Zak
Game designers suggest the author talk to some ninjas before writing a ninja game.:
EDIT: HERE'S A WAYBACK MACHINE LINK:
https://web.archive.org/web/20191221045320/http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/17056/i-want-to-make-a-game-about-samurai
it goes south on the Aug 20 comment
Google + reacts:
Carl
wait, what? "Further, I currently know two people that are technically considered ninjas and neither of them are Japanese nor do they have any strong opinions on this subject. According to them, it's whatever."
C
what does the first dude mean he knows two people who are technically ninjas the thread is closed and the mind reels
Perry
this is pertinent.
Z
I mean, it's...just.... so ....
Tate
Holy shit that ninja one is beyond satire .Wow. Well at least the guy asking the question seemed to learn never to ask those wankers again
Z
The GUY WHO ASKED THE QUESTION IS THE ONE WHO KNOWS 2 NINJAS
Tracy
That guy was actually suggesting that he should talk to Japanese people about how they felt about him making a game about ninjas. I'm sure that will go down real well
T
He still seem like the saneist there though
Z
"There are Japanese scholars of history who've spent a great deal of time studying the history of ninja, and so they have both a lived knowledge of their own culture and a strong academic knowledge of this one specific, oft-bastardized FICTIONAL element of their culture." -
T
And then someone's like "you should just do what dogs in the vineyard though and not use tired icongraphy blah blah"
Z
it's just, it's it's...
Z
guh
T
Yeah
Georgia
second the guh and the yeah
Z
Even drunk I know you don't ask ninjas
T
The first rule of being a ninja is you don't talk about being a ninja
Z
How can I ask them they're invisible?
T
They are invisible in plain sight
G
When you know 2 ninjas though you can do whatever you want
T
So ask your Japanese friends
Z
THEY ARE HIDING IN PORTLAND WITH NARRATIVE_FOCUSED GAMERS!!
T
They might be Ninjas
T
OR play a game where you're a nazi cowboy in Utah. Because that's much politically okay.
T
Because the author is aware of the implications
P
Guys, where can I get some fair trade throwing stars?
Z
Fuckin if you know two ninjas you can totally just play whatever and then the people would be like "I'm offended and therefore by definition harmed and....GAH SILENT DEATH!"
G
Trust me, guys, I've thought this through. I know the subject matter might be tough, but you guys are frankensteins and you have to fight the squidmen. you ok with that? no one's gonna chain you to your chair...
G
I don't mean to trivialize the subject of games & art, but it's really something I feel like I got my head wrapped around when I was, I dunno, 14?
Z
I talked to frankensteins I was like "What is the thoughts on this game? and he's like FIRE BAD" so I took a second look at my tired inherited assumptions about flaming oil, I mean: really the nostalgia of it.
T
Technically ninjas. Maybe if you own enough katanas and throwing stars you qualify as a ninja?
also frankenstein is riffing off the golem legend so you'll need a rabbi to sign off on that
Z
sign off or jerk off on. As a Jew I remind you that you do need semen to make a...
HOLY FUCK DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER THAT JEWISH GUY WHO WAS ACTUALLY MAD ABOUT THE USE OF GOLEMS IN D&D?
G
It's cool. I talked to a couple of rabbinical technicians just a minute ago, they were ok with me saying anything I wanted to.
Z
That's just because their Kabbalic wisdom allowed them to see you had those 2 ninjas behind you
P
Can we go back to the part where the most sensitive thing to do was ask some random Japanese people about ninjas? Like, that that was serious advice? From a person who thinks they are especially sensitive about this stuff? This is the future of gaming guys, don't worry about it
P
I am now really mad
Z
I am writing a game about people who are mad, can I interview you?
Bailey
i want to play a game where rabbinical engineers tirelessly build golems for their endless war against the yakuza successor states, whilst kaballic shamans weave mystic to defend their charges against ninja assassination.
C
So: RIFTS?
Z
Dude can you imagine Kevin Siembieda's "Must talk to..." list? No wonder these cats at Storygames are into focused design.
10 comments:
I appropriated a ninja's voice just the other day, but it just wanted to stay silent.
a Person of Color, which is a term that, to me, perpetuates the point of view that some people are different from other people and should be differentiated by terms like the one you chose, which as far as I can tell is the root of racism as a whole.
Tee hee. Story games is great sometimes.
Truly magical.
I live in a rural Midwestern small town. Waaaaay back in the early 80's,back when ninja first became a thing in pop culture, one of our local podunk TV stations had a special segment where they had an interview with a REAL LIVE ACTUAL LOCAL NINJA! The "Ninja" was a chubby middle-aged guy dressed all in hunting camo who showed off a bunch of freaky ninja weapons, threw some throwing stars at a tree, and carefully explained to us out in TV land that they shouldn't judge ninjas from what they see in movies because REAL ninjas like him take a vow to only use their powers for good.
PRICELESS.
So if the Ask A Ninja guy was still updating, his whole dilemma could have been avoided? That's a horrifying thought for a few reasons...
At a minimum, I expect that guy to have learned that asking random people on story-games.com for validation of his totally cliché ideas is not going to make his ideas any less cliché.
If you knew a person was a Ninja... wouldn't that make them a pretty bad Ninja...
You just ask your question in an empty room. There's a 20% chance that there may be one or more ninjas there. That sharp jab and the sensation of death lotus ichor entering your bloodstream will be your answer.
I just cannot believe that these people are serious. Really?! I want to write some copy for Call of Cthulhu...should I hunt down some Tcho Tcho or Melanesian Tribesmen for comment? Or Deepones, I surely would not want to piss them off. Jeesh.
I once saw a guy in ninja cams trying to enter a mall through an automatic door. The door wouldn't open for him, no matter how hard he waved his hands. He got frustrated and walked away for a bit, but a mother entered the door with her two kids and he came running in. I couldn't help myself, so when I passed him I bumped his shoulder accidentally, then looked around confused and pretended I couldn't see him before walking off.
If he had asked a ninja before appropriating their costume they could have told him how to get through the ordinary aspects of day to day life while being invisible.
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