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June 03, 2021 - Image 11

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The Michigan Daily

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11

Thursday, June 3, 2021

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com ARTS

Humans have told stories since

we invented language and art,
but the history of storytelling has
reached new heights in the last
forty years thanks to a complex,
marvelous technological invention:
video games. Video games combine
art, music, performance, science,
and perhaps most important of
all, writing. There is an endless
list of video games that have been
praised for their creative methods
of storytelling, but one genre is at
last rising in popularity and gaining
respect in the gaming community:
visual novels.

Visual novels consist of text

accompanied by character portraits
and static backgrounds. There is
minimal gameplay, usually only
involving choosing dialogue which
determines the direction of the
branching storyline. Many visual
novels also include point-and-click
elements for exploring the setting of
the game. It’s becoming increasingly
common for visual novels to include
minigames, like the bartending
element of Sukeban Games’ “VA-11
HALL-A” or the real-time shooting
sections of Kazutaka Kodaka’s
Danganronpa
series.
Ultimately,

what lies at the heart of the visual
novel is the ability to not just read or

watch a narrative, but interact with
it.

I’ve been a fan of the genre since

I first played “Phoenix Wright: Ace
Attorney” on my Nintendo DS as a
kid. I was a voracious reader who
tore through stacks of books at my
local library, but nothing held my
attention as well as a game that
allowed me to become a central part
of the action. I was never the most
skilled when it came to real-time
action in games (and to this day

I’m still more puzzle and strategy
oriented), but that’s what hooked me
about this genre — it was accessible,
but just as exciting as any book or
video game.

Complexity and skill level are

often used to separate “real” gamers
from the rest of the pack. Similarly,
simplicity is used as an insult against
readers. In a class with my fellow
English majors, I’m far less likely to
gain respect by making comparisons
to the Twilight series or “The
Fault in Our Stars” than if I were
to discuss “A Farewell to Arms” or
“Moby Dick.” Some visual novels are
written with the intent of not being
taken seriously, such as the dating
simulation
“Hatoful
Boyfriend”

in which all romance options are
pigeons. Others are just as sincere
and contemplative as the novels I’ve
been required to study.

What makes a story worthy of the

label “great literature?” If it’s the

level of complexity, then “To Kill a
Mockingbird” would not be held in
as high regard as “Finnegans Wake.”
Complexity alone is not the measure
of
what
is
deemed
literature;

enjoyment and depth are equally
important. By this logic, visual
novels (due to their focus on text)
should easily fit in this category.
History shows us that as technology
advances, the boundaries between
mediums blur, as do the benchmarks
of value.

A prime example of this in recent

memory is developer Vanillaware’s
2019 visual novel “13 Sentinels: Aegis
Rim.” It was praised by the biggest
outlets in gaming journalism and
nominated for awards across the
world for its exceptional non-linear
storytelling. In fact, it was the only
video game nominated for the 51st
Seiun Awards, a long-running award
for the best Japanese science fiction.
If a game of this genre is deemed
important enough to be nominated
for an award typically only given
to literature and films, should the
genre not be taken more seriously as
an art form?

The genre’s history can be

traced all the way back to the early
1980s, but until recently it has been
considered very niche. Nintendo
was one of the first big names to
influence the genre with 1983’s
“Portopia Serial Murder Case” on
the Famicom console. They were also

the first to bring the genre into the
mainstream with the Ace Attorney
and Professor Layton series on the
Nintendo DS. Though they continue
to be developed more often by indie
developers
than
large
studios,

visual novels now rank among the
top selling games of the Nintendo
Switch,
Steam
and
Playstation

stores. Elements of visual novels can
also be found in many successful
games today outside of the genre;
the social aspects of “Fire Emblem:
Three Houses” and “Persona 5” are
some of the most enjoyable sections
of the games, both of which have
sold millions of copies.

It’s encouraging to see visual

novels on the rise as they are
finally being appreciated as the
thoughtful pieces of art that they
are. It’s challenging enough to
write
something
engaging,
but

add in animation, a soundtrack
and interactivity and something
singularly
creative
is
born.

Regardless of content, visual novels
open the door for creators to craft
a narrative without the limitations
other forms possess. As the genre
gains
popularity
with
serious

gamers and newcomers alike, it
simply makes sense to consider
this an exciting step in humanity’s
constant search for the best way to
share stories.

Preserving Humanity on Campus

Last
weekend,
almost
three

thousand protestors mobilized in
Ann Arbor to rally for the Palestinian
people and shed light on this
terrible humanitarian crisis. The
consequence of highly controversial
issues is that the humanity of the
victims of injustice is ignored.
Their worth is stripped down by
the dehumanizing and apathetic
debates we are surrounded by. For
this reason, seeing protestors on
the Michigan campus brought me a
surge of hope. At my college, on my
campus, in my community, we were
able to preserve the humanity of a
people that has been silenced, and
consequently, we are able to hope for
a brighter future. To see thousands

of people mobilize in Ann Arbor
brings me hope, and I can only pray
it brings solace to the Palestinians
who are suffering right now.

In an increasingly connected

world, we bear witness to millions of
atrocities and humanitarian crises
all over the world. From our backyard
to halfway across the world, there is
widespread inequality and injustice.
It’s easy to get lost in politics and
ignore what doesn’t directly concern
us. But in doing so, we invalidate the
struggle of a whole group of people
and diminish their worth. In a
world with almost 8 billion people,
come 8 billion reasons to hope for
justice, peace, and equality. Global
humanity needs to be preserved. We
need to empathize with the victims
of injustice and hold the people in
power accountable.

It
has
become
abundantly

clear to me that the University of
Michigan campus is a core location
for movements to mobilize and
organize. It is on this campus that
people protest, strike, and demand
accountability from the people in
power. It is on this campus where we
can, and should, preserve humanity.
It is among the thousands of students
where conversations are started and
where empathy is fostered.

This year, my bedroom has been

my classroom — my college has been
a desk in the corner, a laptop, my
niche habitat. It’s been difficult to
imagine myself as a part of a wider
student community, as engaged
in the different events on campus.
Despite this, I was able to participate
in important conversations, from the
comfort of my bedroom. In the first
few months of my freshman year,
the graduate students (graduate

students employees organization)
went on strike. I clearly remember
each
of
my
graduate
student

instructors actively discussing their
position with us, what they were
fighting for, and who they were
doing it for: us, the student body.
There were many ways in which I
could participate remotely, such as
attending “zoom strike meetings.”
Although their demands were not
met, I felt incredibly affirmed that
there are people who care about the
same things I do and are working to
make the campus a more accepting
place for all.

We come to college for education;

this includes what we can learn from
activism, raising awareness, and
starting important conversations.
Protests, rallying, and mobilization
is ingrained in college culture
and crucial to preserving and

maintaining our humanity. The
University of Michigan plays its
fair part in these conversations and
movements.

This upcoming fall we will all

(hopefully) be physically present,
thus, directly interacting with each
other. This begs the question: how
will we continue to use our positions
to support different movements, to
rally and mobilize?

In light of this, let’s make the

conscious
decision
to
choose

benevolence over violence, to choose
empathy over division. Let’s use our
positions, big or small, to be open-
minded, learn what we can, and in
the process, preserve our collective
humanity.

ZOHA KHAN
Daily Arts Writer

The Value of the Visual Novel as Literature

HARPER KLOTZ

Daily Arts Writer

Design by Yassmine El-Rewini

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