tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post570698782771581914..comments2023-09-28T07:23:51.376-07:00Comments on ProjectPerko: Here There Be MonstersCraig Perkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-49461846089855383702011-06-10T06:24:33.060-07:002011-06-10T06:24:33.060-07:00Nice insight indeed. Never realized how much cultu...Nice insight indeed. Never realized how much cultural obsessions influence our monsters. Now to develop a monster that thrives on personal information. (I think futurama alread did that, but those where not really scary).<br /><br />Gaming also introduces another kind of monster. The not so sacry ones. Say the Goomba's from the first mario game. (Which actually is a killer if you never used a controller before).<br /><br />But this also fits a bit into your insight. Your flaw that gets you in trouble from goomba's is the inability to play the game. And eventually you grow out of this, and wonder why you ever thought of goombas as hard.Soyweiserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07530201773972687532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-17761944184088303452011-05-19T13:06:54.518-07:002011-05-19T13:06:54.518-07:00Oh, man, Ryan, that's great. I completely forg...Oh, man, Ryan, that's great. I completely forgot that games and gameplay dynamics can actually create a whole culture inside the game, and you can use <i>that</i> culture as a starting point!Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-63391401248467517242011-05-19T11:55:29.622-07:002011-05-19T11:55:29.622-07:00A very recent example of a new monster that exploi...A very recent example of a new monster that exploits cultural fear <br />is the creeper from Minecraft. The creeper silently runs up to the player and then sets off a fuse to self-detonate, leaving a huge crater. Given that a large part of the game is about building things, a monster whose sole purpose is to destroy is especially scary in the setting.<br /><br />Is it possible to kill a creeper with your bare hands, but it'll take you a long time. You might end up getting chased by a second one while trying to fight the first! So it's much better to use your diamond sword, or elaborate traps to engulf them in lava, or shoot arrows.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17574626231451600275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-57787131295270507362011-05-19T10:37:48.685-07:002011-05-19T10:37:48.685-07:00I generally tend to focus on which side is the ind...I generally tend to focus on which side is the individual and which is the group (heroic cooperation, or resisting the masses?), and on the culture/savagery spectrum that vampires hop around (werewolves being mostly stuck on the savage end), but I like what you're talking about here. Thanks for sharing!Erikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02503514252826368279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-39608879212870603642011-05-19T08:49:57.990-07:002011-05-19T08:49:57.990-07:00Actually, superheroes are really interesting becau...Actually, superheroes are really interesting because, as a specific heroic figure, they bring their own culture with them to any fight.<br /><br />This means that a superhero's monstrous enemies can reflect the <i>superhero's</i> fears and problems, and be defeated by his good points. Divorcing it from the culture at large allows you to pull an audience member with somewhat different fears and prides into the story.<br /><br />This is similar to fairy tales, where the hero has specific flaws that get them in trouble, and specific good points that get them out again. Except that a superhero exists outside a single story, so the culture they contain can be made much stronger and concrete as the reader reads more and more tales about them.<br /><br />By the way, which damn Tom are you?Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-12787472865404134312011-05-19T08:42:51.499-07:002011-05-19T08:42:51.499-07:00Excellent insight into our cultural obsession with...Excellent insight into our cultural obsession with monsters. I recently attended a TEDxOrlando talk that was from the hero/super hero perspective and how Superman is an emigrant who brings his undervalued skills/talents to the new world where those same skills/talents become super. The talk covered the US history from Cowboys & Indians all the way up to X-Men and Iron Man. Very inspiring to hear/see both angles. Thank you.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11687268156517695416noreply@blogger.com