Heritage Destruction and Videogames: A Perverse Relation

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González José Antonio Chapman Adam Jayemanne Darshana
2017 DiGRA '17 - Proceedings of the 2017 DiGRA International Conference

This paper examines the history of the National and University Library in Sarajevo, and particularly the destruction of the site and how it has been represented with different meanings across various media. The second part of the paper will analyse the representation of the library (post-reconstruction) in the videogame Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2’s Act 2 (called ‘Ghost of Sarajevo’), in order to raise issues about the ethical representation of a heritage site that has not only been destroyed and reconstructed, but that it is part of a national heritage.

 

The appeal of cute monkeys

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Tosca Susana Pajares
2003 DiGRA '03 - Proceedings of the 2003 DiGRA International Conference: Level Up

If we agree with Sega and Nintendo advertising and look at the selling numbers of the game Super Monkey Ball, it seems that its characters, MeeMee, GonGon, Baby and AiAi would have to be some of the most successful computer game characters ever created. The game doesn’t have any story, but the monkeys have personality and are ever so cute. Is it possible that the “aesthetics of cuteness” so prevalent in many Japanese consumption and entertainment products has also now conquered Western hearts? This paper examines the construction and reception of the four characters, and reflects about the relationship between the pure visual design element of a game and its success as an entertainment product, including a qualitative study conducted with a number of test subjects exposed to the game.