Catherine's Complex View of Commitment

Leigh Alexander

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Catherine's Complex View of Commitment

Leigh Alexander celebrates how Catherine moves beyond boobs to address the genuine complexity of modern relationships.

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i am not god

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That was really good, I'm still waiting for Catherine to get released over here in the UK. but the way it deals with relationships was one of the main things that got me interested in it, other than it was by the people who made the excellent Persona games. Looking forward to your future writings on here! Welcome back as well, your stuff has always been great I thought.
 

Dreiko_v1legacy

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Catherine was amazing but boobs are amazing too. In praising this game many people jump to say "Well, it rocks but definitely not because of boobs, nah, that's not it!" when they should be saying "This game did boobs well and wasn't shallow or childish about them".


I suppose boldly admitting deriving enjoyment from boobs (or...eroge :p) as something higher than media made for the purpose of fulfilling the most base of our instincts is still far away for our society...but we can still hope.



Nice read and I can't wait for more. :)
 

Torrasque

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Interesting article.
The reasons you stated in your article, are definitely the reasons I bought Catherine; the anime style and platforming are essential to the game, and I love them both, but the game's take on relationships and human interactions, is the primary reason.
For me, I am doing the platforming and talking to sheep, to get to the next cut scene where I can see my character make his situation worse, so I know how to pull his ass out of the fire.
There have been times where my answer to essential relationship questions, has yielded a result opposite of what I thought it should, but after alot of thought, I can usually reason out where I went wrong, so I can answer more accurately next time.

All in all, Catherine is a great game, and people who hate on it, are really missing out.
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
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I am fond of phrases like "it's just a game"...

So, you were right. Didn't really enjoy it.
 

MatsVS

Tea & Grief
Nov 9, 2009
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This was certainly interesting and makes me anticipate a European release even more.

It'd also be fascinating to read further articles on sex and games that hopefully aims slightly higher than the average texts on the subject. After all, how many times will we have to see some so-called journalist try to tackle the sex-elephant in the room when talking about any given game that features adult subjects, only to see them misunderstand their own aesthetic sensibilities for a moral yardstick. ("This game attempts to tackle mature subject matters but ends up being too gratuitous.") That's a value-judgement that only inhibits the debate of what the game actually offers and brings absolutely nothing new to the greater discussion.

A series of articles devoid of moralizing and preachiness would be awesome indeed.
 

Jikuu

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Mar 3, 2010
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I enjoyed the thread, but the sentence, "Our values have shifted to admire the single woman - and the single mother - as figures to admire rather than to pity." seemed odd for having admire repeated twice. I don't state this as any meaningful thing, but just throwing it out there. Good luck with the column.
 

Tsukuyomi

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A good, and thought-provoking, column. A game like Catherine really is what the 'mature gamer' community needs to rally around when the uneducated masses play the sex and debauchery card. The game itself is indeed about so much more than what the cover-art might suggest. Too often I think people both inside the community and outside take being 'mature' about sex means to take it in a serious, no-nonsense manner, when realistically Catherine hits the nail on the head: to be mature about sex, you don't have to take it seriously, so much as you have to not get overly-excited about it in any direction. It is what it is. It has many implications, but to harp on about it only makes it seem as though all you have is inexperience. Respect it, admit it's complexities, and move on. Simple and easy.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else your column covers. More like this and it should be a consistently good read.
 

Rythe

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As much as I understand the generally neutral tone of the article, there's one underlying assumption that I didn't want to let slide. May as well try to pull a thread out of it too.

Leigh Alexander said:
Our values have shifted to admire the single woman - and the single mother - as figures to admire rather than to pity.
Maybe it's the circles I run, but I can't help but feel that that statement is wishful thinking if not merely specific to a very limited set of social circles. That is, a single woman is more accepted by culture in general while admired by the Social Justice/Feminism centric communities, which is nitpicking and not worth commenting on.

So more specifically and to the point, a single mother is not something we admire.

Nor should it be because of what it represents. Somewhere along the line, (typically) two people made a mistake and had a child within a relationship that wasn't going to last. First and foremost, that's what a single mother represents - a mistake if not a broken relationship.

There's a lot of influences, mindsets, and assumptions typically going into making that mistake or broken relationship, things that generally paint a picture of a demonstratively unhealthy society, but I'll just point out one that's in the article - the rise of self-gratification over commitment and responsibility. It's true, this is happening, and it's just as true that it's a bad thing.

Which is not to say that there aren't single mothers who are worth admiring. Quite the contrary, my mom raised me and my brother on her own for much of our adolescence and childhood, and she did a damn good job given the cards she was dealt. That's admirable. On the other side of the coin, there are single mothers out there who are outright destructive parents and a lot more who are simply not mature enough to be a good or admirable mother. Which ignores the part where a family really does need a father worthy of the title for many reasons (speaking from experience and legit sources on my side of this political mire).

As for the game itself, I'm glad Catherine is taking a more mature approach to sexuality and relationships than the vast majority of games have even attempted. I'm just as hesitant in that it appears (haven't played) that both central women figures in the game are archetypes with popularized traits that also happen to be unhealthy - the marriage wrecker vs the jealous/demanding relationship nut. I'm fully aware of the role and trends this game is trying to cater to, doesn't change what those things represent - two bad choices teetering over what should be an obvious and obviously destructive mistake.

That said, I do sympathize with the Catherine who's tired of waiting for the protagonist to grow the hell up, and it's just as possible that she is merely acting out that frustration rather than being something like a control freak.
 

VanQ

Casual Plebeian
Oct 23, 2009
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An absolutely brilliant article. I'm truly glad that there is a writer here now that sees Eroge as more than just "them crazy Japanese porno games."

Some of the best stories I have ever experienced have been from Eroge, my favourite one in particular being the "Bully" case from Yume Miru Kusuri. Catherine is right up there as well, the Order True End was fantastic and the Freedom True End had me really worked up.

Welcome to the Escapist and I look forward to reading more from you in the coming months.
 

Xman490

Doctorate in Danger
May 29, 2010
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I've never figured out what makes sex so taboo of a subject. The only drawback (granted, a back-breaking one) is childbirth, but contraceptive devices can easily detract that danger. Frankly, society has got to get over its irrational fears, including religious ones like adultery in favorable circumstances.
 

AbstractStream

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Catherine was truly a great work. I was initially intrigued by Catherine because it was from the Persona team (and I admit, I'll basically gobble up anything they might make). It wasn't until I actually played that I saw it was fantastic by itself.

I agree in saying that it's a true "mature" approach to relationships. Great article.

I just want to add that I liked the true order ending. I mean come on, it was cute!
 

Lara Crigger

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Oh man. OH MAN. This column is so up my alley. I'm so stoked.

Excellent debut from a writer whose style I've always admired. Lots of food for thought here. Can't wait for next week's!
 

StriderShinryu

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Excellent, one of my favourite writers and a topic I personally find worthy of discussion. While this article itself was a little light on content, I eagerly anticipate the next.

Oh, and I loved this statement:
"If you're fond of phrases like "it's just a game," or if you'd prefer to take the direct route through your relationship with games - aim, fire, next! - then this probably isn't a series of articles you'll enjoy."

Thank you, Leigh, for just putting that out there. I know it may not really help in the end but the closed minded approach to what games could/should be was a constant irritant in the comment threads for Extra Credits. Maybe this initial disclaimer in the initial entry will make it clear to at least a few people that if this is a topic you're not into, just don't read the articles and don't waste everyone's time by commenting on them.
 

mfeff

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Leigh Alexander said:
but the real victory for mature gaming that Catherine achieved is how it reflects the unspoken anxieties, the broad social questions and truths, of the world in which we live.
Some interesting ideas in this article. As I do not routinely comment on the Escapist, there are a few ideas presented here that I think merit, at least, some debate.

Ms. Alexander points out that the two (primary) pathways of psychological titillation are through the use of sexuality, and death. As a truth (while we are on the subject), sex and death are both some of the easiest accesses to human responses due to the base nature of the experiences. Both the ease of implementation and the large audience these methods address is explanation enough as to why they are seen as much as they are (in electronic entertainment). However, I am not sure that a case for sexuality is being made by referencing Japanese games, especially the eroge games, as a projection of western society and the paradigm shifts towards a singles lifestyle. I am simply at a loss as to how to bring something like "Itazura Gokuaku" into the discourse and maintain a straight face, or ask a Japanese woman what her thoughts are on the subject matter every time she boards the A-Train to Shinjuku.

The movie references do share some similarities to the themes in Catherine, but I will address those in conclusion.

On Catherine, it certainly borrowed from the steam of the Persona series, and this is quite intentional. Shin Megami Tensei has had most of its market success (especially in the west) with the Persona spin off and derivatives, so why not attempt to associate a new IP with the series? In the context of the Persona series, the fourth game is certainly more sexually charged than it's predecessor. At least one sexual relationship is implied between the protagonist and a secondary social link, further more, one of the party members is dealing with his own sexual conflicts. In this sense it would be quite debatable that the Persona 4 game is, in fact, more socially aware of its own dealing with complex sexual issues in the medium of electronic entertainment. Just as Persona 3 deals almost exclusively with a gnosis and messianic construct that is very familiar in Japanese electronic RPG's. Beyond the obvious sexual nature of Catherine (on the outset), there is no linking ties to the content, aside from the anime style art direction and music composition.

Catherine debatably lacks the depth of character that the Persona series brings to the table. What is there in Catherine then? A man who is pulled one way or the other by dominate females in his life? Seemingly trapped by a conundrum of his illusionary freedom "do what I want with whom I want", or "face up to the responsibilities of life as parent". A sense of psychological "magical thinking" that relates his experiences to some vague concept that those experiences will and are shaping reality. Truly, nonsense. A nonsense, nevertheless, that many people have and continue to have today (especially in the west). It is socially relevant, but I doubt that "it" is, or the "audience" is, even aware of that relevance or grim conclusions.

Invariably I found no sexual exploration in Catherine other than as the lead in, the initial titillation to dupe the player into a very simplistic three-way of immaturity, fear, and social reflexivity on the narrative side, and a puzzle game of dubious merit on the interactive side. Hardly anything more than the monetization of mediocrity. So what is Catherine then, other than a Japanese spin of the "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"?

The sad part is that it is games such as Catherine, and to an extent the eroge games of Japan, that demonstrate the video games limitations when exploring anything that is complex in the way of social interactivity. The west has had some titles that are exceptions to this rule, but those are easily explained by the influences from which they borrow. If there is a market for this medium (and there certainly is), it is in the fact that many of those who interact and consume this medium are as shallow and short sighted as those who produced it.

It has appeared to me as a trend of society, and that is interesting in many ways. I would have a hard time stating that what this is, is a general crumbled society and weak social values that are driving weak social value medium, or weak social value medium that continues to drive a society seeking a panacea to justify the fact that it is failed and weak on the personal level.

Is Catherine making a social statement? Sure, but that is just it, I am not convinced that it is "aware" of the statement that it is making. A pregnant woman faced with the reality that the man she has a relationship with may not be the man she "envisioned" he was, thus a control issue from beginning to end. Did she know him on any real level, or just his personification presented to her, or her imagination of him presented to herself? A socially reflexive woman who thrives on the opinions and reactions of others... nothing new here. Could be this guy or a dozen of others, totally irrelevant. A man who is driven around like a pig with a ring his nose by every breeze that happens his way. It is Scott Pilgrim, the every man, or teenager rather.

It's not complex issues of sex, its fear, all the way around. It is common but the appeal is one of seemingly insidious if not subconscious use of the availability heuristic. As the previous paragraph asked, is it society demanding more examples of nonsense to self justify itself, or is it media trending towards the data of the crumbling society and fueling the feel good of dubious choices made good?

The American movie line up mentioned all seem to play to these questionable and dubious themes. I could simply reference an episode of ABC's "secret life of the American teenager" and ask the questions, "where is the outrage, where is the backlash?" That perhaps is the point. Catherine explores some of the most negative aspects of the dualistic nature of people, especially women, and the most pathetic nature of man. Much like many of these movies portray and to that end, the television show demonstrates.

The question again, "Where is the outrage where is the backlash"? Where is the meaningful debate or conversation? I do not think there is one to be had really.

I suppose to sum up, is to ask the question, how is digital medium to "best" works such as "Autobiography of a flea" or the works of Marquis de Sod? When it comes to exploring the darker natures of human sexuality? Is the only question concerning sexuality in the digital mediums to be the farce of Electronic Arts self debasing it's own properties such as Mass Effect 2, to start a meaningless conflict?

Why is it that modern digital works are noted for being the heralds of the paradigm shift in western society, when many who would praise these works have no real experience in or with long term relationships or matters of responsibility? How could this be anything more than an a priori, which is nothing more than imagination land and assumptions. This is not a statement of attack, rather a question of competence.

How is there to be an objective weighing of the medium, when those doing the creating and the weighing, truly, do not know the difference.

Perhaps my own difficulty with this lies not with the subject matter, certainly as a contributing member of Hong Fire, I am well aware of this material. As a father and married man of 12 years I am no stranger to long term relationships. What troubles me is that this notion of what is social expected and frowned upon is used a "truthiness" of things, when in a more objective reality, they have no bearing on reality at all.

Has "truth" of the world in which we live been explored?

I think yes, but not through the content of the medium, rather that the medium exist at all and is praised as a triumph of "something" is far more telling of the situation in which we find ourselves in the western society today. I suppose it is to say that I am in as much of an agreement with this as perhaps I am of Dawkins and his Selfish gene... merely a zeitgest of the age, not really true, as far as truths go. That is to say, I find the thing debatable.
 

DexterNorgam

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Jul 16, 2011
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mfeff said:
Leigh Alexander said:
but the real victory for mature gaming that Catherine achieved is how it reflects the unspoken anxieties, the broad social questions and truths, of the world in which we live.
Some interesting ideas in this article. As I do not routinely comment on the Escapist, there are a few ideas presented here that I think merit, at least, some debate.

Ms. Alexander points out that the two (primary) pathways of psychological titillation are through the use of sexuality, and death. As a truth (while we are on the subject), sex and death are both some of the easiest accesses to human responses due to the base nature of the experiences. Both the ease of implementation and the large audience these methods address is explanation enough as to why they are seen as much as they are (in electronic entertainment). However, I am not sure that a case for sexuality is being made by referencing Japanese games, especially the eroge games, as a projection of western society and the paradigm shifts towards a singles lifestyle. I am simply at a loss as to how to bring something like "Itazura Gokuaku" into the discourse and maintain a straight face, or ask a Japanese woman what her thoughts are on the subject matter every time she boards the A-Train to Shinjuku.

The movie references do share some similarities to the themes in Catherine, but I will address those in conclusion.

On Catherine, it certainly borrowed from the steam of the Persona series, and this is quite intentional. Shin Megami Tensei has had most of its market success (especially in the west) with the Persona spin off and derivatives, so why not attempt to associate a new IP with the series? In the context of the Persona series, the fourth game is certainly more sexually charged than it's predecessor. At least one sexual relationship is implied between the protagonist and a secondary social link, further more, one of the party members is dealing with his own sexual conflicts. In this sense it would be quite debatable that the Persona 4 game is, in fact, more socially aware of its own dealing with complex sexual issues in the medium of electronic entertainment. Just as Persona 3 deals almost exclusively with a gnosis and messianic construct that is very familiar in Japanese electronic RPG's. Beyond the obvious sexual nature of Catherine (on the outset), there is no linking ties to the content, aside from the anime style art direction and music composition.

Catherine debatably lacks the depth of character that the Persona series brings to the table. What is there in Catherine then? A man who is pulled one way or the other by dominate females in his life? Seemingly trapped by a conundrum of his illusionary freedom "do what I want with whom I want", or "face up to the responsibilities of life as parent". A sense of psychological "magical thinking" that relates his experiences to some vague concept that those experiences will and are shaping reality. Truly, nonsense. A nonsense, nevertheless, that many people have and continue to have today (especially in the west). It is socially relevant, but I doubt that "it" is, or the "audience" is, even aware of that relevance or grim conclusions.

Invariably I found no sexual exploration in Catherine other than as the lead in, the initial titillation to dupe the player into a very simplistic three-way of immaturity, fear, and social reflexivity on the narrative side, and a puzzle game of dubious merit on the interactive side. Hardly anything more than the monetization of mediocrity. So what is Catherine then, other than a Japanese spin of the "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"?

The sad part is that it is games such as Catherine, and to an extent the eroge games of Japan, that demonstrate the video games limitations when exploring anything that is complex in the way of social interactivity. The west has had some titles that are exceptions to this rule, but those are easily explained by the influences from which they borrow. If there is a market for this medium (and there certainly is), it is in the fact that many of those who interact and consume this medium are as shallow and short sighted as those who produced it.

It has appeared to me as a trend of society, and that is interesting in many ways. I would have a hard time stating that what this is, is a general crumbled society and weak social values that are driving weak social value medium, or weak social value medium that continues to drive a society seeking a panacea to justify the fact that it is failed and weak on the personal level.

Is Catherine making a social statement? Sure, but that is just it, I am not convinced that it is "aware" of the statement that it is making. A pregnant woman faced with the reality that the man she has a relationship with may not be the man she "envisioned" he was, thus a control issue from beginning to end. Did she know him on any real level, or just his personification presented to her, or her imagination of him presented to herself? A socially reflexive woman who thrives on the opinions and reactions of others... nothing new here. Could be this guy or a dozen of others, totally irrelevant. A man who is driven around like a pig with a ring his nose by every breeze that happens his way. It is Scott Pilgrim, the every man, or teenager rather.

It's not complex issues of sex, its fear, all the way around. It is common but the appeal is one of seemingly insidious if not subconscious use of the availability heuristic. As the previous paragraph asked, is it society demanding more examples of nonsense to self justify itself, or is it media trending towards the data of the crumbling society and fueling the feel good of dubious choices made good?

The American movie line up mentioned all seem to play to these questionable and dubious themes. I could simply reference an episode of ABC's "secret life of the American teenager" and ask the questions, "where is the outrage, where is the backlash?" That perhaps is the point. Catherine explores some of the most negative aspects of the dualistic nature of people, especially women, and the most pathetic nature of man. Much like many of these movies portray and to that end, the television show demonstrates.

The question again, "Where is the outrage where is the backlash"? Where is the meaningful debate or conversation? I do not think there is one to be had really.

I suppose to sum up, is to ask the question, how is digital medium to "best" works such as "Autobiography of a flea" or the works of Marquis de Sod? When it comes to exploring the darker natures of human sexuality? Is the only question concerning sexuality in the digital mediums to be the farce of Electronic Arts self debasing it's own properties such as Mass Effect 2, to start a meaningless conflict?

Why is it that modern digital works are noted for being the heralds of the paradigm shift in western society, when many who would praise these works have no real experience in or with long term relationships or matters of responsibility? How could this be anything more than an a priori, which is nothing more than imagination land and assumptions. This is not a statement of attack, rather a question of competence.

How is there to be an objective weighing of the medium, when those doing the creating and the weighing, truly, do not know the difference.

Perhaps my own difficulty with this lies not with the subject matter, certainly as a contributing member of Hong Fire, I am well aware of this material. As a father and married man of 12 years I am no stranger to long term relationships. What troubles me is that this notion of what is social expected and frowned upon is used a "truthiness" of things, when in a more objective reality, they have no bearing on reality at all.

Has "truth" of the world in which we live been explored?

I think yes, but not through the content of the medium, rather that the medium exist at all and is praised as a triumph of "something" is far more telling of the situation in which we find ourselves in the western society today. I suppose it is to say that I am in as much of an agreement with this as perhaps I am of Dawkins and his Selfish gene... merely a zeitgest of the age, not really true, as far as truths go. That is to say, I find the thing debatable.
1. I'm not so sure that anyone behind Catherine expected it to "explore truths of the world" (lol). I'm of the opinion that most everyone on this thread, and you in particular are REALLY over-thinking this thing. Catherine was meant to entertain, the end, that is all.

2. Gaming itself is a fine medium for exploring such concepts, and will only get better for it as the "gamers" demographic continues to age. Don't discount the medium on account of the youth of many of the people targeted by it (because that will change) or the publishers hesitance to step too far away from what has made them money.

3. Sentence structure, I'd recommend checking it out. I'm no wordsmith but you border on unintelligible several times on your tread.

4. I also recommend you acquaint yourself with brevity. Succinctness is something that can really add impact to whatever point you're trying to make here. Less is more, man.
 

MatsVS

Tea & Grief
Nov 9, 2009
423
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mfeff said:
Why is it that modern digital works are noted for being the heralds of the paradigm shift in western society, when many who would praise these works have no real experience in or with long term relationships or matters of responsibility? How could this be anything more than an a priori, which is nothing more than imagination land and assumptions. This is not a statement of attack, rather a question of competence.

How is there to be an objective weighing of the medium, when those doing the creating and the weighing, truly, do not know the difference.
I greatly enjoyed your comment, but could you elaborate on this point, please? Specifically, what you base your premises on, and why you attribute so much importance on this in particular?
 

Bara_no_Hime

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Sep 15, 2010
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Leigh Alexander said:
Leigh Alexander celebrates how Catherine moves beyond boobs to address the genuine complexity of modern relationships.
Great article!

I look forward to reading more of your articles. I've been waiting for someone to take up the topic of sexuality in games (I've been talking about the sex/violence thing being life/death - and about how the media loves murder but hates sex - for years). I can't wait to read more!
 

mfeff

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Nov 8, 2010
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DexterNorgam said:
1. I'm not so sure that anyone behind Catherine expected it to "explore truths of the world" (lol). I'm of the opinion that most everyone on this thread, and you in particular are REALLY over-thinking this thing. Catherine was meant to entertain, the end, that is all.

2. Gaming itself is a fine medium for exploring such concepts, and will only get better for it as the "gamers" demographic continues to age. Don't discount the medium on account of the youth of many of the people targeted by it (because that will change) or the publishers hesitance to step too far away from what has made them money.

3. Sentence structure, I'd recommend checking it out. I'm no wordsmith but you border on unintelligible several times on your tread.

4. I also recommend you acquaint yourself with brevity. Succinctness is something that can really add impact to whatever point you're trying to make here. Less is more, man.
1. You are absolutely right about the over-thinking of the thing. In one respect I could simple say "Everyone sees through me, why can't they see through this game?" and let that be that. If I am to justify my own position, it is to say that several conclusions in the original post seemed to struggle with cultural relativism, and perhaps a dash of perceptual bias. I am generally not one to simply "state" or "liable" without making at-the-least some attempt to support my own conclusions.

2. I think we differ on this conclusion. I find that gaming as a medium has tended (trended) to ever increasingly narrow narrative focus and through a specific aesthetic lens limits the experience that the end user will have concerning the subject matter. Where Catherine in a way made a misstep is in comparison to Persona 3. P3 the player has the option to select his (her in the PSP version) own name, and remains silent throughout the exposition. Where as in Catherine, it is Vincent, Vincent's story, and Vincent's experiences. Unless one can relate directly to Vincent, one has an ever increasing difficulty to read oneself into the narrative and relate to the character. This inability to relate to the character creates an impedance to emotionally connect the information presented to the self in any meaningful or reflective way.

I could easily write an entire paper on the tropes (linguistic and artistic) used in Catherine that lack relevance to the subject matter in any meaningful way. It is poppy, and certainly pop culture, but (to me) many of the aesthetics came off as architectural choices, rather than cinematic choices for narrative effect.

Brief example:

Why is the puzzle game in a gothic setting? (The answer is a trope use of the Marquis de Sade use of Gothic themes in phantasmagoric settings concerning sexuality). How many people know this? About 0. How many people "think" they know this, well just about everyone, it is a pop culture convention, they know it, but generally do not know "why" they know it.

It has lost significance and has become architecture, a wall paper.

Foil this with P4, Kanji and the Steamy Bath House. The audience immediately can connect with what is going on, as it is relevant to Kanji and the uneasiness of homoeroticism in the "Bath House" setting. You don't need to live in Japan to relate to this experience, and as such, it is relevant. As you said, less is more.

What gaming has been able to do, it does like nothing else, immersion. Narrative exposition in comparison with other forms of media such as the printed word or film gaming has fallen off, or has seems to have taken a rather modern approach of "selling an experience". Call it nostalgia, but there is more narrative in Zork, than in most modern games.

I will build an example with what is available to me at this very moment... let's see, "Excalibur" Blu-Ray remaster...

Very early scene, Uther bed's Igraine... amazingly powerful scene that is borderline rape. What game has captured this cinematic moment? There is a lot going on in this scene, and in a sense gives us the movie as art moment, transcending exploitation. (Mind you I can think of a couple games, but one has to dig a little).

Now examine the Battlefield 3 Caspian video. Excellent use of cinematography to draw the eye from one side of the scene to the other. Call it what you will, but that video is a study in camera work and narrative through action.

Mind you I have been playing video games since pong was new. Game technology has come a long way, but I suspect it will fail on this promise of narrative experience in the same way that the auto industry has failed with the flying car. It is not that it cannot be done, it is that it is not economically feasible to do it and perhaps the audience is not experienced enough to use it. It only works when the end user is completely stripped of choice, such as how the narrative and cinematic of gaming is trending. Stripped of choice, or presented with the illusion of choice, exposition is given through a very narrow lens.

3. Stream of consciousness, sorry about that... this would be better suited in a video format... before I am done with one sentence I am two paragraphs ahead... ditto, and agree!

4. I normally do not post on Escapist. The rare exceptions are when videos or post draw conclusions that are extremely tenuous and yet are typically mainstream in popular opinion.

This post caught my eye for a number of reasons, some good, some bad.

I appreciate your response, thanks for that!