A bit tired of people knocking videogames...

[Dannyalcatraz]

Looked at the list:

Of the 7 mythology cites, the split is even between West & East, with the Biblical reference singled out by noting that a "giant sword" by the standards of their tech would be about the size of a 2-hander...so it's kind of on the fence.

Of the literary cites, most are post-1980s- after anime was starting to make serious inroads into Western genre markets- and show Asian influences. One of the earliest references in Western lit is to Stormbringer, which, while a largeish sword, is really not out of scale for some of the bigger RW 2 handers. It is also clear that the writers of the section feel it's primarily an Eastern trope, since they often make an effort to point out when one of the instances are Western.

As for the rest- the more I read, the more Asian names I saw.

 

[Zhaleskra]

Nope.
Hey look a bunch of things that are neither anime nor video games that have big swords.

In the end the disgust for big swords is little more then an excuse to classify some fans as being "not as good" as other fans. Congrats on that, I guess.

Just because a weapon existed in real life doesn't mean it was practical. That sword in the club I mentioned? Blade is 6-6.5 inches wide, 4.5 feet tall, and the handle's another good foot and a half or two. Thing weighed 15 pounds. In 3.5 terms, it was a Greatsword.

I'm strong, but even I had trouble with that sword, mostly as a matter of leverage and balance point. You send your biggest, dumbest guy out with that. He gets one shot, if he misses he dies.

I'm willing to make exceptions for things that are obvious magic, even if I still think it's stupid. Zabuza's sword is a better example here than Cloud's. But there are also anime that don't go to such extremes. The sword D uses in the fight with A-ko is perfectly suited to her size. When A-ko gets it, it's huge to her, but still no problem because she has super strength. I really like what Code Lyoko implied about people who need BFSes with William.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Who said anything about practicality?

The claim was made that large weapon = anime.

If that's the case, Beowulf was an anime.

Of course, it really just comes down to someone saying "This guy did a thing I don't like so it's anime and thus bad and he is not allowed to have fun! VIDEO GAAAAAAAAMES!" At that point he left his computer to shake his fist at the sky woefully.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That the concept exists elsewhere doesn't mean that anime hasn't become its predominant wellspring.

 

[The Shaman]

The claim was made that large weapon = anime.

No, the claim was ' . . . "JRPGs" having the hero use a sword that needs its own zip code . . .'; that would be Japanese roleplaying games, not anime.

The same poster said that 'some anime' has this problem as well (emphasis added).

If that's the case, Beowulf was an anime.

Non-sequitur.

In the end the disgust for big swords is little more then an excuse to classify some fans as being "not as good" as other fans.

Of course, it really just comes down to someone saying "This guy did a thing I don't like so it's anime and thus bad and he is not allowed to have fun!"

"I don't like this," is not automatically followed by, ". . . and therefore you musn't, either."

You're not a victim. Unless you choose to be.

 

[Oryan77]

Of course, it really just comes down to someone saying "This guy did a thing I don't like so it's anime and thus bad and he is not allowed to have fun! VIDEO GAAAAAAAAMES!" At that point he left his computer to shake his fist at the sky woefully.

Why do people get all bent out of shape about this? What is it to you if someone says D&D is too video gamey or that they don't like big swords in their D&D game cause it is similar to anime? It's nothing more than a way to explain what they don't like in their D&D game. It's not some personal jab towards what anyone else likes. This whole thread is silly.

I don't even believe it is an insult to video games or anime. I like both, a lot. Yet I'll call things video gamey or anime if it helps me describe the content I'm talking about.

I don't like sci-fi in my D&D games. If I say that I don't want cyborgs in my D&D game, I'm not saying that sci-fi sucks. If I say that I don't like slapstick in my roleplaying, I'm not saying Jim Carey sucks. People take this crap way too personal.

 

[The Shaman]

I don't like sci-fi in my D&D games. If I say that I don't want cyborgs in my D&D game, I'm not saying that sci-fi sucks.

Why do you hate, Oryan77? WHY DO YOU HATE!?!



This is the obligatory, "This is snark," disclaimer for the literal minded.

 

[Dannager]

Why do people get all bent out of shape about this? What is it to you if someone says D&D is too video gamey or that they don't like big swords in their D&D game cause it is similar to anime? It's nothing more than a way to explain what they don't like in their D&D game. It's not some personal jab towards what anyone else likes. This whole thread is silly.

If someone told you that they don't like Thing X (that you like) because Thing X is either a) too much like something it is not actually like at all, or b) too much like something that everything else is also like, you wouldn't step in to point these things out?

 

[Dannager]

And



Are sorta funny together.

If you really believe the second, then the first is no more meaningful than the claim that it is not an rpg, and the word "definitely" is definitely wrong.

Conversely, if you believe the first to be true, there must be some way for a person to validate that calling something an rpg has, or does not have, meaning, in some definite sense. In which case, the second part is wrong.

You're approaching this from the wrong angle. If someone says "All of these things are Blicketyblox, and all of these things are not Blicketyblox," it is reasonable to examine each group to determine the traits that differentiate one from the other.

Similarly, game designers use the term "video game RPG" and its variations to distinguish a game that has the elements I described from other video games which do not have those elements.

Does that mean that they get to individually define what an RPG is and isn't? No, but that's not what they're doing. They are each saying that their product falls into either the "this is an RPG" category," or the "this is not an RPG category," and over time it has become clear that they have collectively established that certain characteristics are descriptive of a video game RPG.

Again, this doesn't mean that any one person is defining what is and isn't an RPG. They probably all disagree on this. A hypothetical Japanese console RPG developer might believe that stat progression is all it takes, while a Western RPG dev might believe that giving the player impactful choices to make that shape the game world is a requirement. And, of course, within these broader groups there will be disagreements on what exactly counts as an impactful choice, and so on. At the end of the day, language is still a cowpath. Only once a piece of language has been sufficiently used can someone say "Okay, that's really what we have established as its meaning."

 

[Dannager]

Sure they are. Chess & blackjack play distinctive roles in society. Go ask people and you'll see what is supposed of them.

I'm so glad you disagreed. Steve Jackson would have words with you.

The moment we say "These two things are sacred! Thou shalt not defile them through experimentation lest you disrupt our closely-guarded mentality of exactly what should and shouldn't be," is the moment we take aim at creativity. Things evolve - just because they evolve in ways some of us might sometimes dislike, doesn't mean that they are disrupting some sort of holy balance.

Dannager, that comment doesn't add anything to your first false claim other than making you look like a pretentious jerk. Just so you know.

I was sort of hoping it would give you pause to examine the logic behind your claim, since it boils down to "These things should not be like each other because they're not supposed to be because they're not supposed to be because they're not supposed to be because they're not supposed to be because they're not supposed to be..."