A Mini-Survival Guide To JRPGs

            So I recently convinced some friends of mine to try Japanese role-playing games (JRPG). Let me tell you, it was no easy task. It took a comparison of games they played in the past, and a pleasing price range to get them to consent. But even after the hassle they still treaded carefully and they have every right to do so. For those who don’t know what a JRPG is - it is a role-playing game developed in Japan (DUH!) - But what really makes a JRPG a JRPG is the formula it follows. All JRPGs follow a turn-base type formula; a system in which the player and enemy take turns attacking each other, or a Active Time Battle technique; a system similar to the turn base system but enemies can attack despite it being your turn (dicks). JRPGs are a foreign genre that has a distinct language of its own, like most games do. Except JRPGs are not as hospitable as other games. It can be down right intimidating. A poor soul may hear about Final Fantasy being a good RPG and expect it to play like The Elder Scroll Series. So in the wake of their adventure I thought I would write a mini-survival guide to JRPGs, covering things you should expect and things you should do.

Batman Is Not For Kids Anymore, Son

            In 1938, Bob Kane and Bill Finger debut Batman. The two had hoped to create a gritty, noir, crime violent comic; for a while Batman was just that. Making his appearance in issue 27 of Detective Comics, Batman took to the streets solving crime and fighting criminals. Batman became just as popular as Superman, but somewhere along the line Batman sales started decreasing to the point of cancellation. Out of desperation DC editor Dick Giordan offered Miller to revive the Dark Knight. Through the use of alternating point of views, rigged artwork, and rich color palette Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns goes back to its roots, and creates a template for a deep and mature Batman.

What Is SGC?

            Back in the early days of gaming (1980s and 1990s), during a time period where the people who played video games were outsiders, it was tough to meet people who loved video games. It was not because no one played video game, but instead everyone who played video games was afraid to get picked on. This sounds a bit cliché. The nerds getting picked on at school and banished from the “normal” circle, but it is something that happen. Video games were not cool. Fast forward to modern time. Now games are cool, which is a good thing. People proudly go to rooftops and shout-out their love for a geeky past time that some still see juvenile. The gaming pride got so out of control the other side started criticizing our hobby. Comments that flared a fire, “video games are for little kids.”

“Video games are not art.”

“Video games provoke violent behavior.”  

            Okay so maybe our pride got the best of us but we finally get to say, “FUCK YEAH! THE NERDS WON!” So, in order to keep our behavior in check for modern society, we need an event to go bat-shit about an interest we all love. An event to meet people who are just as crazy as you, and who you can go to the rooftop with and shout your love for video games. Enter the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention (SGC).

Akira Toriyama And His Wonder World

This is the research paper I wrote for my Studies In Literature: Graphic Fiction class I did for the Summer of this year. It was a paper I enjoyed researching, and it inspired me write more about people who interest me. This is the "Uncut" version of it, so it is the original copy I sent to the teacher. Please feel free to contact me so I can better improve myself as a writer.

            Very few people can create a world where talking animals seem normal, or a world where a really old man gets buff in a blink of an eye. Of course, this is a stunt that can only be done by a mastermind like Akira Toriyama. Toriyama can create a fantasy world that feels real. In fact, you will be wishing it was real. Akira Toriyama is a mangaka (a term used to call a manga artist), whose work is worldly renown. He was born on April 5, 1955 in Nagoya, Japan. Toriyama has a distinctive art style that can be easily spotted; growing as a mangaka he found inspiration in Osamu Tezuka’s anime series Astro Boy.  Of course, Toriyama was not always a famous manga artist. Toriyama’s origin story shares a humble beginning that embodies his creations to becoming one of the most influential and renowned mangaka.

The Thing About Me.

So this was something I wrote for an assignment in school. The teacher made us design a profile on a website, and instructed us to write about ourselves. This was originally posted on August 2013, and I had plans to post it here, but I was too shy. So here it is. About me.  

      You have to be real sophisticated when it comes to writing an “about me.” You don’t want to sound smug and pretentious, but you don’t want to sound dull and boring. It’s all about hitting that right spot in between; after all first impressions is everything. I’m sitting here thinking of a way to describe myself as elegant, but not too elegant. To be honest, I always thought writing my name down on a name tag that says, “Hello My Name Is: Jesse” would be enough to know about me, and if someone really wanted to know more they can always ask questions. But you have to be famous for someone to care that much about you, and you have to have an interesting story to tell. I could lie and make up some events that I’ve seen on movies, television, or read in a book.