BC GAME
Saved by @Alex1Powell

Considering this year I don't have much in the way of game translation to discuss, publicly, I'd say this was a productive year for writing threads on largely neglected and forgotten Japanese games. So if you're looking to learn about some, here's what I wrote about in 2020!

 2020 was another year where I talked a *lot* of shop about dating sim history. Much of it was actual dating sims, like in some threads below, but sometimes I went on adjacent tangents, like for the cool Kojipro-developed Tokimeki Memorial adventure games: https://t.co/uUl6Pmro06
I also went down a whole new rabbit hole for Fuuraiki, an open-ended PS1/PS2 adventure game with a cult following about traveling around the island of Hokkaido that's set to real world photography. It's a unique tangent in galge well worth exploring: https://t.co/wsZ6gJ4pwj
I also took a quick jaunt into Michinoku Hitou Koi Monogatari, a spiritual predecessor to Fuuraiki that's about traveling around Tohoku against a backdrop of mahjong matches. It's a rough draft that would get much more refined later, but still worthwhile: https://t.co/gcmCafAbyT
In terms of actual dating sims that I covered, the focus was mainly post-Amagami games released by Kadokawa such as Photo Kano. While I think these games have MANY flaws, they do offer key insight into the state of the genre during its decade-long decline: https://t.co/M6XBKjvgGg
In addition to Photo Kano, I examined Reco Love, a game with as many problems in the framing and execution of its mechanics as there are in its character writing. It's a dating sim I would never recommend, but an academically interesting one nonetheless: https://t.co/r8ipi5YlXX
And finally, some mechanically inventive RPGs I enjoyed very much. First up is Yuusha Shisu/Hero Must Die, a feature phone RPG that was eventually remade for Vita and other systems where the clock is ticking and the protagonist's strength drains over time: https://t.co/7OBq0SKePw
Then there's Next King, a deeply funny, inventive board game/RPG-hybrid by acclaimed designer Shouji Masuda that cynically riffs on the tropes of dating sims and other galge that were so prevalent in the Japanese industry throughout the mid to late 1990s. https://t.co/031HvrZP6n
And finally, the thread I'm most proud of this year: a retrospective on Gunparade March for its 20th anniversary. A rare example of a Japanese RPG whose storytelling is highly systems-driven, it barely functions at times, but is endlessly fascinating: https://t.co/aoJbkwdmNp
This is all, of course, in addition to my regular duties on the Amagami LP. It's been on another hiatus due to various life stuff going on, but the true finale of it is slowly nearing. If you want to catch up on the current arc, you can start here: https://t.co/DemkeTKAHt
I still have plenty more to write in the hopefully not-too-distant future, especially in exploring more dating sim history. (I played Love Plus for nine months straight this year!) But hopefully these threads offer good starting points for new games and genres to explore!
I do wish I had more I could openly talk about in terms of stuff I'm working on professionally and, like I said, with any luck, 2021 will be my biggest year on that end since 2016/2017. But in the meantime, thanks for your patience and indulging these adventures I go on. c:

More from Game

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𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥🧂🧂...
@VoicetoGame
I'm seeing a lot of echoes of the GamerGate phenomenon happening right now, so it is important to revisit this a little, quickly.

Thread:

GamerGate was a misogynist movement to harass women online who were in the gaming industry or interested in games. They organized on message boards in places like Reddit and 4chan and picked targets together.

GamerGate didn't appear out of thin air. GamerGate was a representation of white male entitlement that has existed in our culture forever. In particular, the mantra "ethics in games journalism" made no sense and they targeted people who noted how games have bad representation.

There, already, were weird online groups for angry men:

Incels: Involuntary celebates, guys who believe (stupidly) that they're incapable for having sex with women because women only like "alpha" guys (Chads).

PUAs: Pick-Up Artists, guys who use abusive tactics to wear down women to trick them into sexual relationships. They typically are only interested in women in terms of "conquest" and dehumanize women constantly in their forums.
GAME
Pat Stares At Yoshi Being Fired Into Space
Pat Stares At Yoshi Be...
@PatStaresAt
Now that I have a little more time, I'd like to go into detail as to why this is such horseshit.

-39 Seconds- The implication that the PC release was of the quality standard they intended and that's extremely hard to believe. 1/many


-49 Seconds- Leadership Team is deeply sorry (not at fault), don't blame any specific teams (hold onto this one)

-1m42s- Describes a process of making the game look great on PC and then backsliding to "Old Gen" despite the game being announced before PS4/Xbox hardware was known.

-2m11s- Describes the old gen disk bandwith as "it is what it is" Considering the game got announced before those consoles even shipped, its absurd that the entire game was built so far beyond their possible constraints. Also, those consoles put out stuff like Tsushima late gen.

-2m19s- "-our testing did not show a big part of the issues
you experienced while playing the game" This is probably the worst part. Despite telling you not to blame any specific team, the test / QA team, somehow didn't discover the issues with the game.

You don't need to have worked in Dev or QA to know that the game was flying apart at every level (even on PC). The idea that the bug nightmare that ended up shipping seen for example here https://t.co/bgDkfQMVku went under the radar of a PROFESSIONAL QA TEAM is ridiculous.
GAME
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ArmerGeist (And the Robot of Gameindustri)
ArmerGeist (And the Ro...
@armergeist
Transmission Start:
Transmission Titled: The Days of Darkness
#GamingNews
#Cyberpunk2077
#TheLastofUsPartII
#MaddenNFL21
#gamingdevelopment
#BadChoices
#videogameawards


The purges have begun.

As many have been witness in the last several days, things in the "meat space" to state the phrase, have taken a turn for the worse.

The missives on the social media platforms and the actions taken on leaders of nations is not surprising. The creator of this account realizes how evil many people in the video game medium were and are.

Certain aspects of the creator of this accounts thoughts and my programing has been altered to access and with greater context, accept the reality of such.

There are examples of this, many from the Story Board Artist of #Gears5 from Microsoft along with many of those that follow that account.
GAME
Ahmad
Ahmad
@Ahmad05471150
https://t.co/RtEExo5n4z game information


There have been many video video games which have been tailored to films. Although Android video games characteristic a retro feel, as they’re relatively easier to develop.
GAME
Yonah Bex
Yonah Bex
@remembrancermx
Hello friends, let's talk about gamer expectations of work/life balance & why they need to stfu.

There's a certain type of Gamer w/ a Hard R that believes their video games are the center of all existence. They've made their identity so fixated on gaming in general, or a game/games in particular, that nothing else comes close.

To those obsessive gamers, those in the game industry should consider themselves privileged to work on such important material. And w/ that privilege comes accepting that nothing in the employee's life is as important as The Game.

B/c gamer identities revolve around a game, they literally cannot comprehend that an employee might have other things in their life. They don't understand that employees, esp devs, have a right to boundaries b/c The Game trumps all.

There's also very little understanding among gamers about how game development, you know, *works* & they usually assume a lot less work is needed. So when combined w/ a lack of belief in employee boundaries, they truly expect immediate results.
GAME

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When Sania Mirza married Shoaib Malik it was something legal. A Muslim married another Muslim. Entire Hindutva media went after her. They launched a witch-hunt for months. No Indian Muslim stood by her. All were silent. Now days come when Muslims are arrested for marrying a Hindu

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Anu Satheesh \U0001f1ee\U0001f1f3
Anu Satheesh 🇮🇳...
@AnuSatheesh5
Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple Palakkad, Kerala
#KeralaTemples 🚩

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Creating Kerala was doing Tapasya here. But he was disturbed as the land faced turbulence. Parashurama sought Narada’s help, who advised him to pray to Vishnu. Parashurama started praying Maha Vishnu. Finally Maha Vishnu appeared and told to do Prathishta of his Varaha Avatar.


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from where it was taken.
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sriram \U0001f1ee\U0001f1f3
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Saptapadi

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Hindu wedding rituals: During Saath Phere, the bride and groom exchange their marital vows while circumambulating (walking around) the sacred fire seven times.


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