The Gaming Persona
Welcome to The Gaming Persona, a unique podcast that traverses the exciting crossroads of gaming and mental health. With your host, Dr. Gameology, peel back the layers of the gaming world to discover its profound impact on our cognitive and emotional health. You'll understand how video games, far from being mere entertainment, can act as powerful tools for personal growth, stress relief, and mental resilience. Join fellow gamers and enthusiasts in thought-provoking discussions, unraveling the intricacies of game design, the psychology of gaming, and the surprising ways in which these elements influence our well-being.
Immerse yourself in The Gaming Persona, the one-of-a-kind podcast that seamlessly blends the worlds of video gaming and mental health. Guided by our resident (but not evil) expert, Dr. Gameology, we endeavor to unlock the untapped potential of gaming as a catalyst for enhancing our mental resilience, stimulating personal growth, and promoting stress relief.
For The Gaming Persona is fascinated by the intricacies of game design, exploring the careful balance of challenges, rewards, narratives, and immersion that makes video games captivating experiences. Through engaging discussions, we illuminate the psychological aspects of gaming – the motivations, the emotional connections, and the gratification that players derive from their virtual adventures.
But our exploration doesn't stop there. We also examine the transformative potential of video games on our mental landscapes. Drawing from a wide swath of research, anecdotal evidence, and personal experiences, we highlight how gaming helps shape cognitive abilities, emotional resilience, and social skills.
The Gaming Persona is more than just a podcast. It's a platform for gamers and non-gamers alike to gain a new perspective on gaming - not as a mere hobby or a form of escapism, but as a powerful medium of self-improvement and well-being.
Each episode of our show is meticulously crafted to provide a balanced blend of immersive storytelling, engaging discussions, and knowledge-packed content. We delve into the heart of game design, unraveling the intricate weave of elements that make video games a compelling form of entertainment and a profound tool for personal development.
But we're not just about games. We're about you, the gamer. The Gaming Persona aims to cast a fresh light on the psychological facets of gaming that resonate with players. We decode the motivations, the emotional bonds, and the sense of fulfillment that gamers derive from their digital exploits.
And it doesn't end there. As you tune in week after week, you'll discover the transformative power of gaming on cognitive flexibility, emotional resilience, and social connections. You'll hear from researchers, mental health professionals, game developers, and fellow gamers who share their insights, experiences, and personal anecdotes.
Imagine a podcast that can simultaneously entertain, educate, inspire, and challenge your perspectives. That's The Gaming Persona for you. By making us a part of your weekly routine, you're embarking on a journey of personal growth and self-discovery, all while indulging in your love for video games.
So, if you're ready to challenge the status quo and explore the intersection of gaming and mental health, join Dr. Gameology and a vibrant community of like-minded individuals on this enlightening journey.
So, why wait? Subscribe to The Gaming Persona today. Challenge your perspectives, enrich your mind, and game your way to mental resilience. With each episode, you won't just be playing; you'll be growing, learning, and evolving. Welcome to the community.
Subscribe to The Gaming Persona now, and game your way to a healthier mind.
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The Gaming Persona
More Final Fantasy Talk (part 3)
Ever wondered how the virtual worlds we immerse ourselves in can shape our minds and behaviors? Join us this as week while we navigate the labyrinthine connections between psychology and gaming. We're returning from a hiatus with renewed vigor, and despite a few production snags, we're here to unpack the psychological intricacies that make MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV a phenomenon for all types of players. From crafting die-hards to PvP enthusiasts, we dissect what makes these gaming experiences tick and how they can, for better or worse, impact your mental wellness.
This time around, we're digging into the origins and allure of the Final Fantasy series, especially for those who might be taking their first steps into its rich lore. Jenny shares her latest Witcher tales, showcasing a gameplay shift that mirrors our own transitions in life and creative work. Yes, even a seasoned side-quester can change their stripes. We also toss around insights on game design, contrasting the early, linear narratives of yesteryear with today's more guided storytelling exemplified by Final Fantasy X. And for those intrigued by the gaming zeitgeist, we touch on current controversies and the fine line between inspiration and plagiarism in game development.
As we wrap up, we extend a heartfelt invitation to listeners to join the AIE community for some collective Final Fantasy fun. It's a heartfelt 'thank you' to those who've been with us on this podcasting odyssey, and we're excited to reveal our new membership tiers on the Doctor Gameology YouTube channel, promising even more rich content and resources for our fellow gaming aficionados. So, whether you're a JRPG veteran or a newcomer eager to explore, we've got a treasure trove of discussions that will resonate with every player looking for that deeper connection between the games we love and the lives we lead.
If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibilities for future episodes and projects, this can now be done through Patreon!
Subscribe on YouTube for more content on the Psychology of Gaming or to catch a Live Stream!
For more info, check out DrGameology.com!
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Thanks for Listening, and Continue The Journey!
Hello, this is Dr Daniel Kaufman, also known as Dr Gameology, and I just wanted to add a little bit of an update before you listen to the next episode, where we do our part three on entering the series of Final Fantasy. We hit a bit of a production road bump earlier this year. A lot of it is due to changes and personal life things that just made it very difficult to record. So the things we're talking about in this episode have already happened, and happened some time ago. I still believe there are some good bits in there for all of you to listen to and add to your awareness of what it's like to play online games, mmo games, final Fantasy games and add that to your idea of what the psychology of gaming actually is. So I'm releasing the episode now because late is better than never and I hope you enjoy it. I hope it's still relevant for those of you who have been with us for this long. Thank you so much and, as always, continue the journey. Enjoy the episode.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Gaming Persona podcast. This is the show that explores who we become when we play games. I'm your host, dr Gamology, from YouTube and online classrooms across the country, and I'm joined by two of my best friends from my gaming journey, jenny LeBron and Gene Wong. We're back, all three of us Friends. How are we doing this week?
Speaker 2:I'm doing fantastic and I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1:I'm doing good, all right. So now that we have reconvened, confirmed, all three of us are here. Where can our listeners find us?
Speaker 2:You can find my photography page on Instagram at jlebron photography or jlebron photographycom if you're curious about what a nerdy person's photos look like and I'm dr gamology on youtube and other social apps.
Speaker 1:Of course you can find me on this show every week.
Speaker 3:The gaming persona can be found on apple podcast, spotify, google and most anywhere else podcasts can be found. If you are enjoying our content, be sure to leave a review on your favorite listening app. All right, Awesome.
Speaker 1:So now that we're here for the episode, what are we talking about from the world of video games today?
Speaker 2:We are going to continue our psychology of Final Fantasy, and this is part three.
Speaker 1:Three out of infinity. And this is part three three out of infinity. So let's go ahead and do the ordinary world where we share everyday life through our games. I would like to go first, for no super particular reason, I just want to. I have been playing the last of us, part one, on my Steam Deck because of traveling and because I'm writing my chapter for the psychology of the Last of Us and I felt like my outline is pretty good for the things I'm playing to talk about. But I haven't played the game in at least six years, so I wanted to make sure I played the most current version and also the HBO show last year we talked about on the gaming persona and I really loved it and it's so cool to be playing the game. But the gaming memories are so old that I'm realizing what is coming next because of the TV show, and so today I survived the level where you play as Ellie because Joel is not doing so good and you have to navigate and pick off all the creepy guys.
Speaker 1:The cannibal cult was a lot of fun and that really I think might be the only video game that I've played since the last time we did an episode.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did a lot of training last week really big career milestone stuff where I got to do the trainings as the presenter that I started out my career as a gambling counselor, editing the video footage of someone else who's no longer with us doing the training so another full circle moment, some of that. When I left you I was but the learner, but now I am the master or doctor, as it were. That was big, but also it's not strictly speaking a video game and I also have been battling illnesses and tough feelings and high stress with work and things. So some of my regular stream schedule hasn't happened the way I would like it to and I've just given myself permission to be a real human being. Sucks. I really wish I could have pulled through and done all of the content for everybody, but I'm just grappling with the idea a lot these days of is it possible that I'm good enough even if I can't show up and do everything? I think the answer is yes. So the answer is yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you're listening to this.
Speaker 1:I hope you enjoy my content. I hope you enjoy the kinds of things we talk about on the show. I miss all of you and some of the times that I just couldn't fit it into the day, and but also I think it is important sometimes wrestling analogy oh my gosh, oh my gosh, everybody. I went to the royal rumble last weekend with my son oh nice, uh yeah go, cody.
Speaker 1:Okay, but wrestling analogies, it's really great to think that you would never tap out of a dangerous hold. But if you don't tap out when you should have, that's when your muscles and bones tear and break. So I think that scheduling wise, I was up against what is the scheduling version of my psyche bending and breaking. So hopefully we have Megacon coming up this weekend, so Jenny and I will be there for that. We're going to talk about the gamer's journey, final and other games. It's going to be great and then hopefully I'll have some normal feeling weeks by the time we get to march. So just february is going to be chaotic. How are both of you doing? What have you been to?
Speaker 2:I have two games to report on this time.
Speaker 1:Watch any outplayed Dr Memology.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we've continued playing the Witcher and it's still really fun. I still love it. We decided to start moving forward with story content like main quest line, instead of doing all of the side stuff, which people who know me know I don't do side quests. It's been challenging to have to sit through all of that did you do the final? Wish. What's that for the?
Speaker 1:last, we're not yeah, I don't know if we're that far okay well, yeah, I don't know, I don't know One of the books in the Witcher series is titled that, and there's a mission that is about Geralt and Yennefer's relationship. Oh, no we haven't done that. Let me ask you this which way are we going? Triss or Yennefer?
Speaker 2:We haven't even gotten to Triss yet. What?
Speaker 3:What are we doing? Yeah, we're about to meet her.
Speaker 2:Our next quest is going to meet her. We were with the other sorceress. Who's the other girl? The witch?
Speaker 3:Kira, yes, kira.
Speaker 2:We were with Kira for a while and I chose not to mess around with her, so I was like no, we like kinnifer.
Speaker 1:But it didn't matter, the outcome's the same anyway around with kira, and there are meaningful parts of the conversations instead messing around before messing around cut seat, so I look forward to finding out more about you and kira in months to come, jenny okay, well, we played that, and then we sourced gears this past weekend and started playing legends of runeterra again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's also really fun is that the one that's being canceled or no?
Speaker 2:is it being canceled?
Speaker 3:oh my god, oh riot games laid off a bunch of people, so something is being canceled. I forget what I hope not.
Speaker 2:I really like this game. Jinx is our main challenger person. I don't know what they're called in the game, but our main person that we do, that we do runs with, is jinx and she's so good like it's crazy how fast we just blow through everything with her and we're trying to level up some of our other characters just because we can't progress unless you beat them with more than one character. So that's been annoying. So we're doing I think her name is lux right now leveling her up. It's still fun, but jinx is the best and yeah, that's all I've been up to video game wise, life-wise. It's been a mess, but I have my hogwarts nugget on and we're good, nice and warm okay, they're laying off their riot forge division.
Speaker 3:So what games do they make? Oh, a bunch of the single player games isn't legend of rutera single player I don't know exactly what rise for us make, so I know they make. Let's see. Recently I think, they had a game called the song of nunu um, it was like a platformer game. I don't remember what else they make.
Speaker 2:Don't know.
Speaker 3:I hope it stays around.
Speaker 1:It's really hard to be an employee in the gaming industry right now because the pocket of all the jobs and all the people staying at home and consuming the content and the industry growing because of the pandemic that bubble is popping and companies are realizing we don't need that many people anymore. The world is different. Not everyone's playing video games this way anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we're already on the number of layoffs industry-wide. From other podcasts I listen to, they're sharing every week these sad updates. That we're already losing thousands and thousands more jobs in that industry than at this same exact time in previous years is usually going to show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm actually finding that in a lot of industries. In my industry it slowed down quite a bit there is the I don't know.
Speaker 3:I think there is the natural correction of the issues where there are a lot of companies that are hiring just to hire um, because they had grand future plans and then they just canceled those plans. In that sense, it's what they were hired, but it's not like they had a true purpose for those hires. It was having extra resources ready to do something, and so when that discussion happens like it's murky is, did we? What did we lose? I'm not sure other. Well, people lost their jobs, obviously just your future what about you, dean?
Speaker 3:oh, uh. On the topic of wrestling, I've actually started playing an rpg called wrestle quest. I know about wrestle questest. How is it? It's interesting. I'm not very far into it, but interesting in that it's very meta. It's because you play as action figure people. I'm not sure if there's a real world or if it's like a Toy Story situation, but you play as at wrestling action figures. Your guy, your main guy, like idolizes randy, muscle man, savage, macho man, savage okay, um and, but as an action figure he can swap out his parts.
Speaker 3:So it's like when you upgrade your weapon you're literally swapping out your arm for a different arm that has kung fu grip or stuff like that, but that's so funny also also he's. He's got that buzz lightyear thing going where he doesn't understand how the world is supposed to function. He believes wrestling is a hundred percent real, so he doesn't understand that, like when people become a heel, it's an act. He thinks they're legitimately a bad guy.
Speaker 1:You got to live the gimmick gene.
Speaker 3:So yeah, he's going around wrestling people, destroying people's gyms. This is a gym full of villains Not that this is a gym that's. It's not like an 80 AEW situation where everything's just extreme. He thinks they are legitimately bad guys.
Speaker 1:Oh, that sounds fun.
Speaker 3:Is that on Steam? Yes, it is on Steam. I think it's also on Switch.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:There we go, but it's also very interesting in the. It has a lot of the in the turn-based RPG sense. You still have to do a lot of the professional wrestling concepts and if you do moves to raise the crowd hype then that unlocks more moves like super moves for you to do and the more hype you have have if someone tries to pin you you have an easier time getting out of it. Or if you try to pin someone when you have lots of hype they're more likely to stay down because you don't just beat people up and then you win. You have to knock, you have to lock, knock their hp down and then go for a pin.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's actually one of the coolest things about health meters in wrestling games is it's not depleting to zero. That signals the end. It's the pinfall.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and there's various In the matches or the battles. They switch it up every once in a while where you have things like two-on-two tags and all the regular formats that you would think of, but also it's all very like I said, because they're action figures, it's all very fantastic, like the road warriors. They're literally like Mad Max, people driving around on giant machines terrorizing the countryside.
Speaker 1:There was a WWE game where it came out during the pandemic, where they were little figures like this too, and it also featured some crazy fantastical things. But the problem is in that game they didn't make the characters unique, they just had different special moves Wasn't as good a game as it could have been. It really is important to capture the move sets.
Speaker 3:I think when you're dealing with wrestlers, people know yeah, I am looking forward to getting through more of this game and seeing what these gamings are like. There's many other classics from the 70s 80s are in here, like Jake the Snake, andre the Giant Macho man, so I'm waiting to see. As you go through a game, you meet more and more of them, so I want to see what fantastic ways they spiced up their moves.
Speaker 1:Okay, that probably sums up our ordinary world. Yes, let's go ahead and continue the calder adventure with what is final fantasy. This week I want to focus in on new players. Okay, because we're we talked about nostalgia for final fantasy 7 last week because it has a sequel coming out and that's going to be at the end of February, so we're about one month away from that. But if you're a new player and you haven't played several of these games, I thought it would be fun to talk about. What do you likely think Final Fantasy is and what game would be a good idea for you to start with? Based on some of those ideas, jenny, I want to call you out and figure out from you where would you start if you wanted to play final fantasy right now it's.
Speaker 2:I can tell you where I started okay, well, yeah I don't have I don't really have a deep history with the franchise, right, it's just. It just happens to be one of the games that I've spent most of my time playing as a gamer, because I loved it but it was just one, one of the 16 different opportunities. Okay, but I do think that the one that I started with is a really good. Wait, is it a good, I don't know? No, second guessing myself so it's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know. So it's a good intro to the franchise in that there's something for everyone. So I started playing Final Fantasy XIV. It's the MMO and you can. It's like MMOs are fun in that way, because whatever it is that you like about video games, you can do it in Final Fantasy XIV.
Speaker 1:That's massively multiplayer online role-playing game MMORPG.
Speaker 2:Yes, if you like to play games like Animal Crossing and decorate things and craft things and farm things and cook and you like that slower paced game, there's that built into the MMO. If you are more of a social gamer and you like to group up with your friends and do quests and challenges together and beat the bad guys, you can do that in this game. If you're competitive and now I've never tried pvp in final fantasy 14, but it's an option for you, it's just something you're into I want to camp out on that idea because I was talking with someone who's we're in the similar kind of age range.
Speaker 1:I'm aging up, jenny. Oh, I'm not young. My my ideas, the edginess in my ideas, are just sounding curmudgeon-y now. And I always talk about what does it look like when PvE playing becomes unhealthy versus what does it look like when PvP becomes unhealthy. So that's player versus environment, environment where the challenges are the player trying to defeat the game, and then player versus player is where the player is trying to defeat other players to accomplish their goals. So both of those can become unhealthy. But when we think dysfunctional video game play, if we think psychology and mental health and video games are bad for this person, what's the difference between unhealthy pve and unhealthy pvp? And as far as final fantasy 14 goes, I think the thing about this game that can get anyone is that if you have too many goals in that game, you could theoretically never stop playing it yeah, oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:That was where I was going. So the reason why I second guessed myself was because it because the game is so comprehensive, it could potentially be overwhelming for somebody starting out in the Final Fantasy world. I have experience playing MMORPGs, so I know what I like in these types of games.
Speaker 1:But if you're just starting out and you're a Sprout and you don't know where do I even start, Be an old dog or a danya Limso-lo-minsa, and then you wait for tiny, cute characters to show you where the mission markers are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, tutorials are great in the game. It's free to play for a while. Yeah, I don't know. I think it's a great game.
Speaker 1:Jenny, have you heard about the two new classes that are coming out in Dawn Trail? No one of them. Is it called Jean? Please correct me if I'm wrong. The Pictomancer?
Speaker 2:yes, yes, so they are going to play. It's a magic.
Speaker 1:It's a magic class, so I'm already in, but it plays like the dancer, in the sense that you buff other party members with your magic and your magic is, I believe, a paintbrush and a whatever the thing with all the paint globs are, and you have magical paint and art my goodness you, you pictify the battle this could get me back into the game yes, it will be amazing fun. The other one is the viper, which is a dual blade sword class oh, that's cool so maybe they have something that's marauder-esque, maybe from marauder there.
Speaker 2:I know that marauder is like warrior in fact, but exactly star wars um and for everyone wondering, that wasn't a sound effect, that was that came from his mouth yeah, that, that was really good.
Speaker 1:That was really good. Yeah, it was really good Okay.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was my mouth noises Okay. Final Fantasy XIV is on the table. Maybe that's a good one to play. There is something for everyone. You create your character. So, as far as Avatar, psychology is in that one to draw you in and make you feel ownership of the experience, whereas Jean and I talking about Final Fantasy VII last week. You inherit those characters from Square Enix and you can love them, but you did not create them. So that is a difference between getting into an MMO versus playing a story that was created for you. So, gene, with final fantasy 14 being on the table, what might be another good one for people to jump into final fantasy for the first time? But also why that one? What do you think?
Speaker 3:so if you, I feel like, if you are the type of person that maybe this is your first Japanese RPG in general, even then possibly Final Fantasy 10, because 10 is the most for one it has true turn-based. It's not active turn-based where you have a meter that fills up before you can act. It has true turn-based so you can act. It has true turn base so you can plan your moves. It even has a chart that shows who's going when, and so you can literally look at and be like if I attack now, the monster's gonna attack then and I have my next character being able to heal after that attack. I'm not worried about possibly getting surprised and dying.
Speaker 1:So yeah it's very playable that way.
Speaker 2:I can definitely attest to that. That's one of the only other ones I've played and it was new friendly, new friendly there we go Additionally.
Speaker 3:The first full, I would say I don't know. Third of the game is a linear experience. Up until you get your airship, you just go town, dungeon, town, dungeon, town, dungeon. There's no branching and getting lost or anything. You're just there to see the story develop and then, yeah, basically, after that extended tutorial, then you have the freedom to use what you've learned.
Speaker 1:I want to share why that's such a big deal. When I played Final Fantasy I and II on my first iPhone, I did complete one. I never completed two. But I almost never completed one because there was a random person somewhere in a building that I totally walked through halfway through the game and I had to talk to them to get the story to advance so that I could actually get past a place in the map that that the thing I needed to get to is on the other side. But the mechanics of that map were locked behind. You have to talk to that character and it's such an old game there's not a flashing light or an exclamation point above their head before you leave that town. And I just miss them and I had to look up. What did I do wrong? Why can't I figure out where to go in this game on this world map? It's because I didn't have a conversation.
Speaker 1:So Final Fantasy X, giving you that story where you do most of the first half of the story before it's even possible to get lost, like that, is actually an amazing, an amazing sign of how games have advanced in structure. Comparing the 1980s to roughly the year 2000 I believe that's when final fantasy 10 came out. Was it 2000? It doesn't matter if that's the exact year or not. Yeah, I don't actually remember. Yeah, you mentioned that these are Japanese role-playing games, gene, and I want to ask you, because I don't have an actual answer yet in my head what would you say are some of the hallmarks of jrpgs, or even the differences between a game that is a jrpg versus a western rpg or american rpg?
Speaker 3:one is the is a lot of the. A lot of it is the in sort of the accompanying elements of the main game, like the chugwell breeding and racing, the card games, like triple triad, collection of fragments in a treasure hunt thing. In final fantasy 9, if there's, jrpgs tend to have a whole lot of weird side supporting content that some people you know think that's completely irrelevant. In final fantasy 7 we go back to that.
Speaker 1:There's a whole snowboarding segment and it's completely forgot about all of that gene until you told me yes, there is yeah, but weird quirks like that.
Speaker 3:it brings a lot of spice to the formula and Western RPGs don't tend to have that Like the surfing minigame in Pokemon Yellow with Pikachu.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, got it. Jrpgs add spicy minigames.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they also. I don't know how the phrase is. Probably they like to make amusement out of the mundane. Okay, like, like the entirety of the persona series. It's like how do we make eating a hamburger a funny experience? And then here's a hamburger that's seven patties basically, and if you don't have that, you can't eat it, you'll barf.
Speaker 1:By the way, I know that we're half an hour into the episode, but we totally forgot to talk about our world.
Speaker 2:Yes, as soon as you said Pikachu surfing, I was like oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then Jean started talking about hamburgers that clearly are not mill tanks something like that.
Speaker 3:It's yeah, in a jrbg you'll randomly have a quest about making sandwiches and it's just. This is a random thing to supposedly to help you learn about the character's personalities more. But it's very odd if you it's a japanese cultural thing to just randomly have that Because there are TV shows. It's like in the middle of a murder mystery. Now we have an episode about going to the beach.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we have in the chat where we now have available super chats if anyone wants to get involved in that. But we have in our chat that shara has pointed out that pow world is kirkland brand pokemon I and what I say to that is kirkland brand is awesome yeah, it's like guns
Speaker 3:yeah, what you oh man does kirkland brand sell guns?
Speaker 1:since you equated it to pow world. That's when, jenny. So I got sucked into this random discussion in discord about, uh. One of my past padawans came in and was talking about how hilarious it is that people are upset about Pow World, and I just commented that it's a game and I hope it does okay, and I hope people enjoy it, but let's not pretend it's not plagiarism. So then the conversation continued and we got into this whole thing about whether plagiarism constitutes that you can be sued that it's copyright infringement, and I would say as an academic by the way, plagiarism is not the same as copyright infringement. One is an academic concept, the other is illegal. I would just say that they knew how to make money and they're making money. So there we go.
Speaker 1:Okay, back to games that will matter 20 years from now and I hope that comment ages Final Fantasy, okay. So we have that's a really good point, gene, about JRPGs is that they get quirky, they make fun of mundane experiences and they those mundane, funny moments create memorable moments, though, and they're frequently like in persona. For example, sometimes you unlock achievements in the game by doing that mundane thing to the max. Uh, so things like playing darts or eat, eating, your getting your courage up to where you can eat the giant seven patty cheeseburger. Final fantasy 13.
Speaker 1:One of the mundane things that it added in was a casino and slot machine thing.
Speaker 1:And I remember, even back before I did what I do as a certified gambling counselor, I was never really into gambling games in video games, I just think they're boring. I want to actually play the video game but I needed to win a certain number of money of gil that's Final Fantasy's word for money Of gil from this casino and there was chocobo racing and there were slot machines. It didn't matter how I get to this number of gil, I just needed to play enough casino things to get there. And I remember back then my wife was working a job that we have one vehicle. It would require me to drive about 45 minutes one way to go get her at the end of her shift. So I took a rubber band and tape and I put the button down that you press to make the slot machine go again. And then I just came home and the slot machine had done it. So I had the trophy unlocked and I was like, yeah, I didn't have to play that. So that was cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but yeah, I would say the main difference between a JRPG and a Western RPG is it's there's the concept of it's more even in modern times, but in the old days it was very much a overarching story versus individual character disparity JRPGs tend to emphasize the character, while Western RPGs tend to emphasize the overarching story, because you would have concepts of games based on D&D where your characters are just whatever you make of them.
Speaker 3:They don't really have a story arc other than your personal decisions, like in Ballerscape and that's a good example yeah, in Ballerscape 3 is that blending of the two where the story is very much revolving around the characters, much more than old western RPGs did. But yeah, it was very much in a very don't take this as a solid argument, but it's that sense that in a Lord of Rings type story the important stuff, like tons of important stuff, is happening in the overarching sense. There's armies moving back and forth, gandalf disappears and does things on the other side of the continent. It's that focus on all of that. And then there's the individual scenes of the fellowship. But the JRPG experience takes less notice of the overarching and then raises more emphasis on the individual characters. And so one of the critiques of all jrpgs is like, yeah, these are great characters, but the overall story doesn't make any sense file, fantasy 16, which came out last year.
Speaker 1:It's not even a year old very enjoyable game, by the way. I love the gameplay because it blends action, rpg and fast paced combat, but with all the things that you tend to love from Final Fantasy casting fire and blizzard and having summons and things like that very magical and sword based fighting. But it's in real time, it's very fast, like a devil may cry. But because it borrows a lot of aesthetics from Game of Thrones, it does have a map, it does have different regions, it does have politics and it has movement of things besides your central characters, clive and his crew. Am I understanding that right that maybe Final Fantasy XVI, because it's taking some AQs from more westernized kinds of IP, that maybe it's moving. It's an advancement of that traditional jrpg sense in a way yeah, I think that's a decent yeah stance on that.
Speaker 3:It's yeah, it's definitely yeah more of a focus on both world and character, as opposed to just all character. Because, for instance, again we went back to persona, all character. Because, for instance, again we went back to persona, the world of persona. You don't really know that much about it, other than it's a fictionalized version of japan, right like it's.
Speaker 1:You don't know what's happening in america during the time of persona 3, not really, um, like it's, and it's 100 about what the characters are going through okay, and also their version of japan has the midnight hour, which, as far as we know, isn't a real thing, and the threat of what's going to tear apart their world and society is fictional, it's completely fantastical, whereas final fantasy worlds are not even based in real worlds. They are fantasy worlds to themselves yeah, but yeah those.
Speaker 3:So even if you look back at final fantasy 7, even though it's a great game, there are the world of final phase 7. If you really look at it doesn't make that much sense. No country has a government other than wu-tai wait.
Speaker 1:So shinra is not a government they're not a.
Speaker 3:They don't profess to be a country, they profess to be a corporation oh, I just I feel like corporations run government anyway right is that too? Much for our little medill is possibly its own country. It's an island nation, but there's no one in charge of it. Wait, is that in? Final fantasy 7 yeah oh, I forgot, that's where my deal is where you end up taking cloud after he's in a wheelchair oh my gosh, I don't remember vanilla final fantasy seven at all gene.
Speaker 1:I'm relying completely on rebirth to help me fill it, oh okay, oh wait, since the last episode, I did finish Final Fantasy VII Remake. Okay, so there is a second game that I played, so I'm tied with Jenny.
Speaker 2:I'm too competitive, couldn't let me have it.
Speaker 1:I couldn't just lose. I forgot, though, so you still win this week, jenny.
Speaker 2:It's completely fine, I'll take it.
Speaker 1:But the ending of that game is so beautiful and I feel completely ready to start playing rebirth, because I forgot that. All the things that the trailer showed us in our recap episode last year, it we already knew that's where the game was going to start, because that's the ending of this game of Remake 1. All right, we need to answer our question for tonight's episode, though we're running short on time. So, jenny, you've been listening to Gene bring in the JRPG explanation. As far as Final Fantasy X, final Fantasy VII, you brought up Final Fantasy XIV. I said a few things about XVI. Do you know much about XVI, jenny?
Speaker 2:No, I watched my boyfriend play it. Maybe one or two sessions.
Speaker 1:Did you like what you were seeing it?
Speaker 2:was hotter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it looked awesome okay, so maybe you would start with that one if you had to today, or do you think you'd still go for 14 because of the social stuff?
Speaker 2:no, I'd still go for 14 I yeah. I'm not a yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm not a.
Speaker 1:I like watching people play more okay yeah, the thing with final fantasy 14 is if, if you're watching it and I know that I have my streams are doing that game. I think I saw an interview this week that somebody it might have been yoshi p or someone in that area of development just saying randomly that it's a 265 hour game or something. At this point, just if you're focusing on the story and all the gameplay of getting through the story, that is so much. But it's a 10 year old game now too, so that's what we get still go through all of it or they do new.
Speaker 3:Do people just skip through it now?
Speaker 1:but I think there are a lot of people that do skip the cut scenes, but the reason I decided to start over gene is because I really wanted to understand the story in a deep and personal way and I couldn't remember most of it. I've been at end game and I don't have a social group around me that will bring me in an equal way through the end game. I felt like I was getting dragged through it and that they were enjoying things and picking up on things and that I was just always clueless and I decided that, for better or worse, I just need to start over, but I am enjoying that too. It's just. It is what it is.
Speaker 1:I wasn't really an endgame player even when I was, and that's how I felt. I wasn't really an end game player even when I was, and that's how I felt that could be a whole podcast episode. Honestly is, how do we fit in at end game in these online games? Sure, yeah, when it comes down to it, if we all three listened to one old episode every week and said, oh, this leads into another episode, we'd have episodes going forever. We'd never be able to talk about all the little hints that we drop, about things we'd love to talk about.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I've played. I'm just thinking about this. I've played Final Fantasy 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Not saying I've beaten all of those. I've never beaten eight. All the other ones I've beaten in that list, but I never beat eight.
Speaker 1:I think my story, the first one I played is seven and now VII has a remake. I think playing VII Remake is cool, but I think ultimately, vii Remake is a sequel to VII and I think the further that story goes with Part II and III, the more obvious that's going to be. The question is then this is like the Star Wars question to you, gene, last episode, when you pointed out Final Fantasy VII is the Star Wars of Final Fantasy. That blew my mind and it made everything in my life make sense, everything in your life, everything, all of it.
Speaker 1:But if you've never seen Star Wars, you have to start at a new hope and then empire strikes back. Right? You can't start at episode one and you can't start at seven either, right, because those experiences both hinge on episode four or five and six being where you started and having the emotional memory of especially episode five, and I think that's what final fantasy 7 is building for itself that you can enjoy remake and rebirth and re, whatever the last one's going to be. Maybe reunion will be the title of that one. But you, your enjoyment of those games hinges on the memory of the 1997 game, right yeah, that's definitely possible and I'm pretty sure it would be true.
Speaker 3:And, of course, you know Square Enix has not made any statement to invalidate the original game, that they're practically giving the original game away now for a couple of dollars.
Speaker 1:They really want you to play yeah, also, advent children is coming to theaters this month for limited release. I was aware of that. They have a reason to want that to happen for people too, to be in their memory.
Speaker 3:Is it the original cut or the Blu-ray director's cut?
Speaker 1:or whatever they called it. I don't know if it's going to be Advent Children complete or not, or if it's the Right. I would assume they just go with the complete one. I would hope so. It's better. It's only an extra 30 minutes or so, but just for whatever it's worth, it seems like we should go on the return. Let's just say, based on what we know about final fantasy, if we could redo our entire timeline, which one would we want to start with? Jenny? Which one would you want to start with?
Speaker 2:I am a creature of habit, so 14 gene.
Speaker 1:Which one would you want to start with four? Why?
Speaker 3:four. Four is the, four is the story.
Speaker 1:That, no, I just want to know.
Speaker 3:We haven't mentioned it a single time in any of our episodes oh, four basically established the formula that we know and love now, because final fantasy one through you were these faceless dudes, warrior Ninja, whatever you weren't characters, okay, before the concept of you are these characters? You are Cecil, you are Rosa, and that continues on to present day.
Speaker 1:Is that the one with Keen?
Speaker 3:in it yes.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, yeah, all right, cool, we're going. Okay. Yeah, yeah, all right, cool. Yeah, we're gonna have to talk about that more, because I don't know very much about four and I would love to learn and maybe add it to my list of things to do soon. I would keep it at seven. If you know me from the episodes of this show, I love the butterfly effect, which means I truly believe that if we go back in time and kill a butterfly, I could end up doing a completely different job and not being me, not being Dr Gamology. So I feel like playing Final Fantasy VII is such a critical memory in terms of the development of me as a person we do not want to mess with that. I have to always have played Final Fantasy VII first.
Speaker 1:These conversations are helping people, whether you're a person who's a longtime veteran of Final Fantasy and you just like hearing people talk about their perspectives on the game franchise, or if you're new to gaming or haven't played final fantasy. I think right now, final fantasy 14 is a great one to jump into because it has like jenny said, it's an mmo. It has something for everyone. It has a great story. I believe that's the story I'm thinking about the most when I say things about video games are modern mythology, because you have deities, you have warring nations and you have the warrior of light and that's everything you need in order to have the monomyth. But I love a lot of the other games in the franchise too.
Speaker 1:So if this is sounding like a cool fun time and you need some exciting and knowledgeable Final Fantasy veterans to play games with, you can check out AIE at aie-guildorg. Thank you, as always, for supporting our show. If you'd like to check out our membership tiers on YouTube, those are new but those will go a long way to helping us advance the kinds of resources and the kinds of things we bring through the doctor game ology channel on youtube, we're very excited to offer those things. And but the final, yeah, final quest, uh, embrace your destiny and continue the journey bye, see you next week.
