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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