Still There
Posted on May 16, 2005
I missed the exact date by a week, but I’ve been updating this journal for a year now. This is probably my 4th or 5th online journal, but none have lasted for more than a month or two. I guess this one is different though since its my “in Japan” journal, and contains the legend of Purple Potamus. I’m just not one of those people who can write a daily journal about “today was ___. I feel ___. Current Mood: my black soul” or something. In fact until recently I couldn’t really stand my own writing. I would look at my old journals and decide they were full of crap and stop updating them. Recently though I have a lot of alone time in Japan, so I can formulate bigger things (see too long Battle Royale 2 review). It makes me wonder about being some sort of critic. No doubt the critic is pretty far down the food/karma chain, but even if people don’t actually CARE about reviews they are at least to some degree aware of them.
Another problem is that game reviews at this point are all completely bought if they are in any major magazine/website. I hesitate to mention Tim Rogers since he at one point had to sleep in a public park because he had no job, but I will say his “New Game Journalism” is certainly more worthwhile than any review you will find on any major video game website. It rambles and it’s long, but I actually enjoyed reading this, which may be a first for a video game review. Straight reviews are pretty much finished at this point. I can’t get any information from the old standard template:
“This game is of genre ___. It was made by ___. The graphics are good, the story is bad. 3.5 out of 5″
What is a 3.5 out of 5 anyway? The fact that they call what Tim does “journalism” is part of what makes it interesting I think. It’s not just a review, there is something more in depth there, if you’re interested. There has been no such change in movie reviews, and I’m not exactly interested in starting one, as that probably would not keep a roof over my head. However I will say that writing it starting to bring me a lot more joy than it did before, and would almost seem like a viable job if it would actually pay anything. What can I say, I’m a bad Buddhist, I love to buy things.
If it weren’t so full of junk everything2 would be really interesting, with all the inter-linking. That’s why I like writing on the internet, I can reference something totally obscure and just put a link to explain it. I can’t do that in a newspaper or magazine. I’ve always been interested in the references people make in media, and what they add to the audience’s appreciation. Family Guy is a great example of TV for people who like TV, and Wario Ware Inc. is a game for people who like games. There are too many references in them that would be meaningless to people who weren’t already big fans of the genre. They can be appreciated on their own, but an entire layer of meaning would be lost without prior knowledge of the references. Shows or movies or games that make me interested in other games shows or movies interest me more than completely stand alone works most of the time. I think reviews and articles about them should do the same thing. Encourage exploration.
In a way that’s why I came to Japan. To explore a culture that has basically become a weird parody of itself and foreign customs. You can find references to a lot in Japan, both to traditional beliefs and modern western trends. Japan is where all those “non sellout” celebrities go to pimp energy drinks and traditional folk songs are set as the background for commercials about old women taking computer certification classes. There’s currently a “Retro-con” trend going on where the original Super Mario Bros. game is getting pimped out by Pepsi and some toy companies. I love it. My desk is covered in crap I’ve bought from drinking Pepsi Twist, and is flanked by my growing Pepsiman collection. I don’t know exactly to what end, but the whole country seems to be referencing itself or something else. Is Japan trying to make you think? I’m not sure. It might just know what people want to buy, and people might just like Mario. I like to inject meaning though sometimes, since it is also my understanding that people love a conspiracy.
It sounds strange that I was motivated to make long rambling posts like this by a bizarre rehash of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and a Turkish super hero “movie” but that’s actually what happened. Thinking about movies and music and games is nothing new for me, but the desire to write and have people read about them is new and frankly a lot of fun right now.
Explore. Explain. Enlighten.
rei
On May 17, 2005 at 09:33
“However I will say that writing it starting to bring me a lot more joy than it did before, and would almost seem like a viable job if it would actually pay anything.”
hooray! heh, sorry, being a writer-ish person and all, makes me happy to read that writing is at least making someone else happy ^_^
Dini
On May 26, 2005 at 14:16
Hi *waves*
I came across your journal when doing a little searchings, and I must say that this amuses me to no end, especially the photo gallery (sorry for tresspassing). I spent 2 weeks in Saijou in 2002, and the photos brought back lots of memories to me ^ ^
Dini
katie
On June 2, 2005 at 08:42
Bradlby, I hate to see you so bored out of your mind, not to mention completely disconnected from the sanity and clarity that is your homeland. I’m glad to see that you’ve found something good to do to relieve that insanity… don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon, and we’ll be waiting for you. :)
love, me
eb
On June 18, 2005 at 21:34
brad! i have had fightin words with everyone this month except you. let’s change that.
e