What are we learning when we play video games from Japan? Rachael Hutchinson (University of Delaware) examines the cultural content of Japanese videogames through character design, background setting and environment, aesthetic style, thematic content, and game dynamics. We will consider how mid-1990s games converged around ideas of nuclear power and bioethics, making works like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid valuable windows into social anxieties expressed in the Japanese arts.

Hosted by faculty member, Andrew Campana (Asian Studies) and the EastAsia+ collaborative. EastAsia+ is a new initiative at Cornell University that combines programming, mentorship, and digital publishing around East Asian media studies and digital humanities.