Throughout Anne Allison’s book, the intertwinement of capitalism and fantasy and its impact on American soft power and Japanese globalism are discussed through various examples. I thought her writing style was a bit dense at times, but still readable nonetheless. I felt like an underlying theme throughout her book was the topic of relationships in congruence with games. It was a major throwback when she spent a section talking about Tamagotchi. She deems this “techo-intimacy” as an indicator of Japan’s social clockwork. The ability to form a relationship with a piece of technology, in my opinion, has the threat of altering the ability to form new, human relationships.<\/p>\n
This leads into the discussion of Pokemonization of America and the world. Allison describes the creation of\u00a0Pokemon as an outlet to create relationships as well. I agree with Skye about the theme of loneliness among the gaming realm. The relationships formed online are just as real as a relationship in a physical sense. They are just built on different foundations. What comes to mind is The Sims. I used to spend hours, NO, DAYS, playing this when I was young. I never felt a human connection with these characters, as the house I built them would typically catch in fire and kill them all (RIP SIMS). However, I can see how when time is invested into a game, a relationship can be formed, whether that is with a real person or an animated character. Allison also points to gender connections and aesthetic appeals with Sailor Moon and the Power Rangers- both of which allow for the entrance into a fantasy world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Throughout Anne Allison’s book, the intertwinement of capitalism and fantasy and its impact on American soft power and Japanese globalism are discussed through various examples. I thought her writing style was a bit dense at times, but still readable nonetheless. I felt like an underlying theme throughout her book was the topic of relationships in…<\/p>\n