Assassin’s Creed: A Multi-Cultural Read.
[Jade's response]
"Altair was played by an American born actor of Middle-Eastern
origin. His name is Phil Shahbaz. The reason that Altair speaks with
an American accent is related to the fact that it's not really Altair
talking; the whole experience is being processed by Desmond (a
modern American guy) through the Animus. Desmond is trying to
relive Altair's life but is building on his own experience."
Jade Raymond ; Canadian video game executive and a Managing Director at Ubisoft Toronto
"Several reviews have discussed this issue. For instance,
myp3’s review (www.myps3.com.au/ GuideDetail.aspx?id=38) criticized Altair's voiceacting,
stating that it was blatantly American, when it should have been Middle-Eastern.
The accent was not the only issue of criticism when it comes to Altair's Americanization,
but his choice of words in dialogue beamed of American culture, as many game-players
have stated."
Assassin’s Creed: A Multi-Cultural Read. p.25
"Through dialogues between Altair and Malik (a non-player character also within the
Assassin’s cult), it was evident ... that Malik portrays Arabic
behaviours more believably than Altair. (Ferghali, 1998; Sampson, 1997) discuss Arabic
gesture patterns and non-verbal behaviour. Applying this theory to the current
comparison of character behaviours in Assassins’ Creed, we find that Malik’s gestural
patterns are different from Altair and more reimnesent of Arabic culture. Also, the use of
personal space was different between Arabic characters and other characters in the game,
again more reminiscent of Arabic culture." p.26
[Foreigner persona = in-game cultural detachment]
"non-player characterization and authenticity was unclear. A Disneyland ride such as Aladdin’s adventure raises obvious cultural stereotypes yet since the differences are more subtle in Assassins’ Creed, this line is more difficult to describe. Thus, the authenticity of Arabic-to-English translation, accent,
mannerisms, and inflections are not known and can easily be muddled or misinterpreted.
As a result, a Western viewpoint may increase a “foreigner persona” and reinforce
Altair’s pre-programmed detached and Americanized heroic behaviours (Figure 26).
Unknowingly to the player, this may serve to further distance her or himself from the
story being told." p.26
[understanding cultural norms]
"Perhaps the most obvious and valuable lesson is that choosing the market for the game and understanding the cultural (or sub-cultural) norms, knowledge, and attitudes is of extreme importance as such variables have direct effect on how the game is accepted, viewed, and played. It should be noted that this is not only true for games like Assassins’ Creed that simulate a realistic setting with very high fidelity
graphics. We believe this is also true for stylistic games." p.28
Tavinor, Grant. The art of videogamesTavinor, Grant. The art of videogames
Tavinor in the 1st paragraph of his book admits to the secret guilt of taking pleasure in comitting acts of genocid and sociopathic behavior. along with acts of violence against animals and human beings, all within the game experience. He mentions that surely other gamers must have the same feeling of guilt. from there, he moves to discuss the amazing visuals of the video games in our current times in comparison with the age of pixalated games of the older times.
He refers to video games as the new "cultural form" and highlights the thrill of the "first time game experience" that has no substitute as he moves to discuss the "artistic high-points of recent gaming".
A philosophical exploration of the art of video games is overdue. In the space of little more than forty years video games have developed from rudimentary artifacts designed to exploit the entertainment capabilities of newly invented computers , into a new and sophisticated form of popular art. Tavinor P.1
Many Video Games are now simply stunning in their graphical and auditory depictions. "In a manner similar to the development of representational techniques in other art forms, digital artists and craftspeople have explored the artistic potential of the new medium and are now producing results arguably equal to the other representational arts. Tavinor P.1
But what makes "Oblivion" so engrossing in that the fantasy world is presented in an extraordinarily beautiful way and with such a complete freedom that exploring Cyrodil is an engaging , emotional and aesthetic rewarding experience. Tavinor P.2
"Oblivion" sets both of these features-the linearity of the dungeon adventure, and the dismal appearance of the dungeon itself- in an abrupt juxtaposition with an open, unconstrained , and strikingly beautiful environment. Suddenly the player is in open air, confronted with a wonderfully rendered pastoral scene including misty green hills, rippling water, and an exciting ancient ruin on a nearby shore. Tavinor P.2
Travinor talks about the excitement mixed with bewilderment that he experiences as a player in an "open environment" sand box game. "what should i do? Exactly what would I do? Was the game environment really as big as it looked? (it was). All of those are questions that players are set by the game creators to ask. as the game play itself in that type of games that takes hundreds of hours of game-play:"only over time did i answer these questions through exploring the world and its potential for adventure". Tavinor P.3
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