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It analyzes how these narratives stage tension between traditional cultural values and posthumanity within a postmodern context. The study explores myth, legend, and narrative structures used in specific games, probing loaded comparisons between Japanese heroism and posthumanism, and between Japanese and American notions of the heroic, while combining ludology, narratology, and folklore approaches for digital game analysis.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/hero-myths-in-japanese-role-playing-games-a-thesis-master-of-arts/142388/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/hero-myths-in-japanese-role-playing-games-a-thesis-master-of-arts/142388.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"\tJames","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-08-25",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main purpose of the thesis?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To examine cultural mythologies in Japanese console role-playing games as they are presented to American audiences, and to understand how they may shape ideas of identity in contemporary Western culture.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the thesis frame the central conflict in the games?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It focuses on how Japanese RPG narratives enact a conflict between traditional cultural values and posthumanity in a postmodern context.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which academic approaches does the thesis combine for studying digital games?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It integrates theories of ludology, narratology, and folklore to analyze how game narratives and mythic structures operate.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},142388,1787680328,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},2336474466412,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","HERO MYTHS IN JAPANESE ROLE-PLAYING GAMES  \nKieran G. Blasingim  \nA Thesis  \nSubmitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of  \nMASTER OF ARTS  \nAugust 2006  \nCommittee:  \nDr. Marilyn Motz, Advisor Dr. Jeremy Wallach  \nDr. Andrew Mara  \nii  \nABSTRACT  \nDr. Marilyn Motz, Advisor  \nThe Purpose of this text is to examine the cultural mythologies present in Japanese console role-playing games as they are transliterated for American audiences in an effort to understand how these texts might influence notions of identity in contemporary Western culture. Specifically, this text is concerned with the way these games play out the conflict between traditional cultural values and posthumanity in a postmodern context; the narrative elements of Japanese RPGs seem to be deployed in an effort to problematize any relationship between the posthuman and the heroic, and the gameworlds reflect this demonization and Othering of posthumanity. Specific texts will be examined in the context of the traditional narrative elements which they employ, including various Japanese myths, legends, and narratives, in hopes of exploring not only the loaded comparison these games make between traditional Japanese heroism and posthumanism but also between Japanese and American notions ofthe heroic. Finally, this text will attempt to combine the theories of ludology, narratology, and folklore for the study of digital games, an approach uncommon in this highly factious discipline.  \niii  \nI would like to dedicate this text to my parents, who bought me my first game console (a NES cartridge deck) in the mid-80s against their own judgement, and who have despaired of my unwavering interest in video games since that day.  \niv  \nACKNOWLEDGMENTS  \nFirst, I must acknowledge Drs. Andrew Mara, Marilyn Motz, and Jeremy Wallach for their help and support throughout this project; it was a joy working with each of them, and I hope that they have had as much fun as I have these last two years. Secondly, I would like to extend some recognition to my fellow graduate students at Bowling Green State University, all of whom have helped to make this experience one that I will look back on fondly. Third, I should acknowledge Patrick Sanders and Shaun Edmonds, who helped me with the phrasing of my classification of J-RPGs. And, finally, I'd like to thank the many gamers with whom I've played over the years, and with whom I've had so much fun.  \nv  \nTABLE OF CONTENTS  \nPage  \nABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ ii  \nDEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... iii  \nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iv  \nPART I: TRADITION .................................................................................................................................. 1  \nCHAPTER ONE: VIDEO GAMES AND VIDEO GAME THEORY........................................... 2  \nCHAPTER TWO: CONSOLE RPGS AS CULTURAL ARTIFACTS....................................... 13  \nPART II: FORMULATION ....................................................................................................................... 22  \nCHAPTER THREE: THE JAPANESE HERO ............................................................................ 23  \nCHAPTER FOUR: THE HAKKENDEN AND THE J-RPG PARTY .......................................... 32  \nPART III: DECONSTRUCTION ............................................................................................................... 42  \nCHAPTER FIVE: THE POSTHUMAN WORLD ....................................................................... 43  \nCHAPTER SIX: SCIENCE, MAGIC, AND THE POSTHUMAN HERO.....","cbCaicEfFkJYVcBK","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicEfFkJYVcBK","pdf",271375,89,"English","# Abstract\n# Acknowledgments\n# Table of Contents\n# Part I: Tradition\n## Chapter One: Video Games and Video Game Theory\n## Chapter Two: Console RPGs as Cultural Artifacts\n# Part II: Formulation\n## Chapter Three: The Japanese Hero\n## Chapter Four: The Hakkenden and the J-RPG Party\n# Part III: Deconstruction\n## Chapter Five: The Posthuman World\n## Chapter Six: Science, Magic, and the Posthuman Hero\n# Part IV: Remediation\n## Chapter Seven: “Action” Adventures and “Real-Time” Combat\n## Chapter Eight: The Death of Story","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of the thesis?\",\"answer\":\"To examine cultural mythologies in Japanese console role-playing games as they are presented to American audiences, and to understand how they may shape ideas of identity in contemporary Western culture.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the thesis frame the central conflict in the games?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on how Japanese RPG narratives enact a conflict between traditional cultural values and posthumanity in a postmodern context.\"},{\"question\":\"Which academic approaches does the thesis combine for studying digital games?\",\"answer\":\"It integrates theories of ludology, narratology, and folklore to analyze how game narratives and mythic structures operate.\"}]","HERO MYTHS IN JAPANESE ROLE-PLAYING GAMES - A Thesis - Master of Arts | PDF",224]