Some thoughts on "Square's Trends (FF and other games) and the Effects on Society (?)"

by Pincode

Emporer M begins his editorial by citing reasons why Final Fantasy VI was "far-fetched" and Final Fantasy VII was realistic. So a world wherein an evil electric company is stealing the life force from a planet and men do battle with magic-infused spheres is realistic? So now because the characters were being rendered in polygons and the camera was zooming around in a three-dimensional world it's suddeny more believable?

Next, time is spent on the realism/humanity of Final Fantasy arch-villains. Emporer M cites that Sephiroth did what he did because "he did what he had to do". The two-dimensionality of past enemies isn't what I dispute, it's your loose interpretation of Sephiroth's meaning. How can your argument that Sephiroth is more human be supported by your statement of his situation?

Couldn't it simply be that the game is more realistic to you and more beleivable simply because the graphics are more pretty? Perhaps because the game is put into more of a visual context it's easier for your brain to digest?

The argument I'm making isn't really against or for any games, because all of that has been gone over with a fine-toothed comb more than once and the deadlock of opinions still/will always remain. My point is simply that those who complain that people who don't like FFVII complain just don't seem to understand what it is that is being complained about [tounge twister].

As Emporer M said in his editorial, a lot of older RPG players felt that a new type of gamer was ushered in with Final Fantasy VII's release. But I don't think he can fully understand what that means because he was technically part of that new generation. My problem with the newer generation is that when the game first came out and I was voicing my opinions on it, there wasn't one time when I wasn't met with an instant barrage of hateful comments and flame mail. Not one single bad word could be said about FFVII or else.

This came as a suprise to a lot of more experienced players who had always taken pride in the fact that their part of the gaming community, while still in a cult status, was an intelligent and open-minded one. But for almost two years before FFVII's release, you couldn't pick up a magazine without some article, however small, ranting and raving about how amazing the game was, before its release even in Japan.

I think this bred a lot of what the newer generation turned out to be. They saw the hype, the lived the hype, and the hype consumed them to the point where it made them fanatical almost to the point of insanity. At least for me, a lot of the reason I argue [as opposed to discuss] the FFVII/VI debate with people is because of the tone they needlessly take with me and the ignorance with which they make their arguments.

Emporer M eventually goes on to say that he enjoys Square's games because of their morals and the uplifting stories in the games. How does he think Square built its reputation in the first place? It seems convenient to just leave out the fact that previous Square games all had strong and uplifting stories to support his argument, but in the end it ends up as thin as the game he's claiming is the pinnacle of what he's talking about.

Wasn't it incredibly noble for Terra Branford to sacrifice her feelings and emotions for the Returners and their cause? For Celes to realise that the Empire was in fact an evil faction that needed to be stopped? I couldn't see how Emporer M would disagree with that.

To me, the reason all of these arguments still exist and are argued over so fiercely is because of the great divide between RPG players. But I don't think older players wanted the rift. Everyone thought it would be great for RPG's to go mainstream, because we would most likely get more releases and it wouldn't be so hard to find good games. But it feels to me like newer players go out of their way to keep that rift strong. The flame mail still exists, the ignorance is still rampant, and the minds are as narrow as two years ago when FFVII was released. The kinds of editorials like Emporer M's, that are given stage so frequently, are nothing more than flimsy attempts to voice empty opinions with little substance to back them up and even less fact and intelligence. I'm not asking for everyone to change their opinions and beliefs, just for everyone to let go of the prejuduces and open their minds.

Original Editorial: Square's Trends (FF and other games) and the Effects on Society