Naslov
Researching Folklore and Popular Culture in the Age of Video Games: The Case of Final Fantasy VII

Autori
Bukač, Zlatko ; Katić, Mario

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
VIDEO GAMES AS A CHALLENGE TO ACADEMIA - 50 YEARS OF THE GAMING INDUSTRY / - , 2022, 16-17

Skup
VIDEO GAMES AS A CHALLENGE TO ACADEMIA - 50 YEARS OF THE GAMING INDUSTRY

Mjesto i datum
Novi Sad, Srbija, 09.12.2022. - 10.12.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
folklore, popular culture, video games, Final Fantasy VII, folkloresque.

Sažetak
By taking popular culture studies and folklore studies as an analytical framework, this paper is focused on the folklore created by the players and communities of the critically acclaimed and popular JRPG video game Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix, 1997). The formation of what we call Final Fantasy VII fan folklore is presented here as a concoction of transmediality of the game (with official Walkthroughs and Guidebooks, movie sequel, novels, and spin-off games) and the elements of the game that were made secret by the developers (as well as several false rumors) and carefully discovered and circulated by the players (fans) through oral tradition (offline and later online) that circulate to this day. This study presents the ways of articulating the relationship between the video game and the players and how their inextricably linked experiences and relationships are eventually monetized in the promotion of the new version of the game, Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020). We argue how through Raymond Williams’s “structures of feeling” players became a vital part of the game’s folklore as we analyze Square Enix’s short movie (video commercial) as a part of the promotion of Final Fantasy VII Remake. By conducting the narrative analysis of the video and analyzing reactions of the fans to that video, we postulate the creation of Final Fantasy VII fan folklore as an important contemporary aspect of experiencing nostalgic turn in the gaming industry and how remakes and new additions of older popular products heavily rely on that specific new form of folklore that goes beyond one game.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija, Etnologija i antropologija, Interdisciplinarne humanističke znanosti

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