In Medias Resolution: Chris M. Yap Research Blog on Game Narrative

Games, Seriously Podcast Ep. 06 out now!

Reflections on Shadow of the Colossus (PS2; Team ICO, 2005), Pt. 1

Reflections on Carnage Heart (PS1; Artdink, 1997)

Reflections on E.V.O. - The Search for Eden (SNES; Enix, 1993)

I remember seeing this game at the local Blockbuster Video when I was a kid. This is a really, really weird game. The basic plot is as follows: you start as a fish in the Cambrian era, and must fight/eat/evolve your way through a billion years of Earth's history in order to marry Gaia, the spirit of the Earth. In the course of all that, you eventually uncover and foil a plot by aliens to inhibit the evolution of humans. I know that sounds ludicrous, but if you don't believe,

Extra Credit Japan #3: Avoiding "Yeah Syndrome"

Greetings everyone, here are some extra things that you can do to 1) live more comfortably in Japan, and/or 2) learn a little bit more Japanese faster. Today's tip is about something I call "Yeah Syndrome," which is essentially when we as Japanese language learners get a bit stuck and lost when Japanese people are speaking to us, and we end up just saying はい/うん/そうです(hai/un/sou desu), or any other Japanese variation of the phrase "Yeah" and sort of soft-agreeing to whatever wa

Extra Credit Japan #2: It's all about context

Greetings everyone, I'm here today with some extra things that you can do to 1) live more comfortably in Japan, and/or 2) learn a little bit more Japanese faster. Today's tip is about context. You can use the context of related-words and situations to get yourself out of linguistic trouble. We've all had times where we just can't explain things in the target language. While gestures and drawings definitely go a long way, oftentimes the human mind is always still seek

Extra Credit Japan #1: Karaoke for Japanese Study?

(Note: this article was originally written and posted to the "Learn Japanese Pod" forum: http://learnjapanesepod.com/forum/index.php) Greetings everyone, this is the first of what will hopefully be an ongoing mini-series of posts regarding some extra things that you can do to 1) live more comfortably in Japan, and/or 2) learn a little bit more Japanese faster. My hope with this post series is that I can add one little helpful activity on a regular basis. Of course, the

Hello Kittyについて

ぜんぜん重要ではないが、もし時間があれば、日本人の友達の声および意見を聞かせてください：最近（昨日ぐらい？）、日本で人気なアヴリル・ラヴィーンは下記のＰＭをユーチューブでリリース。そのあとすぐに、大勢な欧米人は「日本人に対してレイシズム」の原因ですごく反対していて（コメント、マスコミの議論などで）、ＰＭはすぐに消された。しかし、いらいらな方はほとんど日本人ではなかった。本物の日本人にとってどうかな。予想的に、僕はなんか問題なし程度かな？と思う。どうでしょうか？ #localization #japanese #otaku #subculture #musings

非常に感動になった

これ、ただＣＭだけですが、見た後に非常に感動になった。皆にとって、夢を持つことすごく大事だと信じている。この前編の主人公の沢口花子さんの話はとても興味深くて、僕と同じく３４～３５歳ぐらいでもまだまだ人生、夢などで頑張っている人に非常に気に入っている。小学校で先生として勤めているのもすごく懐かしい。もちろん、最後に「つづく」て書いてあったので、次のエピソードを楽しみにしている。おすすめ。 #japanese #personal #inspirational

On Otaku, Japanese-ness, and Harmony

To be completely frank, I believe that in modern times, the samurai sitting in the center of this train seat, taking up unnecessary space with all of his feigned "Japanese-ness" is the typical otaku foreigner: enamored by the ancient aesthetic of feudal Japan, but with little practical sense of what Japan is in reality, and wholly unaware of the situations he creates around him. And yet despite this Japanophilia-generated aloofness, all present within this scene are fully awa

DiGRA Japan Conference 2013, Pre-conference dayin Kyushu

Japanese Intensive Language Course, C Class Reunion

My sincerest thanks to my classmates at Osaka University. It was great seeing all of you again. To those who are leaving Japan in March, I wish you safe travels and all the best. It has been a long time since I have been able to say this with any confidence, but I truly believe that bright futures lay ahead of us all. 阪大の日本語研修コースのクラスメートの皆様へ、心からまことにありがとうございました。今日のほとんど一年ぶりの再会は本当によかったわ。僕、皆の人生で、明るい未来が絶対あると信じることは、本当に久しぶりな感じけど、今回、本当に信じています。これから、いつものように、頑張ろう！ #osakauniversity #fun

Japanese Draft

やっと、3月の学会の日本語の第一の原稿はとりあえず終了である。まだネイティブチェックされていないけど。先生に出した際にめっちゃ恥ずかしかったわ。「ちっちゃな子供っぽい日本語で書いたらしいと見えるかな」って怖い。10年前の教えた播南の生徒が英語のレポート、宿題などを出した気分と同じだろう。 My Japanese draft for my upcoming conference in Kyushu is finally done. I stress the word "draft" because it is a first effort and I am really afraid that it sounds like it was written by a little kid. This must be how all my Japanese students felt when they turned in their essays and assignments. #acecombatzero #conference #digrajap

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