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GAMES BASED ON WORLD CULTURES
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RedMask
1139
RedMask
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CloseWould you like to see more cultures represented in video games other than Greece, Japan, and Europe in general?
I know I would.
Lets here what all of you think are underrepresented cultures in games.
Personally I think Africa is definitely underutilized. All you ever see of Africa in games is usually Egypt which is great but there is a lot more on the continent. There is the amazing masks of the Dogon and Bwa, the impressive architecture of the Ashanti. The bronze sculptures of the Benin, the Great Ruins of Zimbabwe and much more.
Which is why I made my game "Nsala Liberation" African themed.
(Shameless plug)(I thought it was relevant to the topic but if the moderators want I'll edit it out of the topic)
I also wish there were more games focused on the cultures of the Americas such as the Inca from Peru, the Olmec, the Aztec, the Mayan, and various Native American groups.
Illusion of Gaia for the SNES had an Incan level. That game is amazing by the way I wish there were more games like it. If you haven't heard of it, basically its an RPG where you explore ruins from our own real world.
I know I would.
Lets here what all of you think are underrepresented cultures in games.
Personally I think Africa is definitely underutilized. All you ever see of Africa in games is usually Egypt which is great but there is a lot more on the continent. There is the amazing masks of the Dogon and Bwa, the impressive architecture of the Ashanti. The bronze sculptures of the Benin, the Great Ruins of Zimbabwe and much more.
Which is why I made my game "Nsala Liberation" African themed.
(Shameless plug)(I thought it was relevant to the topic but if the moderators want I'll edit it out of the topic)
I also wish there were more games focused on the cultures of the Americas such as the Inca from Peru, the Olmec, the Aztec, the Mayan, and various Native American groups.
Illusion of Gaia for the SNES had an Incan level. That game is amazing by the way I wish there were more games like it. If you haven't heard of it, basically its an RPG where you explore ruins from our own real world.
Sviel
2006
I'm not sure how I'd set about making an African themed game that wasn't, explicitly, a game themed about Africa.
I mean, perhaps I could pull it off, but why? If it's just a re-skinned game then I gain a bit of novelty while losing familiarity...but...ok, thinking about this, I kind of want to do it now...but no time...hm...
I'd need sprites...can't really just edit existing facesets either to get the right effect. I'm thinking a fantasy-African setting. Spears and magic still, but with a different flavor and, of course, a fresh setting.
WTB>more hours for my days.
I mean, perhaps I could pull it off, but why? If it's just a re-skinned game then I gain a bit of novelty while losing familiarity...but...ok, thinking about this, I kind of want to do it now...but no time...hm...
I'd need sprites...can't really just edit existing facesets either to get the right effect. I'm thinking a fantasy-African setting. Spears and magic still, but with a different flavor and, of course, a fresh setting.
WTB>more hours for my days.
Jalex
979
I've always wanted to make a game themed around Native American culture, specifically the Pacific Northwest area, but I'm currently at a loss as to how to make something that won't come across as racist.
Regardless of the culture, I suppose the most important question is whether you want to make something that is highly accurate to the original culture or something that just has the general flavor (I believe the Kid Icarus series is a good example of the latter). Or you could take the Disney's Hercules approach and (at best) annoy the audience every time they recognize a reference.
Regardless of the culture, I suppose the most important question is whether you want to make something that is highly accurate to the original culture or something that just has the general flavor (I believe the Kid Icarus series is a good example of the latter). Or you could take the Disney's Hercules approach and (at best) annoy the audience every time they recognize a reference.
Part of the problem is that much of African culture is passed down through word of mouth and storytelling, while places like Greece, Egypt, China, Europe, and Japan have well-documented stories and fables that have been in libraries for hundreds of years. In order to make an accurate game within Africa, you would have to find a lot of tribal elders who would not only be unlikely to speak any languages you know, but they might not be willing to share information with an outsider, out of fear of corrupting their traditions. Much of what we think we know about African tribes is based on assumptions, observations, and stereotyping, with a few exceptions. I think European and Asian culture is used so often because of ease-of-access and the amount of mythical creatures and demons that exist within those cultures. As far as I know, African culture has less mythical beings and more human spirits, so it would be far less interesting for the typical RPG-player who is expecting dragons, devils, angels, and sex monsters.
Alichains
637
I've always wanted to do an African based game as well, (Specifically Axum), it just that well, everything needs to be custom made since finding good resources would be nigh impossible.
You can find information easily enough, there's plenty of anthropology work about the various peoples of Africa. It's more that no one really cares, it isn't really the parent culture of most of the people making games, so it gets ignored.
You can find information easily enough, there's plenty of anthropology work about the various peoples of Africa. It's more that no one really cares, it isn't really the parent culture of most of the people making games, so it gets ignored.
NebelSoft
33
author=Backwards_Cowboy
As far as I know, African culture has less mythical beings and more human spirits, so it would be far less interesting for the typical RPG-player who is expecting dragons, devils, angels, and sex monsters.
Meh.. Shetani - bizarre morphing and shapes-hifting monster spirits sure do look exotic enough to me to use in a game...
(PS: some rape people, they say.. )
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
author=TungerManU
You know, to make a game about Zimbabwe (or whatever country you choose), you need to do a lot of research & stuff in order to avoid factual errors. Which means dealing with facts, which I dislike a lot cos I'm a lazy bum.
I dunno, it's not like 95% of the video games with european mythology bother to try to get it right. They just use the names for things that have vague similarities. You get a random monster named Ice Hercules that looks like a blue-skinned bodybuilder and uses Frost Punch, or something like that. That's not a difficult level of research to surpass if your only goal is to use stuff from third-world mythology instead of first-world mythology.
RedMask
1139
Well just so you all know I've been learning about African art, culture, music, architecture, religion, mythology, folktales, history and more for about 6 years now.
But it's worth noting I did NOT make a documentary game, I made a fantasy game that simply draws from my knowledge of Africa.
Also, Backwards_Cowboy my friend, just letting you know there are in fact many books written about Africa written by people who have extensively researched the cultures there.
Here's a good example of an African book:
"A history of art in Africa" by Monica Blackmun Visonà
(I tried putting in a google books link but the link didn't work)
One more thing, NebelSoft, I'm glad you think Terranigma is good because I intend on playing Terranigma eventually.
But it's worth noting I did NOT make a documentary game, I made a fantasy game that simply draws from my knowledge of Africa.
Also, Backwards_Cowboy my friend, just letting you know there are in fact many books written about Africa written by people who have extensively researched the cultures there.
Here's a good example of an African book:
"A history of art in Africa" by Monica Blackmun Visonà
(I tried putting in a google books link but the link didn't work)
One more thing, NebelSoft, I'm glad you think Terranigma is good because I intend on playing Terranigma eventually.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
You don't need your game to be set in a country to use the mythology of that country. The Diablo games use heavy elements of Christian mythology, but half of it is set in a fantasy world, with many different settings as you travel around the continent, and the other half is set in various spiritual realms. The movie Thor uses heavy elements of Norse mythology, but half of it is set in Arizona, and the other half is set on another planet.
nurvuss
958
Have you played Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2? The world in those games is heavily based off Aryan architecture and mythology. Aryan as in Indo-Iranian, not...y'know. I know you haven't expressed an interest in this particular culture, but the setting really makes it stand apart from the crowd.
RedMask
1139
author=nurvuss
Have you played Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2? The world in those games is heavily based off Aryan architecture and mythology. Aryan as in Indo-Iranian, not...y'know. I know you haven't expressed an interest in this particular culture, but the setting really makes it stand apart from the crowd.
Nope I haven't heard of that game but world cultures in general are all interesting to me. So, I'll check out a review or a let's play of it some time and if I like it, I'll see if I can find a copy. Thanks for the suggestion nurvuss.
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