero is. Colloquial Western understandings of the hero has someone who upholds ideals and morality is something which is often just a matter of perspective. Reality television is a medium through which the very fine line between hero and anti-hero is properly explored. It is, of course, just a matter of editing.
The Legend of the Legend of Zelda
This active act of alteration is called jonglerie by anthropologist Seth Kunin. Its a juggling of the variety of identities and importance in a storyteller’s life, and how they use the stories they tell to connect this juggling to others who are listening. In times of great wealth discrepancies, perhaps its most poignant to shift the story to have an outlaw who battles on behalf of the poor - and perhaps it behoves those telling this story to the wealthy at the time to make this figure also a wealthy landowner.
Spiritfarer and the Sociology of Grief
In Spiritfarer, Stella takes on the role of the spiritfarer, or the one who ferries souls across to the land of the dead. Its a beautifully artistic game by indie developer Thunder Lotus Games, and it paints a way to talk about death and grief in very realistic ways, without ever feeling heavy-handed. So let’s explore this game, and why this game paints such a positive depiction of what it feels like to grieve.
The folklore of Taylor Swift
“It started with imagery,” she wrote about the album. “Visuals that popped into my mind and piqued my curiosity.” These images became characters who had voices. She tells the stories of these characters, in the hopes that they grow to be folklore, as the album’s name implores. “A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around,” she wrote. But can music be folklore?
A Deeper Exploration of World Building
Like most academic disciplines, anthropology has many different branches, each with their own unique approach. To be clear, I often define myself as a cultural or social anthropologist, and so this is where I’ll be primarily drawing from today. So whose culture am I … anthropologizing? Perhaps in the last episode, I would have answered we were exploring two social circles: the world of Hyrule, and the world of the gamer. This would actually be a bit of a misnomer on how video games work more generally speaking. The game world is not set apart drastically from the physical world of the gamer.
Monster Hunter World and its Implicit Mythology
Monster Hunter World thrives on word of mouth. Not in the sense of marketing, like more indie-developed games, but in actual understanding. It puts an emphasis on playing with others – to be delving into the world with others, and through the exchange of information and experience, more knowledge is built. Community is established through flow of information and shared experience.