Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact Cross-Cultural Influences in Japanese Fantasy Games (Assistant Professor Jessy Escande)
Dec 17, 2024
Assistant Professor Jessy Escande, a scholar from the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, dives into how foreign cultures influence Japanese fantasy games. He discusses the role of cultural brokers like Borges in shaping game motifs and how global folklore enriches Japanese narratives. Escande also explores the definition of 'database fantasy' and highlights iconic examples like Dragon Quest. Additionally, he addresses the importance of cultural sensitivity in game design, particularly around motifs like the Golem, revealing both the challenges and creative opportunities in this vibrant cultural exchange.
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Active Transformation Of Foreign Motifs
- Contemporary Japanese fantasy actively transforms foreign motifs rather than passively absorbing them.
- Cultural brokers and games mediate and reshape motifs into uniquely Japanese forms.
Database Fantasy As A Shared Motif Archive
- Database fantasy is a Japanese meta-genre built on a shared database of motifs and bestiary entries.
- It enables countless variations across games, literature, and animation using common fantasy elements.
Rakshasa Traveled From TV To RPGs
- A 1970s US TV episode introduced the rakshasa and fed it into Dungeons & Dragons' bestiary.
- Japanese RPGs inherited that Dungeons & Dragons version, tracing the creature to TV via tabletop games.
