#aisicles

[aisicle]

Is animation still just for kids? Part one: animation as an effective promotional tool in tourism.

Lately, I’ve noticed that there are certain places in the West that are picking up on a promotional technique that’s been around in Japan for quite some time now: using stunningly beautiful animation as a way to attract people to their product. For the first part of this post, I wanted to talk specifically about the use of animation in tourism as a means to attract more visitors.

In the winter of 2017, Destination Canada hired director Makoto Shinkai and studio CoMix Wave of Your Name fame, the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time, to create a promotional campaign to attract Japanese tourists to the True North. It features Canadian attractions such as Niagara Falls, the Canadian Rockies, Banff Lake, Abraham Lake, as well was major cities Vancouver and Toronto. For 31 gorgeous seconds, you can picture yourself traveling in the midst of Canadian winter looking at the wonderful sights of pure white snow, gleaming icicles and clear skies – instead of trudging through the melting slush and mud and the reality of getting frostbite on your toes.

(I kid, of course. As a Canadian I love my country and while it does go below freezing a lot of the time, the snowy season is a sight that not many other countries get to experience!)

Approximately a month later, the state of Oregon released their own animated promotional video produced by local agency Widen + Kennedy, with animation by Psyop and Sun Creatures Studio and music by Oregon Symphony. While it isn’t in what would be known as Japanese animation or “anime” style exactly, many have compared it to famous Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghlibi for its whimsical take that is “Only Slightly Exaggerated.”

Even in film, the inclusion of famous landmarks that attract tourists, such as London in Harry Potter, Hobbiton in New Zealand, Times Square in New York City, or Cloud Gate “the Bean” in Chicago, is not uncommon. Yet, many see it as more authentic than when the same technique is used in animation.

It’s the opposite in Japan. In 2016, it was announced that 88 places in Japan were going to be designated as “animation spots” to attract tourists to a “Cool Japan.” Since 2015, fans of the anime Free! have been flocking to Australia’s Russell Hotel that was featured in one of their episodes, with the specific room shown as having bookings up to a year in advance. Most recently, a tourism campaign centred around the international hit Yuri!!! On Ice will begin its third round in the town of Karatsu, which was the inspiration for the main character’s fictional home town of Hasetsu. There will be a museum dedicated to the series opening up for a limited time in the small town, as well as a “Hasetsu Passport” that will be given out with tickets so that you are able to see all the sights that were featured in the anime.

Image taken from the Daily Mail.

Hasetsu vs. Karatsu. Image taken from Crunchyroll.

I dug up the numbers for Canada’s tourism for 2017. Unfortunately, it looks like tourism rose up in every region except Japan, which is unfortunate because the promotional video was incredibly breath-taking. Destination Canada’s report stated that this may have been because of the strength of the Japanese Yen compared to the Canadian dollar at the time, so we’ll see if the new year will show us the power of animation yet.

[aisicle]

The real conversation is not about violence and video games

With the increase in violent shootings in the U.S., I’m sure many people have heard of President Trump’s eagerness to place blame on violent video games as the root of all of their problems.

Here’s the thing: over and over again, you hear the same argument regarding the link between video games and violence. This is not a new story, but it is unfortunately one that we continue to come back to again and again.

Even when several sources of academic research are pitted against the supposed link of school shootings and video games, politicians are always quick to point their fingers. One of the most blamed video games for this is Call of Duty, but I am first-hand experience that Call of Duty did not for a second make me into a troubled, violent youth.

I cite my own blog when it comes to video games used as a way to bond with family, meet and be inspired by amazing new friends and mentors, find love and even host and showcase amazing talent. However, Games for Change, a non-profit organization that focuses on the use of games and technology for social activism, goes one step further.

By showcasing many of the most recent and popular games of our time, Games for Change provides us with 88 seconds of breath-taking and joyous video game scenery in light of the White House’s video depicting video games as gateways to violent thoughts shaping young people’s minds.

Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change, told Polygon in an interview,

“On one side we are happy that because video games have grown into a mass form of entertainment like film and television, they are enjoyed by people of all ages around the world. But somehow video games fall into the black-and-white argument around whether games are ‘good or bad.’ Like every art form, video games are nuanced and there are experiences of all sorts that can move us, entertain us, teach us and sometimes disturb us.”

Video games as a medium have grown so much into something that fosters creativity, imagination and expression. Of course, there are going to be games that are more violent than others, but this too can be said for other entertainment forms such as film and television as well. And while the bad always seems to overshadow the good, we need to remember that the creation of video games comes from a place of good – of fun and excitement in the shared experiences we receive when we play a beloved game solo or with a friend.

To echo the message that Games for Change showed the world in their video, thank you to all the game creators and players out there, and #GameOn.

[aisicle]

I didn’t level up my character, but I leveled up myself at Breakout Con

The week after EGLX, I went to Breakout Con, a convention centred on tabletop gaming, where I learned all about creating tabletop games and RPGs (roleplaying games).

Aside from a very quick and eventually abandoned session of Dungeons and Dragons, I had never gotten into tabletop RPGs before. Of course, I had played board games previously, but it was only something I did when my friends and I would go to the Riddle Room or other board and card game-related cafes.

“Gaming” in this sense had never really occurred to me, much less pondering the process of how one would be able to create such a game and bring it to life. That’s why GMs, or game masters, are always incredibly impressive – and the most crucial part of a tabletop RPG – when it comes to leading and keeping each game experience new and engaging.

During Breakout, I was fortunate enough to play a round of Dungeon World with GM Patrick Keenan of Dundas West Games fame. At the table, I also got to explore the “Tower of Pyrus” with Lauren and two other young adventurers, whose ideas (and violent techniques!) blew me away. Communication was key, especially when it came to co-operating with the skills that each character brought to the table (I was an elf ranger who ended up providing information to my party using my owl companion while Lauren healed us when we were wounded and down) and listening for the clues that Patrick dropped for us through the story was an important part of learning how to be aware of your surroundings and using your resources efficiently.

My character sheet from playing the story 'The Tower of Pyrus' at Breakout Con.

This is probably old news for people who are veterans of tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons, but communications as a social skill is rarely – if at all – taught in school, but it is something that is asked for around the work place all the time. It’s amazing that there is a community of gamers out there that are able to teach these particular soft skills in a way that hardly seems like learning at all. Not only are you invested in the development of your own character and the story surrounding them, but you indirectly invest in your own development and education as well.

This is what the amazing people at Dundas West Games, Patrick, as well as Daniel Kwan (who was how I learned about Breakout Con to begin with), are doing with tabletop gaming that I have never seen anyone else do before: use tabletop RPGs to create an engaging as well as educational experience that can be used in the classroom setting. Ross Rifles, their first game that they’re currently developing, teaches players about the first World War and highlights “the struggles and sacrifices made by Canadians of all background to the war effort.” They’re also working on “Zany Zoo” which, you’ve guessed it, is a game that will focus on animals escaping from the zoo.

I’m a little late to the tabletop RPG craze, but I’m hoping that the exposure to the scene (which was incredibly friendly, welcoming and inclusive) will lead to more games that I can grow, learn from and have loads of fun with in the near future!

[aisicle]

Is animation still just for kids? Part two: animation as an effective promotional tool in branding.

Last post, I talked about how animation, particularly anime, was used in the promotion of tourism. I wanted to follow up with how it was being used in other aspects as well, particularly in the promotion of company brands.

Possibly the most famous animated campaign currently is the one produced by Studio Colorido for McDonald’s Japan’s Join the Crew campaign titled “The Future Me” (未来のワタシ), which was used to attract millennials to become part-time restaurant staff members at McDonald’s in 2016.

The video depicts the coming-of-age of main character Sumire as she goes from being a new employee at McDonald’s to becoming a veteran with the help of her senior, Hoshino.

Of course, what makes this commercial especially endearing is the expressive and gorgeous animation coupled with the simple and relatable story of being a newbie at an unfamiliar work place and the relationships you build along the way.

Another contributing and interesting factor was the inclusion of the voice acting roles done by nationally famous idol group AKB48, which was started in 2015 and has since expanded to having over 130 members. The voices were cast from the main group, AKB48, and one of their subgroups. AKB48 Team 8, to create 10 different regional variations of the same commercial to be aired all across Japan.

In terms of how successful this commercial was, it was so successful that Studio Colorido was contracted to create a sequel that was released a year later in 2017.

While I doubt this type of commercial may work for a North American McDonald’s due to the differing reputation it has here of being more of a fast-food restaurant and less of an eat-in, customer service-oriented location, it would be interesting to see more animation used to promote other company brands and values to audiences here.

[aisicle]

Let’s talk about the #GirlsBehindTheGames

In celebration of #InternationalWomensDay today, I wanted to take the time to talk about a hashtag that has popped up over the last month in the gaming industry: #GirlsBehindTheGames.

Girls Behind The Games is a campaign started up by Runaway, a studio that takes pride in creating beautiful games inspired by the natural world and ensuring they embrace inclusion, mentorship and female leadership as an integral part of their studio. The hashtag picked up huge momentum overnight on Twitter and has been running strong up to International Women’s Day with women sharing their experiences working in gaming, playing games, and even those who are looking to start out in gaming (like me!).

During the past year – and even the past few months, we have seen movements such as #MeToo go global and the Women’s March of 2017 break the record of largest single-day protest in U.S. history. The entertainment industry and political groups worldwide especially have taken a stand to voice the issues against the imbalance of power between genders, under representation and sexual harassment and assault. The gaming industry, so rooted in the tech industry and in Silicon Valley, is no exception from these issues and I am so happy to see intelligent and strong women making their voices heard at last.

So today, I wanted to take the time to give recognition and thank the women in the game industry that have made me feel so welcome and who have done amazing work in (what I hope will be) my local game developer community since the beginning of my journey to start working with games.

Tanya Kan: Founder of Vivid Foundry, Tanya is an all-around powerhouse, working as game dev director, 2D and 3D artist and also as a writer! She is currently working on a 3D visual novel called Solace State and I can’t wait to see what she does with new media and interactive experiences.

Kathleen Cassidy: Kathleen is one half of the proudly independent Queen Bee Games, located in Prince Edward Island. I first encountered her through her and co-founder Steven Cassidy’s first game, Onion Force (which I wrote about here), and I’m so excited that they’re on their way to releasing their second game, Spinch soon!

Gabby DaRienzo: One half of Laundry Bear, a Toronto-based game studio who created one of the best indie games of 2017, A Mortician’s Tale, Gabby was one of the first people I met in the local game community. She has been nothing but supportive to anyone looking for information and resources on how to get started with the game industry and I couldn’t be more grateful meeting her! She also hosts a podcast about death used in gaming, Play Dead.

Stephanie Herdman: Funny enough, I met Steph during a marketing for indie games workshop hosted by Gabby – though maybe met isn’t quite the right word. She provided such insightful marketing knowledge during the workshop that I wanted to introduce myself and discuss the topic more, but wasn’t able to do so until we connected on Twitter. She’s a finalist in EGLX’s pitch competition this weekend, and if you have the time to check it out, I highly encourage going to see her and the rest of the finalists as well!

Jean Leggett: Jean is part of another pair that founded both One More Story Games and StoryStylus, an engine and studio that helps game devs create narrative games. She is a keynote and TEDx speaker, super supportive and positive, and has done so much to help game developers everywhere (here’s a list!).

MC Bourdua: MC is a producer for indie games who also has experience with PR and marketing, who I actually have not gotten the chance to speak with yet (but want to soon!), but who I have been recommended to and have seen do incredible things for the game dev community in Montreal – and by extension, Toronto as well. Check out her interview on production, management, and community here!

For easy organization, here’s a list of links to everything I’ve talked about here:

Campaign #InternationalWomensDay Girls Behind The Games (Twitter, hashtag)

Studios Runaway Vivid Foundry Queen Bee Games Laundry Bear One More Story Games

Games Onion Force Spinch A Mortician’s Tale

Etc. Play Dead podcast StoryStylus EGLX