Thursday's Child Has Far to Go: Character Development in Games

Today, for all you Thursday's Children out there, I will take a look at how "far to go" characters in certain games have, in other words, their character development.

1. Kanji from Persona 4 - At first glance, Kanji might seem like a stereotypical thug with an attitude problem. However, the game explores his insecurities that mainly revolve around his hobbies, such as sewing, which are generally perceived as feminine, as well as his attraction to Naoto before he even discovers that "he" is a "she". He slowly but surely learns to come to terms with who he is and who is he attracted to, and realises that it doesn't matter what your hobbies are or who you're attracted to, as long as you're happy and not hurting anyone. Therefore, even though Kanji is never explicitly stated to be bi or gay, he still serves a great message to LGBT people everywhere, which is, quite simply: "Be yourself - no shame, no fear."
2. Geralt from The Witcher 3 - Geralt comes across as very gruff and even cynical at first, but as the game progresses, you get to define how he develops as a character - within the limits of how he was written of course! You get to choose if you want "harsh, tough Geralt", "kind, good Geralt", or "somewhere-in-between Geralt". The best part? The game dishes out consequences for almost every single action or sentence performed on Geralt's behalf, but it never ever judges you with any kind of hackneyed morality system. This makes choice vs consequences framework feel truly organic, unlike, say, BioWare's games.
3. Estelle from The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC & SC - Estelle starts off as a pretty obnoxious "genki" (energetic) girl stereotype, but gradually matures into a compassionate, wise and determined young Bracer, while never treading into "Mary Sue" territory. All of her growth and accomplishments feel earned, and all of her relationships with the main cast are interesting, or at least enjoyable. Her relationship with Joshua in particular is very bittersweet at first, but they do finally get their "happily ever after" by the end of SC. You can buy the first Trails in the Sky right here.

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Tuesday's Child: "Grace" in Japanese Games

It is said that Tuesday's child is full of grace. Therefore I will take that saying and look at how this "grace" is depicted in Japanese video games, i.e. the social and cultural etiquette and customs.

A bath house scene from Tales of Zestiria.

1. Public bathing - public baths are segregated by gender in Japan, and games such as Tales of Zestiria often play up public bathing related transgressions for laughs, with the guys in the cast almost always being the ones transgressing, i.e. sneaking a peek at the girls, often resulting in the girls going apeshit and curbstomping the guys.
2. Bowing - this is the most obvious example, and can be seen not only games like Persona 4, which revolves around a (fictional) Japanese town with a blend of rural and modern Japanese culture, but also games like The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, which at first glance is set in a country that is based on an amalgam of Germany, Britain and other European countries, but also has the main protagonists (students) all doing things like rising and bowing at the end of each class.
3. The power of friendship/bonds - trying to go it alone is seen as big no-no in Japanese culture, and this is exemplified in many JRPGs, such as Final Fantasy XV, in which Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus and Noctis all share an extremely close, brotherly bond with one another, despite not actually being related by blood.
4. Praying for good fortune - it is considered polite in Japanese culture to pray for someone's good fortune and even tell them that you will do so - not necessarily praying to any particular god or for anyone of a particular faith though. This custom often pops up in visual novels such as Cherry Tree High Comedy Club.