#syn_thesis

[stsynna]

Genshin's colorism needs to be addressed

The issue of melanin (or lack thereof) has been controversial since Sumeru region dropped, and judging by the recent teasers for the upcoming Natlan, it seems like the Genshin Impact team and/or HoYoverse still do not understand/care why many people have an issue with the character designs.

tl;dr: Genshin Impact team and HoYoverse, please consider redesigning Natlan characters with respect to their originating cultures, e.g. include playable and non-playable characters with dark/brown skin tones.

I have written countless feedback to Genshin Impact team over the years with regards to diversity through their in-game surveys. Taking inspiration from Anilyan and June Yoon, today I've decided to also email Genshin Impact team regarding this issue based on their messages.

Feel free to use my/Anilyan/June Yoon's messages as a template - make adjustments to suit your situation. My message: http://tiny.cc/natlan

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While you're here, please sign this petition: Stop Cultural Appropriation and Whitewashing in MiHoYo Games

Petition summary: "We call on MiHoYo to stop cultural appropriation and whitewashing in their games and to commit to respectful and accurate representation of all cultures."

[nezwordz]

Beautiful

[stsynna]

Attention Overdrive

ADHD is a huge reason why I'm anxious most of the time, e.g. embarrassing myself for mixing up words, can't remember things, get distracted/overwhelmed. Sometimes I just laugh it off, but when you have an 'invisible' disability, people really don't take it/you and your struggles seriously.

I've tried many times, but I can't handle multiple conversations simultaneously, especially when it's purely verbal.

There's a reason I watch all videos/shows with cc on, even if I understand the language(s) used. It's an auditory processing issue. Also an ADHD thing.

Maybe this is why I'm an introvert. Juggling too many things/interactions is overwhelming. Trying to pay attention to too many things/people is overstimulating, my stressed brain goes into overdrive. All this is to say, I'm trying not to feel like a bad person for not being normal.

I don't have a goal for streaming, but it is one of my fav ways to chill online, and it's nice catching up with friends while I play stuff. Like going to your friend's and play games on their beanbag while they do their own thing. I just want a low stress hang out, ykwim?

When I started streaming, I knew barely anything about streamer culture. In fact, I only started catching streams (my friends' and also to learn) after I became a streamer. I'm not quirky or special, no niche audience or talents. I'm boring. I'm just me. If you're ok with that, I'm grateful.

[stsynna]

GRIS - Syn’s Game Review

Besides the beautiful aesthetic/atmospheric visuals, I cannot verbalise enough how much I adore GRIS for illustrating (what I believe is) the stages of grief.

Both surreal and ethereal, captivating in every way - this game was an emotional experience and finishing it in the last few hours of 2022 left me with all sorts of emotions... mostly cathartic relief, with a not-so-small feeling of sadness that it's over.

It took me months to reach the end not only because I was busy irl, but because the game deserves not to be rushed; speedrunning this game would probably even defeat its purpose. Like healing, time and space are much needed to process things, so I'm glad I just let the journey run its course by only playing when I was prepared to.

It's quite apt (and ironic) that I feel like I am grieving over finishing a game about overcoming grief heheh.

GRIS makes me believe that we are all capable of healing; that even though we will at some point in life face difficult moments of loss, all hope is not lost as long as we keep moving. That even if the world may lose its colors during those moments, we can see life in technicolor again eventually.

I am not exaggerating when I say this game is close to my heart.

I'm really glad I played this, and I highly recommend it.

Art: 10/10 Gameplay: 8/10 Writing: 8/10

[stsynna]

ELLI - Syn's Game Review

Elli is a single-player adventure game where you chase down the mysterious Ghasti who has stolen something from you, while solving puzzles and collecting items along the way.

Tbh, I adore this game. But after playing this for a few hours (mostly in frustration), I decided to drop it.

Pros: Beautiful game with cute characters and interesting puzzles. The interactions with NPCs are adorable and even funny sometimes.

Cons: Many of the puzzles tend to be timed challenges (with added obstacles like disappearing platforms, enemies shooting fire etc), which is anxiety-inducing if you have bad controller-navigational skills or if you're afraid of heights lol.

On a serious note, as someone who is fairly new at PC gaming (I technically started a little over a year ago), needing good controller navigational skills AND working under a strict time limit means taking too long to complete the challenges, which got quite frustrating/demotivating after a while.

I'll probably come back to this game eventually, but as of right now I'd rather play less stressful games.

Art: 9/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Writing: 6/10