Blizzard Might Ban Me, China Will Censor Me

Oh no! Politics!

Now, I've always thought Mei's character design is adorable.

I've never played Overwatch, nor Diablo, nor World of Warcraft. In fifth grade, I played Starcraft for, like, two minutes. Probably less. I have played the two Lost Vikings games though! They're great.

As such, I'm categorically detached from Blizzard. I've had friends who, like so many others, have poured hundreds of hours into World of Warcraft. Seeing as the other, far less popular MMO, Final Fantasy XI, was sucking up all my time and lifeforce, my closest exposure to WoW was watching South Park's episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft." From that episode, a lingering question: "How does one kill that which has no life?"

So I have no authority on Blizzard's games. People seem to like them, though. I've had so many students who've played Overwatch and Hearthstone. I've also taught many Chinese students. ABCs, students from the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

We're already aware of the Hearthstone player who Blizzard banned after Ng Wai Chung won a tournament and commented on Hong Kong's "revolution." Blizzard has also banned several other American University players who held up "Free Hong Kong" signs during a streaming competition. This happened two days ago.

The tournament rules state that participants are not allowed to say anything that could be deemed offensive to viewers. Blizzard also claims that “Every Voice Matters at Blizzard, and we strongly encourage everyone in our community to share their viewpoints in the many places available to express themselves.” Really?

Were these bans justified? A lot of people think no. Blizzard, and China, thinks yes. And the result? More protests. Notable Hearthstone players quitting the game. A planned protest for Blizzcon. Infuriated people online. Gamers becoming political.

Wrath may be a sin, but fury is a natural inclination of the human species when faced with injustice. But what is justice, or injustice for that matter? Not even Socrates could establish a categorical, valid definition that could hold up against scrutiny. Of course not: the nature of justice is subjective, elusive, and capricious.

The only thing that is certain in life is uncertainty, death, and human stupidity. Justice is never certain. Justice can be perceived as evil, depending on what one thinks. I might quote Hamlet too much, but "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

However, whenever a man is in doubt, Chinese or not, he should turn to Confucius:

子曰其恕乎己所不欲勿施於人

"Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

Confucius said it before Matthew did.

I never understand why politics tend to be so unethical. Confucius argues that without virtue, politics cannot be successful. Why have so many politicians, gaming companies, and governments disregarded virtue? Why is profit prioritized over morality?

Blizzard has two official responses to the public backlash regarding Ng Wai Chung's ban, one for English and another for Chinese audiences.

Blizzard's president has stated, "The specific views expressed by blitzchung were NOT a factor in the decision we made. I want to be clear: Our relationships in China had no influence on our decision."

According to the statement, the ban was not due to the content of the message, but the nature of its expression, the fact that such conduct could undermine efforts to maintain an "inclusive community." We cannot offend the Chinese, or the Chinese government specifically.

The focus should be on the game, not on politics. This I certainly understand.

Nonetheless, Blizzard changed Ng Wai Chung's ban from one year to six months (and the American University protesters received the same).

But (some) people can read, and think. They can detect discrepancies, formulate conspiracy theories, and use Google Translate (at least outside of China).

IGN's translation of the Chinese statement is as follows: "We express our strong indignation [or resentment] and condemnation of the events that occurred in the Hearthstone Asia Pacific competition last weekend and absolutely oppose the dissemination of personal political ideas during any events [or games]. The players involved will be banned, and the commentators involved will be immediately terminated from any official business. Also, we will protect [or safeguard] our national dignity [or honor].”

A Hearthstone player has been deemed a threat to China's national dignity.

The only way to know for certain whether Blizzard's bans were truly disconnected from a desire to maintain the favor of the Chinese government, is to... well, there's no way to know for certain.

We could have Hearthstone players shout out or hold signs with racist remarks and proclaim themselves as Neo-Nazis seeking to eradicate members of all other races. Let's see if Blizzard bans them. A Spanish or Catalan player should proclaim, "Liberate Barcelona!" and we'll see if Blizzard bans them. Bans for you, bans for everyone!

And there was absolutely no reason for Blizzard to punish the casters who were interviewing Ng Wai Chung.

When I complain about gaming companies such as EA, Konami, and Riot Games for employee maltreatment, sexual harassment, and other unethical practices, I rightfully and indignantly condemn them. Implementing justice, fairness, and ethics... this is really not as hard as it seems. Those in power who are selfish and ignorant might have us believe otherwise.

One cannot deny that China's influence appears to be encouraging Blizzard to make some questionable choices, increasing its renegade points. Blizzard would have us believe that China is not a factor in its decision-making, but how can it not be? So much money is at stake. Look at the parallel controversy with the NBA and China, another outcome of the Hong Kong protests. All this attention has even led to the U.S. passing the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act." China is pissed. Blizzard is scared.

Warcraft and Hearthstone are very popular in China, and Tencent, the world's largest gaming company, owns 5% of Activision-Blizzard's shares. That appears to be an alliance, or at least a connection, between two of the largest and most profitable gaming companies in the world.



And they both seem concerned with staying on China's good list. Being on the other list, after all, could result in a cessation of business relations. That's still better than being prosecuted or persecuted.

Fear of prosecution and persecution. That's how the Hong Kong protests began in the first place. And this eventually led to bans.

--

A ban is much like censorship, is it not?

China's censorship is widely known. Solution? Use a VPN. Topics such as Taiwan independence, Falun Gong, Tiananmen, and even poor Winnie the Pooh are censored in China. Of course, China has banned South Park's recent episode about China's censorship and inhumanity as well.

In his original preface to Animal Farm, titled "The Freedom of the Press," George Orwell presented his argument against censorship. In the 1940's, no one was allowed to criticize Stalin, the admirable leader of Russia, Britain's ally, so four publishers rejected Orwell's novel. Though Orwell sought to draw attention to Stalin's tyranny and desecration of socialist ideals, only after decades passed did his satirical novel Animal Farm begin to command worldwide respect and acceptance. The Cold War allowed this to happen.

Orwell states, "Now, when one demands liberty of speech and of the press, one is not demanding absolute liberty. There always must be, or at any rate there always will be, some degree of censorship, so long as organized societies endure."

Of course a certain degree of censorship is necessary. We don't want young children seeing... certain images or words. But the Chinese government takes censorship too far.

Toward the end of his essay, Orwell also writes, "intellectual freedom is a deep-rooted tradition without which our characteristic western culture could only doubtfully exist."

But intellectual freedom is not merely an essential trait of western culture; it is necessary for humanity as a whole. I wish the Chinese government would realize this. Freedom of the press, freedom of thought and expression, with understandable limitations and restrictions on behaviors that could threaten the safety of others. Not totalitarian control.

I hate that word. Totalitarian. It's thrown out way too often. When we look up its synonyms, we find the following words:

authoritarian
autocratic
autarchic
dictatorial
tyrannical
oppressive
repressive
one-party
monocratic
absolute
absolutist
undemocratic
antidemocratic
illiberal
despotic
fascist
fascistic
Nazi
neo-Nazi
Stalinist
dystopian

I wish I could argue that none of these words could be associated with China. I wish.

Though I am detached from Blizzard, I cannot remain apolitical when talking about China.

Despite my limited Mandarin, I can whole-heartedly say I am Chinese, Chinese-American, Taiwanese-American. I love China, but I deeply resent the Chinese Communist Party. Yet, I appreciate that the government has taken the necessary steps to alleviate poverty and strengthen the nation as a whole, a nation that for centuries has been repeatedly disrespected, and to put it euphemistically, underrated. Everything is made in China. Once a country that exemplified innovation (paper, gunpowder, alcohol, silk, tea...), China now steals everyone else's ideas and intellectual property, sometimes improving, sometimes defiling them. China's economy is the second best in the world, and its military one of the strongest. China is powerful, and doesn't mistreat -most- of its people. The key word here is "most." Above all, social harmony is a goal, a core value of Chinese culture.

But China has become Big Brother in 1984. Censorship, revised history, and constant surveillance of citizens. Orwell was worried about Russia, but China resembles Oceania all the same. Between 1958 and 1962, the "Great Leap Forward" led to 18-56 million Chinese people dying of starvation or being massacred by soldiers. In 1989, the Chinese Communist Party sent its army to scatter and kill thousands of democracy protesters at Tianan Men and spread propaganda about the protesters seeking to overthrow the government. On October 1, 2019, the 70th anniversary of the party involves a massive military parade. So much to celebrate.

And of course, the Chinese government readily censors anything that upsets its authority figures. Facts are hidden or changed.

Truth straddles on contradictions. China certainly takes advantage of this fact, and deception, manipulation, and information control have become China's tools to maintain power and "social harmony."

But social harmony and democracy are not antithetical to each other. In truth, real social harmony requires humane treatment and freedom. Laws and limitations are a given, but excessive censorship and outright lies, which the Chinese Communist Party constantly perpetuates, are incongruous with virtue or justice. Propaganda's purpose is to manipulate the public and turn citizens to sheep. Ignorant and none the wiser.

As an admirer of Socrates, I too am a critic of absolute democracy. Chaos and idiocy are the likely results, for we are human. The democratic senate of Athens voted for Socrates to be executed because they thought he was sacrilegious and corrupting the youth, when all he wanted was for everyone to strive toward wisdom, virtue, and common sense. Seeing as he was a critic of democracy, it is unironic that democracy led Socrates' death. He chose poison hemlock and suicide over breaking the law and exile.

China also views democracy as a threat. But is democracy really threatening? I think Socrates still believed in the democratic process to an extent; he was just concerned that the majority of the population, being unwise and ill-advised, would make poor decisions when voting. It happens. Look at a president.

Democracy, qualified by laws and virtue, only makes sense. People need to be wiser, and they need to treat each other better. Social harmony does not entail prosecuting and persecuting dissidents or minorities who do nothing to hurt others.

The Chinese government continues to persecute Uyghur Muslims and send them to detention camps, disguised as "vocational training" centers, which in reality seek to brainwash members of the majority population of Xinjiang and destroy their religion and culture. Prisons or schools, one and the same in this context. The CCP has imprisoned, tortured, and killed Falung Gong practitioners and participants in the Tiananmen protests. According to some reports, Falung Gong prisoners have also had their organs harvested. The Chinese government kept a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate imprisoned, preventing him from accepting the award. That's worse than Konami not allowing Hideo Kojima to attend the Video Game Awards.

Orwell, a fervent democratic socialist, would likely condemn China's rigid information control. He would also detest how capitalistic the so-called "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" truly is. Undemocratic yet capitalistic. A government that calls itself the "People's Republic of China." The Chinese Communist Party. Neither communist nor a republic. China's constitution states, "citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession, and of demonstration." A constitution that lies. But China is very good at lying to its people. For people outside of China, however, we remain unconvinced.

China accused a U.S. official of "slander" when he condemned the government's maltreatment of Uyghurs. I understand that members of the Chinese government are likely not very good at English (I teach English to Chinese students, after all), but it's important to remember the definition of "slander":

slander (noun): the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

slander (verb): make false and damaging statements about (someone).

It's not slander if it's the truth.



Today's Chinese government has lost sight of what it truly means to be Chinese. Objection! Slanderous! They would tell me, they would censor me. In a lot of ways, "China" is a misnomer. The land might be China, 中国, the "Middle Kingdom." But China never was at the center of the world; it's in the east. Are the Chinese people, most of whom are subservient to an unvirtuous, inhumane, disingenuous, and hypocritical regime, really Chinese? I controversially argue, Not Really. Even China's official written language is no longer real Chinese, but a dumbed down "simplified" text (although I acknowledge the goal of making literacy more accessible). Did Britain, the U.S., Canada, Australia, or any other English-speaking country dumb down the spelling of complicated English words? Of course not.

Being Chinese means having 孝 (filial piety), practicing 功夫 (hard work and mastery through time and effort) and living a virtuous life in accordance to "子曰其恕乎己所不欲勿施於人." "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire." Being Chinese means working hard, not cheating or lying to get ahead. The Chinese spirit embodies perseverance, resilience, respect, compassion, empathy, diligence, honesty, patience, and virtue.

There's no reason for freedom to not be included.

Humane treatment; it's not that hard.

Again, I repeat Confucius' words: "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

--

"Socialism with Chinese Characteristics"? Engels and Marx would lament. They might argue, and have argued, for revolution.

But the Hong Kong protests are not a revolution. I don't want them to be. I don't want there to be a war. There has already been too much needless violence. When Hong Kong returned to China under "One country two systems," did the Hong Kong people understand what this would entail or lead to? Of course not. Nothing is certain. But should everything be permitted? We're not assassins.

Recall Mohandas Ghandi and thousands during the Salt March; recall Mr. Luther King. Jr. and countless others participating in the Civil Rights movement; recall Henry David Thoreau's imprisonment for Civil Disobedience. There was no advocacy for violence.

Most of the Hong Kong protesters are teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. They might not have anything else better to do. They might be tired of school or unable to find jobs. But for sure, they're indignant and defiant of what they perceive as oppression and tyranny.

All this started with a silly extradition bill. It's been withdrawn, yet the protesters are only becoming more angry and violent, not less. But most of them are protesting peacefully. They have this right. Civil disobedience in light of injustice is a moral and inherent right of all citizens, so long as they take responsibility for their actions.

Young, angry kids, vandalizing public property, throwing petrol bombs, attacking police officers and cutting their necks with knives. They convince the Chinese government that democracy truly is chaos and a threat to social harmony. Many protesters have adopted Bruce Lee's philosophy of "Be Water" to avoid conflict and violence. Do that more, and use less fire.

Trying to start a revolution? Trying to save Hong Kong from China? Fighting for Hong Kong's autonomy? More peaceful protesting, less violence, please.

On the other side, aggressive and abusive officers, arbitrarily arresting whoever is unlucky, shooting and killing children, using violence when unnecessary.

Trying to uphold the law and maintain public order? Doing one's duty? More responsibility for actions, less violence, please. And fewer bullets and tear gas.

And for the Chinese government, please don't send the army, and don't kill people. Hundreds, thousands of years of Chinese blood being spilled, is enough.

Chapter 31 from the Tao Te Ching states,

夫佳兵者，不祥之器，
物或惡之，
故有道者不處。
是以君子居則貴左，
用兵則貴右。
兵者，不祥之器，
非君子之器。
不得已而用之，
恬淡為上，
勝而不美；
而美之者，是樂殺人也。
夫樂殺人者，
不可得志於天下矣。
故吉事尚左，
凶事尚右。
是以偏將軍處左，
上將軍處右，
以喪禮處之。
殺人之眾，以悲哀蒞之。
戰勝，以喪禮處之。
                                               
Translation (courtesy of taoistic.com):

Weapons are ominous tools.
They are abhorred by all creatures.
Anyone who follows the Way shuns them.

In peaceful times, the noble ruler honors the left side.
At war, he honors the right side.

Weapons are ominous tools.
They are not the noble ruler's tools.
He only uses them when he can't avoid it.
Peace and quiet are preferred.
Victory should not be praised.
Those who praise victory relish manslaughter.
Those who relish manslaughter
Cannot reach their goals in the world.

At times of joy, the left side is honored.
At times of grief, the right side is honored.
At battle, the second in command stands to the left,
And the commander in chief to the right.
This means they stand as in funerals.

When many people are killed
They should be mourned and lamented.
Those who are victorious in war
Should follow the rites of funerals.

--

Sorry and not sorry for getting political. I've written way more about China than Blizzard. But I'm detached from Blizzard. I'm not detached from China.

Some funny truths in closing.

Even though China's ban on video game consoles ended a mere four years ago, Chinese people have always seemed to have a problem with playing too many video games on their computers and phones. China also has a lot of "gold farmers" who sell World of Warcraft gold for real money. There are also a lot of Internet cafes in which people have died from playing an online game for too long without sufficient food, water, or sleep. A lot of Chinese also like to play PUBG or PUBG clones. Killing people in video games is okay, as long as this doesn't translate to killing people in real life.

If I played Hearthstone, Blizzard would probably ban me too. But maybe not, because I wouldn't discuss my opinions on Hong Kong or China during a tournament. But I wouldn't play in a tournament... I wouldn't play Hearthstone at all. Card games aren't really my thing.

China, for sure however, would censor me. My parents are from Taiwan, and I cannot support Taiwan "returning" to China if the Chinese Communist Party continues as it has. I care less for Taiwan's independence than for China's overall and moral improvement.

Apple listened to China's requests to remove the Taiwanese flag emoji and an app that helped users track the activity of the Hong Kong police. Blizzard and the NBA are taking measures to avoid further upsetting the Chinese government. China has influence, influence to undermine freedom of speech, truth, and morality. This should not be so. China should embody these ideals, not subvert them.

I love China, and I hate the Chinese Communist Party. Because I consider myself a real Chinese person, one who hasn't abandoned Chinese culture, philosophy, or history, I hate the Chinese Communist Party. I'm thankful for the good things they've done for the Chinese people, but I cannot stand their disregard of human rights. They do not follow Confucius' teachings nor the Way. But my hopes and dreams are that they improve, and cease hiding from truth, freedom, responsibility, or virtue.

Reawakening: Link's Awakening and Dreams

"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation."

From The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

Every mind is an ocean, and every dream provides a deep dive into the depths of one's innermost consciousness.

A lucid dream occurs when the dreamer is aware that they are currently experiencing a dream. This may provide a degree of autonomy that allows the dreamer to shape the events taking place within the dream's narrative. Lucid dreams can be vivid, highly realistic, and indistinguishable from reality.

Dreams also serve as inspiration. They can be arbitrary or trifling, nonsensical or revelatory, however one wishes to perceive them.

How does one tell the difference between a dream and reality? Simple: one has to wake up. Then the shift in conscious state will become apparent.

But what if one never awakens from his or her dream? Such is the conflict that Link, a lucid dreamer, faces in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, recently re-released on the Switch. Considered a quirky, at times bizarre, entry in the Zelda line of video games (arguably second in eccentricity only to Majora's Mask), Link's Awakening is, in many ways, a surreal take on the Zelda formula. Yet, it manages to maintain all of the essential aspects necessary for an engaging Zelda experience, without having to sacrifice depth or length for portability.

Of course, I'm talking about the original release of Link's Awakening for the Gameboy. What about the Switch remake? Does the game still hold up in 2019?

I think yes, for the most part. But Nintendo shouldn't have charged $60. $30-40 at most. The Switch remake is completely identical to the original, with a few quality of life improvements (more buttons for items, an auto-save feature, expanded mini-games...) and almost no changes to the script. I was initially ambivalent about the updated toyish art style, but it grew on me as I played through the game. Overall, the game was a pleasant nostalgia trip. Though nowhere near in length or complexity as Breath of the Wild or other more recent Zelda games, Link's Awakening serves as a perfect entry point to the series, especially for younger kids. Its greatness lies in its simplicity.

Simple in gameplay, at least. Not so simple in regards to the implications of its abstract plot and setting. Koholint Island, where the game takes place, is a land that doesn't truly exist and serves as a stark contrast to Hyrule, with talking animals and cameos from Mario characters. Link's Awakening begs the question: What is real, anyway? What do dreams mean, if anything? If meaningless, why do we have them? Inward contemplation is necessary for such inquiries.

Contemplate these questions as I momentarily step away from the topic of dreams to discuss some precious memories.

--

Link's Awakening was the very first game I ever finished. Since my first completion, I've frequently replayed it throughout my childhood and young adult years. During each play-through, I would occasionally forget how to navigate a certain dungeon, and I've been temporarily stuck in each dungeon following the first at least once in my life. In my first play-through, I recall racking my brain in the seventh Eagle dungeon, unable to figure out how to access the fourth and final pillar that must be destroyed with a giant ball (one that Link must carry around the dungeon) to access the boss. Nor could I find a way to obtain the final heart piece in the game. Of course, the solution to both of these puzzles required bombing walls to access secret rooms. After finally beating the 7th dungeon, my progress would once again be halted while venturing the immense 8th and final dungeon, Turtle Rock. Lost in its maze, I repeatedly traversed the same rooms seeking for additional keys. Finally locating the magic rod seemed to take ages.

We didn't have online guides back then, so I took my time to eventually figure everything out on my own. I managed to complete the final dungeon through constant experimentation, exploration, and perseverance. To this day, Zelda games continue to effectively incorporate these gameplay elements. Beating Link's Awakening was my first major accomplishment in video games. As such, this game will always have a special place in my heart and memories.

Though I've played through the game about a dozen times, for the remake I still got stuck in the 6th dungeon. I forgot that the torches in the dark room could be lit prior to obtaining the upgraded level 2 Power Bracelet (in fact, this room leads to the aforementioned item). I could remember that in previous my play-throughs, I managed to obtain the upgraded bracelet much earlier, near the start of the dungeon. An oversight on my part. But this was certainly not the first time I was stuck in the Face Shrine. It's also not as bad as getting the ball in the Eagle Tower stuck in an unreachable location, forcing me to start a new save file. That happened to me once in the original Game Boy game.

The 7th and 8th dungeons gave me no problems this time around. Figuring out the new fishing game mechanics took me a while, though. The dungeon maker was really tedious, and all I did was make dungeons that would provide quick access to the boss so I could get Dampé's challenges over and done with.

The brilliance of Link's Awakening's dungeons lies in the game's perfect difficulty progression. Each dungeon is slightly longer and more challenging than the previous. And although the plot is simple, it effectively builds tension as the player anticipates the inevitable end: once the Wind Fish awakens, Koholint Island, and maybe even Link himself, will disappear.

--

Let's return to discussing dreams, and, more importantly, awakening from them.

Throughout Link's Awakening, the player cannot help but ponder the fates of Link, the island's inhabitants, and, most of all, Marin, who seems to be a manifestation of Link's attachment to princess Zelda. Her uncanny resemblance to the princess is noted in the original game's instruction manual, and the similarity is further accentuated in the Oracle of Ages and Seasons games in which Marin's sprite is used for Zelda. However, they are not the same person.

--

Marin: "What a relief! I thought you'd never wake up! You were tossing and
            turning... What? Zelda? No, my name's Marin! You must still be
            feeling a little woozy. You are on Koholint Island!"
--

Unlike the other characters in the game, save for the guiding Owl and Nightmares, Marin reveals in her conversations with Link a heightened awareness of the nature of her and the island's existence. She also reveals her own dream of becoming a seagull, free to fly wherever she wants. Though she wants to know everything about Link and learn about the real world, she understands that this reality is almost certainly impossible. They cannot stay together for long, and whether her existence can continue remains a lingering question.

Marin yearns to exist and live freely in the real world. Even if she does not fully comprehend the fact that she is merely a product of the Wind Fish's dream (or maybe she does), a dream that Link appears to share, she clearly reveals her understanding that Link must, inevitably, leave the island.

--

Marin: "Thank you for everything! Link, you are the kindest boy I know.
            One day I made a wish to the Wind Fish... What was the wish?
            It was... No, it's secret!

            Link, some day you will leave this island... I just know it in
            my heart... ...Don't ever forget me... If you do, I'll never
            forgive you!"
--

There is no attempt to convince Link to stay, to continue the dream that would maintain both Koholint's and Marin's existence, even if this means that she will likely fade away forever once Link and the Wind Fish awaken.

Ironically, the Nightmares' goal of keeping the Wind Fish in its slumbering state ensures that Marin can continue to exist. The origin of the nightmares is never explained, and the dying words of each progressive nightmare convey increasingly desperate and foreboding tones.

--

Slime Eel (level 5 boss): "TSSSK, TSSSK! You don't ssseem to know what kind of island this
               iss... KEEE-HEE-HEEE! What a fool... KEE-HEE-HEH!!"

Facade (level 6 boss): "Okay, listen up! If the Wind Fish wakes up, every-thing on this
               island will be gone forever! And I do mean... EVERYTHING!"

Grim Creeper (level 7 boss): "My energy...gone...I...lost! But you will be lost too,
                 if the Wind Fish wakes! Same as me...you...are...in...
                 his... dream..."

Hot Head (level 8 boss): "C-C-CRACKLE! Why did you come here? If it weren't for you,
               nothing would have to change! You cannot wake the Wind Fish!
               Remember, you...too...are in......the dream..."

--

These words suggest that Link himself may not truly exist, as he is part of the Wind Fish's dream, and that the Wind Fish's awakening would mean the end of not only Koholint Island, but Link as well.

Or perhaps the Nightmares are lying to Link, or are ignorant of the nature of his existence.

Shadows always appear in the brightest of places. And in our darkest dreams, cruel intentions may emerge and manifest in reality. Lies and deceit; pride and corruption. But there is far more evil in the world of reality than what any dream can contain.

This being the case, why would anyone want to awaken from an eternal dream of blissful ignorance? If given a choice to awaken to the harshness of reality or continue living contentedly within a pleasant, never-ending dream, which would you choose? The red pill, or the blue pill?

In the game, the player isn't given a choice; Link must defeat the Nightmares and help the Windfish awaken. He must return to reality. Or, I guess the player can simply choose not to finish the game...

--

I wish to return to the questions regarding the purpose and possible meanings behind dreams. What lessons can we learn from dreams? Can anything happen in a dream that is more meaningful than what happens in real life? There are no lucid answers to philosophic questions.

The infamous Sigmund Freud believed that dreams serve as manifestations of unfulfilled wishes, wishes that desperately seek expression. Other theories suggest that dreams reflect everyday experiences or play a role in processing memories. Psychoanalysts can interpret dreams however they want; their underlying meaning or meaninglessness will constantly elude us.



But why is it essential that we awaken from dreams? Every day we experience the sleep-wake cycle. Sometimes we pass through nights without experiencing any dreams whatsoever. Then, suddenly, as REM kicks in, our dreams return. When we awake, we may realize that we had experienced a dream mere seconds prior. We may either commit them to memory (as unreliable as memory is) or allow them to sink back into the unconscious, into oblivion.

Fragments of dreams may linger. But do dreams in any way affect our conscious thoughts or behaviors?

Like life, dreams have no inherent meaning; we ascribe to them whatever meaning we desire based on our personal beliefs. We settle on incomplete explanations or whatever sounds convenient. Dreams, like life, are whatever we decide them to be. In the end, the dream's memory, if anything, is all that's left.

Dreams provide no certainty, but neither does reality. Though there are certain truths that cannot be denied (people die, people live, people are dumb...), the nature of truth (and one's perception of reality) is also inherently subjective. Descartes believed the only certainty in life lies in the tenet "cogito ergo sum," "I think, therefore I am." All one can be certain of is his or her existence, and even then, one's existence may be called into question.

--

What do you think? Does your head hurt yet? Have we reached the limits of your inner contemplation? I hope not.

As I imagine the inner thoughts of our silent, quintessential hero Link, I cannot help but wonder what goes through his mind. Playing a silent hero allows us to project our own thoughts and personalities onto the protagonist. Link clearly trusts in the Owl's words and seeks to awaken the Wind Fish, even if this could come at the expense of his own existence. Why is waking up so important? And what about Marin? Does she simply disappear? Did she ever exist in the first place?

We mustn't forget that dreams can also refer to aspirations. The unfortunate reality is that many people give up on their dreams or never attain them. What must we do to turn dreams into reality? Should we ever give up on our dreams?

Marin surely didn't. Even if she knew that she and Link were never meant to be together, and that the nature of her existence was questionable, she never gave up on her dream. How else could she have transitioned from being an intangible projection to a living soul with a dream fulfilled?

Of course, seeing Marin become a seagull requires one's save file to have 0 game overs. If you saved and continued from a game over at least once during your playthrough, then you won't get this part of the ending, which could mean that Marin... 

So make sure you don't die.

--

Langston Hughes asks, "What happens to a dream deferred?"

To sum up his poem, a dream deferred may dry up, fester, run, stink, or crust and sugar over. It may sag like a heavy load. It may explode.

But it may come true, eventually. All worthy ventures take time. Beating Link's Awakening for the first time took me a while, but I never gave up (in hindsight, the game is pretty easy). Anything that seems impossible at first will become manageable with time and effort.

We'll never truly understand dreams, but we certainly can't live without them. And every dream will have a reawakening proceeding it. Sleep is necessary to make the waking world more meaningful (and tolerable). And in that sleep, what dreams may come?

Sometimes I oversleep. Sometimes I suffer from insomnia. My dreams usually make no sense. Sometimes I'm unintelligible. But I certainly feel reawakened. I just had to reopen my eyes.

Now listen to the "Ballad of the Wind Wish," and reawaken from your dream. But never lose sight of a dream that's worth living for.

And the reverie is over, for now at least.

E3 2019

I'm not here to complain. I'm not here to complain that E3 was so bad this year, or that the presentations sucked, that Microsoft's was underwhelming and a missed opportunity (especially considering Sony's absence), that EA's was boring (and fuck EA), that Bethesda's was boring and suspicious (are the crowd's cheers real or fake?), or that too many games are coming out/being re-released on the Nintendo Switch. Is E3 really necessary anymore? I'm not here to debate that.

New Xbox? Just words, words words.

But. KEANU REEVES! I love that guy. Everyone loves that guy. He's breathtaking. Why do we love him? That's not even a question.

Honestly, I didn't watch the presentations; they're too long. I only saw the Nintendo Direct in its entirety (I can stand 40~ minutes) and the Final Fantasy VII Remake gameplay demo.

I'm here to talk about a few things that caused my mind and heart to melt, because there were certain parts of E3 that touched me on a deep, personal level.

Trials of Mana
Not many people are familiar with the Mana series, and fewer have played the hidden gem Seiken Densetsu 3, which was only released in Japan. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet and the power of emulation, I had the fortunate opportunity to play through a fan-translation of this spectacular game. It is by far one of the best action-rpgs ever made, especially for its time. I played it as a teenager and deeply appreciated the compelling characters and their customization options. There's a lot of replay value in this game, and I'm so happy to see that Square-Enix is finally bringing it to the west, both the original game and its upcoming remake. The fact that not many people have played this amazing game is a tragedy. Thankfully, now this can be rectified. I can't wait for the remake.

Final Fantasy VII Remake
Speaking of remakes. My god, the gameplay of the Final Fantasy VII Remake looks amazing. It seems like a perfect combination of the action mechanics from FFXV with elements of the Active Time Battle system from the original Final Fantasy VII (and pretty much every other Final Fantasy game). Now, it's been five years since the Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced (I admit that I cried when the first trailer was revealed), and finally we actually have actual, in-depth gameplay footage. This may very well be the most ambitious remake project ever for a video game. Other than having the same story and characters, this is essentially an entirely new game made from scratch. It looks amazing, and I'm excited for the release of its first episode next March. I already ordered the $330 1st Class edition because I'm crazy...

But. Will the entire project ever be fully completed? I'm not joking when I say that I may die of old age before the whole game is completed. Final Fantasy XV took ten years; Kingdom Hearts III needed thirteen. Final Fantasy VII Remake? Estimates are between ten to thirty more years.

Final Fantasy VII is another precious, timeless classic that I (and so many others) hold near and dear in my heart. Never mind the outdated graphics. It solidified my love for role-playing and story/character-driven games. The gameplay footage and trailer for the remake reassures me that Square-Enix will probably not ruin Final Fantasy VII. Probably.

In the past, Square-Enix upset me greatly, with Final Fantasy XIII's terrible story, the declining quality of the recent Final Fantasy games (don't even mention the mobile games to me), the final mix versions of the Kingdom Hearts games not being released in the U.S. (of course, this has been fixed with the HD collections), and the overall lack of vision, direction, and timeliness the company has demonstrated. "Things will never be the same with Hironobu Sakaguchi gone," I would constantly tell myself. And things never were.

In my mind, I set two requirements for Square-Enix to win me back. First, release the Final Mix editions of the Kingdom Hearts games in the west. This has been done. Second, make a good remake of Final Fantasy VII. It looks like Square-Enix is on track to winning back my heart completely. Maybe it will happen before I die. Ten, twenty, maybe thirty years later.

We know Squeenix sure likes to take its time.

Elden Ring
The Game of Thrones television series is over. George R. R. Martin, another person who likes to take his time, is working with the creators of Dark Souls (which I finally managed to play through a few months back!). Seems like a perfect match. I'm sure this collaboration will result in an amazing game. I still like Tolkien more, though.

Dragon Quest's Hero(es) in Smash
Continuing Square-Enix's momentum this year is the inclusion of the Dragon Quest Hero(es) in Smash Ultimate. For a while, I've been thinking to myself: there should be another Square-Enix character in Smash. Capcom has two; even Konami has two. And fuck Konami.

However, I couldn't think of another Square-Enix character that people really want in Smash other than Geno from Super Mario RPG. Personally, I'm partial to Terra or any character from Final Fantasy VI, but I knew that was unlikely. I don't understand why I completely forgot about Dragon Quest. I always forget about Dragon Quest. I'm still ashamed that I haven't played through the Dragon Quest games yet as I've always been more of a Final Fantasy guy. Nonetheless, Dragon Quest Hero is perfect for Smash, since most of the Dragon Quest titles have released on Nintendo hardware. The Hero(es) can just borrow techniques from the other swordsmen and Robin, with some tweaks to make him/them seem more unique.

BANJO IN SMASH
Words are unnecessary. Just watch this video:

If you don't understand why people have wanted Banjo so much in Smash, then just go away. You don't understand video games.

Rare. They made Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and Banjo-Kazooie for the Nintendo 64. Timeless classics. Microsoft. They acquired Rare, and thereafter Rare fell from grace (Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts... a tragedy), and both the developers and gamers were left pining for older, more golden times. Finally, Banjo and Kazooie can return home, home to Nintendo, and Smash. I'm so happy that Banjo and Kazooie will be in Smash.

If for some reason you don't know about Banjo-Kazooie because you are too young or not a real gamer, then you should watch this video to educate yourself:

Nothing else really excited me that much this year at E3. Moving on.

Pokémon: Seeking Fulfillment

1998 - I was ten years old. I remember when the first pilot episode of the Pokémon Anime aired on television, in which Ash traded his Butterfree for a Raticate like a dumbass while on the S.S. Anne. Then, of course, the release of the Pokémon Red and Blue Gameboy games. The Burger King Pokémon toys that made headlines because babies were choking on them. Pokémon cards were banned at school because they were too much of a distraction. Everyone wanted a Charizard card. Then the release of the first movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, which saw streams of kids with their parents, who were still puzzled as to why Pokémon was so damn popular, lined up at the theaters. Two years later, at least where I went to school, kids who still liked Pokémon were ostracized by their peers and, if they still liked it, had to hide this fact. Somehow, despite the pressures and disapproval from others regarding my interest in Pokémon, I have never given up on it.

South Park released an episode titled "Chinpokomon" that parodied the silly obsession kids had with Pokemon in the late 90's. Despite its explicitly racist undertones and poking fun at Americans' fixation on large penises, the episode does a spot-on job of ridiculing Pokémon's popularity. The obsession with Pokémon stems from human beings' innate desire to 1. collect everything and 2. get absorbed in whatever fad is popular at the time. As a video game completionist and collector, Pokémon is the perfect (or worst) match for me.

Everyone has heard of Pokémon. But few people have played the games as extensively as I have, and I say this not to brag, but to modestly and self-deprecatingly acknowledge the fact that this is an intellectual property to which I have committed two-thirds of my life. Over the years, my feelings toward Pokémon have shifted between obsession and diluted interest. Companionate affection, a characteristic of successful long-term relationships, ensures that I can never completely abandon Pokémon, no matter how uninspired and redundant it gets. I couldn't care less for the spin-off games, though. Except for Pokémon Snap; that game was awesome.

Pokémon is truly a completionist's nightmare, and no matter how many hours, hundreds if not thousands, that I put into the games, I will never be able to fully finish some of them. I will always feel compelled to fully complete my Pokédex and the postgame content for my selected version of every generation of the main series titles. I always need to obtain the gold trainer card and complete all the sidequests.

Earlier last month, I once again played through the 3DS Virtual Console's release of Pokémon Red version, the very first Pokémon game I ever played in the fall of 1998, for maybe the hundredth time. I also went through every single one of my main files across the seven generations to check off as many items in the Pokémon postgame checklists that I found online. The desire for completion compels me. The same time last year, I replaced the save batteries in my original Gameboy cartridges for the first and second generation Pokémon games (Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal) and played through them again to regain the level of completion I previously had on the save files for those games. For those who don't know, old cartridge-based games relied on internal batteries for save files, which would eventually run dry, as all batteries do, resulting in your previous save file being completely erased.

Imagine this: a person turns on one of their old Pokémon games after many years only to see that all of their progress has been completely erased. What if they had a complete Pokédex? What if they had a legitimate event Mew? What if they wanted their save file to last forever as a reminder of their happy childhood?

Thankfully I had anticipated the death of the batteries and transferred all my Pokémon on those games to my Pokémon Stadium 2 cart, a Nintendo 64 expansion game of sorts and 3D battle simulator that effectively serves as a storage device for one's generation 1 and 2 Pokémon across multiple games. Given this, I still had to replay through my Yellow and Crystal games to reach the level of completion I had before. Thankfully, now there are tools to backup my save files, so even if the new batteries run dry, I will have a way to restore my current save data.

I assume that not everyone would have had as much foresight. Or they probably just don't care about lost data. But for those who do care and are affected, a lost save file can be a great tragedy symbolizing the death of their childhood, a reminder that the past is gone forevermore.

I, on the other hand, see Pokémon games as opportunities to build upon past memories and reflect on previous accomplishments. I have thirteen "diplomas" for my complete Pokédexes across my main Yellow, Crystal, Ruby, Leaf Green, Diamond, Soul Silver, White, Black 2, X, Omega Ruby, Moon, Ultra Moon, and Let's Go Eevee save files. Thankfully, my future Pokédex completions will be facilitated by Pokémon Bank and the upcoming Pokémon Home service, which can transfer all of one's Pokémon from previous games to the upcoming Sword and Shield.

In a way, all of my save files across the seven generations of Pokémon games serve as a record of my life. I can easily recall significant events that occurred during my life when I played each game: generation 1 was fifth grade, generation 2 middle school, generation 3 high school, generation 4 college, generation 5 and 6 my first two years of working full-time, and generation 7 graduate school. Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee came out two weeks before I turned 30.

Generation 1-6 Games

Yet, no matter how many hours I put in the Pokémon games, I'm always left feeling unfulfilled. Is it really necessary to complete everything in these games? No. Is it fun? Not really. Then why do I do it? Even if I complete my Pokédex, there's no way I can collect the shiny form for every single creature without cheating, which I refuse to do. Then there are my ongoing efforts to catch and breed Pokémon with the right natures and IVs/stats so they can be used competitively. And I don't even engage in competitive battling outside of the in-game Battle Towers, Maisons, and Trees. There's EV training and team building, dumb mini-games and items to collect, and not enough time to truly finish absolutely everything in all of these games. What is the point of trying to collect and complete everything? There really isn't any logical reason to it, outside of dopamine releases. People often have unusual hobbies, and completing everything, or as much as I can, in the Pokémon games is one of mine.

There are days when I lament the excessive time I have poured into (some might say wasted on) these games. I could have used those hundreds of hours to go through my bucket list of other video games and books. Then there's the thought that since I've already invested so much time into Pokémon, I might as well persist.

After I played through Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee toward the end of last year, for the first time I seriously considered whether I was getting too old for Pokémon. Yes, it took a lot longer for me than for most. Though I have pondered the possibility before throughout the years, normally I would quickly arrive at the conclusion that it's okay for me to still love Pokémon, even when it felt boring and mind-numbingly repetitive. I have experienced an oversaturation of Pokémon content in my lifetime, and I haven't even watched the Anime episodes past season 3 since 1999 (the show is on season 22 now wtf).

Nevertheless, I still feel excited for the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. The Galar region appears to be based on Great Britain, which is perfect since I've always been deeply interested in British literature, history, and culture. Also, I really like Corviknight, one of the new Pokémon based on a raven revealed in the Direct. For the longest time, I've waited for Game Freak to create Pokémon based on a panda, wolf, and raven, three of my favorite animals. Generation 6 gave us Pancham and Pangoro. Generation 7 gave us Lycanroc and his three forms. And for Sword and Shield, we will have Corviknight and two legendaries based on wolves: Zacian (it's Sif from Dark Souls!) and Zamazenta. No longer will I have to wait for my panda, wolf, and raven Pokémon. Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." These are small rewards for my nearly lifelong patience. Then of course, there's the new mechanic of dynamax, which allows Pokémon to grow to a Kaiju-level sizes. It's almost too stupid to imagine, but I'm sure some people are excited.

Corviknight: "Nevermore."

Giant Pikachu

I've never met a person in real-life who is as dedicated to Pokémon as I am. Everyone else, from kids to adults, dabble or have dabbled in Pokémon for a short period of time, whether it was playing the first generation games as kids or jumping on the bandwagon of Pokémon Go back in 2016. Recently I was surprised to learn that my elementary students are still collecting Pokémon cards. I was never that into the cards, until last year when I started buying a bunch of them from Ebay of Mewtwo, Darkrai, and some of my other favorites. I also collect Pokémon books, figurines, stuffed animals, and other toys. Pokémon for me is a compulsion.

Nostalgia is profitable, and this is why Pokémon has found so much success. Pokémon Go is a perfect example. Then there's the Detective Pikachu movie. Seeing as the Nintendo Direct for Pokémon Sword and Shield also just aired yesterday, it is safe to say that Pokémon is showing no signs of fading away in popularity anytime soon.

People have repeatedly stated that Pokémon is merely a fad. They said this back in the late 90's, and then again in 2016 when Pokémon Go came out. Maybe for most individuals Pokémon was merely a a transient interest, or a quick nostalgia trip. Lack of commitment on their part, understandably so. Common, very common, and typical; these people are like Ratatas, Zubats, and Bidoofs in the wild.

It's common for people to jump on bandwagons and fads as they come out due to their innate desire for fulfillment, which they desperately hope they can attain by temporarily absorbing themselves in what's popular. It's another thing to be cognizant of one's sincere passion and devotion to a subject while acknowledging its innocent and silly nature.

We'll speak nothing of the zoophilia and sexualization of certain characters in the Pokémon fandom. This video is funny, though.

Epic Games, Ubisoft, Overworked Employees, and Sexual Harassment

Epic Games
It appears that Epic Games seeks to take on the world. The company has chosen to compete with Steam by using exclusivity deals to make their online store seem more appealing. The opposite reaction has occurred. People are angry that Borderlands 3 will be an Epic Games Store exclusive for PC, at least until next year. PC gamers who don't want to buy games from the Epic Games Store will have to wait.

I understand the outcry. PC gamers have grown accustomed to having their entire gaming library available to them on Steam. When it comes to PC gaming, Valve's Steam store is the preference, the norm, the status quo.

When challenging the status quo, we all know that conflict always arises. Epic Games' CEO defends exclusivity deals by calling to attention the 30% commission fee that Steam charges for each game sold. Epic Games is fighting for change, positive change. Or so they would have us believe. Supposedly, if Steam changes 70/30 to 88/12, then the Epic Games Store will close down.

I'm not much of a PC Gamer, but I find this dilemma interesting. I believe that game developers should receive more of the profits for the games that they themselves created. Yet, I understand why people who are so conditioned to buy everything on Steam (and who really want to play Borderlands 3) are upset. In a world where convenience has spoiled much of the Earth's population, anything that causes inconvenience can greatly piss us off. The ultimatum escalates the drama.

Epic Games has acquired Rocket League now too. Uh oh.

Change will always come, one way or another, for better or for worse. If I played most/all my games on PC and bought them primarily through Steam, then I might feel enraged too. 88/12 sounds nice, though.

But that's not all; Epic Games has also provoked the ire of expert and professional Fortnite players. Games like Fortnite not only infect popular culture with silly dances and addiction, but they also help ensure that video game streamers and professional gamers need not find real jobs. Who wants a real job anyways? Making money from playing the same game(s) over and over again, now that's the dream.

However, with the recent changes that Epic Games has made to Fortnite, I believe the experts and pros are having more difficulties with absolutely destroying everyone else. Elitism is everywhere. People should just "get gud." If we can't "pwn noobs," then what's the point? We need video games so we don't need to learn to spell.

Should Epic Games focus on appeasing the vocal minority of top players, or should they stand by the gameplay changes they introduced with the goal of making the game more accessible to the less-skilled (which means everyone else)?

Should Epic Games continue to pursue exclusivity deals even if the majority of the PC gaming population will hate the company for doing so?

People have sounded off. We'll always find reasons to feel angry about something. Fair or unfair.

Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed Unity had a terrible launch back in 2014. Lips and eyes without faces; eternal nightmares. I'm glad I didn't play this game at launch. I didn't play it until a year later, after the game had been fixed, and found it alright and enjoyable enough. Without all the bugs and glitches, the game ran smoothly for me, thankfully. I had fun playing AC Unity, running and jumping around the breathtaking city of Paris, climbing Notre Dame and exploring its inner chambers, and solving the murder of Maximilien Robespierre, all while watching historical documentaries (which provided me the answer for the aforementioned murder) about the French Revolution.

Last month, tragedy hit; fire engulfed Notre Dame. Thankfully, the sheer amount of research and dedication to realism and historical accuracy has allowed AC Unity to have one of the most detailed 3D models of Notre Dame. A video game can possibly help in Notre Dame's reconstruction.

After Ubisoft offered AC Unity for free following this tragic event (the fire, not the game's launch), the game received numerous positive reviews for Ubisoft's magnanimous decision. Try reading the original AC Unity and recent reviews side by side.

Now Ubisoft has made noticeable efforts to learn from its mistakes. I cannot deny that I still feel slightly bitter toward Ubisoft due to past grievances (when do I not have grievances?). I won't detail them now, but having a dreadful E3 host who makes everyone cringe is one issue. Nonetheless, Ubisoft eventually fixed AC Unity, and the mistakes from that game allowed the AC developers to make the subsequent games better. Most of all, the researchers, developers, and graphic designers at Ubisoft helped bring the AC games to life, and their efforts may help restore Notre Dame to its former splendor.

Tragedies come in many forms. Whether it is the destruction of Notre Dame or AC Unity's launch, a tragedy will inevitably evoke sorrow, anger, and regret. But with time, we learn that tragedies can also provide us with opportunities to learn and grow stronger.

Overworked Employees and Sexual Harassment
Why do I keep reading about game developers suffering from 70-100 hour work weeks? Recent releases such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Anthem, and Mortal Kombat 11 have resulted in frequent reports about overworked employees at companies such as Rockstar, Bioware, Epic Games, and NetherRealm Studios. Because game developers are often salaried or contracted employees, they are typically not paid for overtime. For about a year, while working as a full-time teacher at a company (also with no overtime, and plenty of hours of unpaid work), I thought 50-60 hour work weeks were bad enough. I don't understand why companies feel compelled to drive their workhorses into exhaustion and discontent. People won't stay silent forever. Bad reputations and lawsuits may arise.

Why are there still reports about prevalent sexist culture at game companies, often condoned if not instigated by the higher ups? In light of the walkout at Riot Games (makers of League of Legends) and prior reports, it has become clear that sexual harassment and toxic work environments are seemingly commonplace at some big-name companies. Why is this the case?

Riot Games has publicly expressed support for its employees, promising no punishment for the participants in the walkout and an ongoing commitment to "inclusion and diversity." A good sign, a predictable response. It doesn't take a genius to know that the concept of forced arbitration is absolutely stupid and unethical, and it only serves as a means for companies to protect the sexual harassers who may help run (or pretend to run) the company. You don't promote someone after they have been accused of sexually harassing someone, unless the company culture condones and welcomes such depravity. Thankfully, people have begun to speak and stand up for themselves. Journalists are shedding light on the dark realities that have persisted for far too long. This year, Google ended forced arbitration for its employees, and soon Riot Games will follow in suit. We must speak up and speak out against injustice in order for change to occur. If all else fails, let's go for a walk(out).

The lesson stands. When you don't treat people right or make decisions for the right reasons, karma will make sure that devils receive their due.

Gaming Industry Progress Reports

As an educator, I frequently have to write progress reports for my students. Oftentimes I find myself reiterating the same points of "Student X has done well with this, but needs to work more on that." The prospect of writing progress reports for gaming companies, however, sounds far more interesting, as the industry is constantly growing and presenting us consumers with welcome (and unwelcome) surprises and new products to enjoy. As such, there are always new trends, games, accomplishments, and sins to comment on (or old sins to remember). In a case that a company botches a release (like EA with Anthem) or is discovered to be involved in questionable/unethical practices (overworking employees, microtransactions...), gamers, critics, and moral advocates will assuredly express their discontent. Gaming companies are like bonfires, constantly lighting fires of passion, love, or resentment in the community.

EA
Hating on EA has become a norm, and for good reason. Thanks to the company's brilliant management and obsession with the "games as a service" model, which essentially entails including as many microtransactions as possible in all of its games, EA is always on the top of people's "Most Hated Company" and "Worst Company" lists. Of course, this is nothing new, as The Consumerist awarded EA with the official honor of "Worst Company in America" two years in a row in 2012 and 2013.

Now it's common for gaming companies to fuck up from time to time. Look at Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Capcom, Konami, and Square-Enix. I could go in to great detail about how each of these companies have erred terribly in the past, but far more important is whether a company commits to learning from its past mistakes. As of right now, EA doesn't seem to be learning.

Anthem was a flop, and this sad yet unsurprising fact has already received widespread coverage in the media. Such was also the case with buggy, tragic comedy that was Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017, though unexpectedly, which, at least as of right now, seems to have killed off the Mass Effect franchise. This is truly unfortunate. The original Mass Effect trilogy is widely considered one of the greatest series of role-playing games ever made (I still need to complete Mass Effect 3 and see its bad ending, but I enjoyed the first two games, and their amazing stories and characters, very much). Bioware, also known for creating hits such as the Dragon Age and Knights of the Old Republic games, has truly fallen from grace, to no fault of their own. The onus, as expected, lies with EA, which has a history of acquiring game studios only to murder them/shut them down soon after. The overworked developers at Bioware tried their best to work with the constraints and misdirections given to them by the EA overlords, and the results, at least for Andromeda and Anthem, were atrocious, buggy, unfinished games.

We also can't forget the Star Wars: Battlefront II debacle and its microtransactions, which led to the most down-voted comment in Reddit history. Disney's CEO commented that Disney is happy with how EA has handled the Star Wars games, proving his own underlying point that Disney is completely ignorant about Star Wars games. Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see how Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will turn out. Perhaps making a single-player game with no microtransactions, the antithesis to EA's egregious approach up until now, will lead toward a path of improvement? Either way, fuck EA.

Apex Legends was apparently well-received because EA didn't tamper with it. Despite its initial and "artificial" surge in popularity, now people have flocked back to Fortnite. Kids really like battle royale shooters nowadays, but they still can't seem to maintain interest in Apex Legends or care about Battlefield V's Firestorm. Fads come and go, but whether EA will ever cease being the worst, evil gaming empire we've seen remains to be seen.

Santa Monica Studio
One year has passed since God of War (IV) released. Santa Monica Studio recently released a video on their Youtube channel thanking the fans. All I have to say is no, thank you Santa Monica Studio. Thank you for making God of War. Thank you for keeping the dream alive and pouring your hearts, souls, blood, sweat, and tears into making this wonderful work of art.

On a lighter-hearted note, I also thank Santa Monica Studio for toning down the excessive, gratuitous, bloody violence/nudity that characterized prior GoW games and not including sex simulators this time around. As funny as these features were in previous God of War titles, at least now I don't have to be as cautious about mentioning God of War when talking to prepubescent or adolescent children about examples of popular media that have incorporated Greek mythology. Never mind, I still do.

Capcom
For a long time, I've loved Capcom unconditionally. Capcom birthed many of the most beloved and popular gaming franchises, including Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Monster Hunter, Breath of Fire and Okami. Mega Man and Onimusha in particular retain special places in my childhood heart and memories. Hell, Capcom even made DuckTales and other great Disney games like Goof Troop. Then, between the late 2000's and early 2010's, I grew to detest Capcom, after I came to the realization that the company whored out and killed Mega Man. Capcom even went as far as to attribute Mega Legends 3's cancellation to lack of demand and fan involvement. What the hell? In subsequent years, Capcom almost ruined Dante in the Devil May Cry reboot, made the polarizing Resident Evil 6, and released Street Fighter V as an incomplete game. I began to deem Capcom unforgivable.

My how things have changed. In the last two years, Capcom has brought Mega Man back to life in the forms of the Mega Man/Mega Man X Legacy Collections and Mega Man 11 and released several high-quality, well-received games: Resident Evil VII, the Resident Evil 2 remake, Monster Hunter World, and Devil May Cry 5. Oh how Capcom has turned things around! They now clearly understand the importance of making high-quality games that don't disappoint but rather directly appeal to the gamers who love these franchises. Once again, Capcom can be seen as synonymous with quality, as was the case in decades past. Hopefully this continues into the future.

Konami
Arguably the committer of some of the greatest gaming sins in the industry (screwing over Hideo Kojima, internally shaming/abusing its workers, abandoning video games in favor of the gambling business, making Metal Gear Survive...), Konami was once, back in 2013, the only gaming company I openly expressed had never really done anything to piss me off. I mean, Konami created Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Contra, Dance Dance Revolution, Silent Hill, and even the old-school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle beat-em-up games on the NES and SNES. Up until that time, Konami had yet to do anything truly wrong, I thought to myself, and therefore I jinxed it. Oh the travesties that would later come from Konami and would reduce this once amazing company to the depths of unprecedented ignominy for a gaming company (notwithstanding EA of course).

In 2015, Konami released Metal Gear Solid V. This was a game I thoroughly enjoyed and poured over 120 hours into despite feeling upset that Snake's/Big Boss's voice actor, David Hayter, was replaced for no justifiable reason and that the game's weak plot had so much wasted potential. Nonetheless, the gameplay was superb, leading to MGS V winning "Best Action/Adventure" game at the 2015 Game Awards show. However, Konami banned Hideo Kojima, the creative genius behind the Metal Gear Solid games, from attending the show. Words cannot describe the amount of disrespect Konami has shown toward Kojima and its dedicated employees.

Koji Igarashi, also known as Iga, the man who helped reinvigorate Castlevania with Symphony of the Night (and thereby giving rise to the gaming genre known as Metroidvania), also parted ways with Konami in 2014. With Konami's focus shifting away from mainstream gaming to mobile games and pachinko machines, this disgraceful company felt more than willing to drive away two of its greatest minds and creators, Kojima and Igarashi, whose genius helped Konami establish itself as a successful gaming company in the first place. Konami proceeded to shit all over Kojima, Igarashi, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, its employees, and its fans. At least Japanese people can visit casinos to play Konami's pachinko machines and see remastered HD cutscenes of Metal Gear Solid 3 and softcore porn using Castlevania characters? Scum of the Earth, Konami is. To add more salt to the wounds of the gaming community, Konami released Metal Gear Survive in an effort to reuse MGS V's assets as a quick cash-grab to capitalize on the faltering popularity of zombie-apocalypse style survival-horror games, to no success. Too ashamed of Survive's failure and existence, Konami refused to address its dismal sales in its 2018 earnings report. Konami, why the hell did you even make this game in the first place? Konami's past success and legacy has been tarnished by its current unethical and insulting business practices. I mean, it doesn't even really make video games anymore.

Recently, Konami has ventured to re-release its older games in compilations such as Castlevania: Requiem, Konami Arcades Classics, Castlevania Anniversary Collection, and Contra Anniversary Collection. These collections serve to remind us how Konami was once a company that cared about making good video games, a long time ago.

Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania remain among my favorite series, but Konami is now the gaming (?) company I personally hate the most. Fuck Konami.

Nintendo and Microsoft
I'll be talking (briefly) about Nintendo and Microsoft simultaneously here, specifically because their recent collaboration warrants intrigue and discussion. So far we have seen Cuphead's release on the Switch, which was one of several games that made me regret not owning an Xbox One. The prospects of this partnership are fascinating because we've never really seen this type of collaboration among the "big three" (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) since the beginning of the modern console wars. I'm excited by the possibility of playing more games that were previously Xbox-exclusives on the Switch, or maybe even seeing Nintendo games appear on the Xbox. I find the latter less likely, though, but one also cannot help but wonder what may come down the line, and how Sony feels about Nintendo and Microsoft's recent partnership.

People have argued that Sony has won this console generation, a reasonable assumption based on the sales of the PS4, which are currently over 94 million units sold. In comparison, the Xbox One stands at over 39 million units (both the PS4 and Xbox One released back in 2013). Furthermore, although the Switch is only two years old, it is already approaching 35 million units sold, placing the Switch's sales close to the PS4's during the same timespan. Can Nintendo maintain the Switch's sales momentum, and when will the "mini" (cheaper) and "pro" (more expensive) versions of the Switch console be released?

On a final note, there has been a lot of speculation about the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft in addition to the updated models for the Switch. Reports of the PS5 being backwards compatible would lead me to consider purchasing it on release day, assuming the launch price isn't PS3 levels of outrageous (less than $400 please). For a while, I've considered buying a Playstation 4 Pro, but the possibility of PS4 games running just as well, or better, on the PS5 has led me to abandon this notion. Certainly, with the upcoming new console releases looming around the corner, 2020 will be an exciting year for gaming.

What companies like EA and Konami teach us is that when executives become too blinded and misguided by the "for-profit mentality" in favor of creating high-quality games that make gamers happy, the result is often a shit show. Needless enforcement of microtransactions, rushed developments, mistreatment of employees, forcing employees to work 70-100 work weeks, shunning and antagonizing fans, whoring out your company's iconic franchises... these are all habits of ignorance, immorality, and sin. Realize the irony: when a company values profit over quality and ethics, the result is often poor sales, financial losses, and widespread frustrations and anger. I don't think it is wrong to ask gaming companies to ensure that they treat people right and have their hearts and minds in the right place when making games. Santa Monica Studios is a great example, and I believe Capcom's recent success can be attributed to their willingness to learn from their past mistakes.

I realize that there are still other companies and studios that I haven't addressed in this piece, but I think I'll have future editions of gaming industry progress reports. Food for thought for another time.