Tag: representation

Melanin Monday: Mutazione

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Hey there Blerdy Tribe, I know it’s been awhile, but, it’s Melanin Monday here on Blerdy Otome and that means I’m spotlighting another Melanin Friendly Game! For those of you just joining the party—every Monday I spotlight games that feature Black and brown characters for anyone looking for titles with just a bit more representation. As a blerd and a gamer, I am always on the lookout for representation in my games. This is largely a personal project for me—there are almost no “diverse game” tags on major game sites—so, it can be pretty difficult find games with characters of color… unless you already know where to look.

Between my move and my birthday last week, things have been a bit hectic on my end… I’m working to get things back on track, starting with Melanin Monday!! My last post, was a list of 5 Women of Color Lead Indie Games You Should Be Playing (which you should totally check out if you missed it)! This week, I’m spotlighting a super cool adventure game developed by indie studio Akupara Games. Mutazione blends together a rich story heavy game with the immersive gameplay of a 2D adventure game. Follow 15 year old Kai, as she explores her lush community of Mutazione to care for her ailing grandfather, Nonno.

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Lake of Voices

Melanin Friendly Game – ‘Lake of Voices’

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Hey there Blerdy Tribe, it’s Melanin Monday here on Blerdy Otome and that means I’m spotlighting another Melanin Friendly Game! For those of you just joining the party—every Monday I spotlight games that feature Black and brown characters for anyone looking for titles with just a bit more representation. As a blerd and a gamer, I am always on the lookout for representation in my games. This is largely a personal project for me—there are almost no “diverse game” tags on major game sites—so, it can be pretty difficult find games with characters of color… unless you already know where to look.

I skipped last week, but I’m back and I’m spotlighting a game I’ve covered before, but when you come across a game this good it doesn’t hurt to talk about it again! This week I’m covering the horror suspense visual novel Lake of Voices, developed by indie game studio GB Patch. The game follows guard for hire, Kikka, and her companion Belleme as they attempt to cross Sinnlos, a lake that’s home to gruesome monsters. The creatures that dwell beneath it’s murky depths have claimed the lives of many unfortunate travelers. In order to complete the journey, Kikka and her companion must rely on mysterious Guide if they have any chance of surviving the treacherous two day journey. However, they are not the only travelers hoping to cross Sinnlos, but with a larger group, the chances of survival are significantly decreased…

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Melanin Monday – ‘Xenopathy’

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=Hey Blerdy Tribe, it’s Melanin Monday here on Blerdy Otome and that means I’m spotlighting another Melanin Friendly Game! For those of you just joining the party—every Monday I spotlight games that feature black and brown characters for anyone looking for titles with just a bit more representation. As a blerd and a gamer, I am always on the lookout for representation in my games. This is largely a personal project for me—there are almost no “diverse game” tags on major game sites—so, it can be pretty difficult find games with characters of color… unless you already know where to look.

Xenopathy 1.png

This week, I’m spotlighting the sci-fi mystery visual novel, Xenopathy from Marine Dateologist, a collaborative team made up of indie developers PMscenarios, Bob Conway, and SoulofEA. The game was originally created over two months as part of the 2018 Yaoi Game Jam, and currently only the first part is available. Xenopathy is described as a hybrid romance-mystery, taking place in the future, where humanity has taken to the stars. There they encounter the Ishin, a race of alien symbiotes who can temporarily share a body with a willing host. In the game you play as one of these symbiotes—their first host is a shy bio-engineer named Axton, who is hoping his new alien companion can help give him the courage he needs to confess to his crush. Things don’t go as planned and when the alien bonds with their second host, this time with more darker intentions.

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Melanin Monday – ‘Pale Spectrum’

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Hey there Blerdy Tribe, it’s Melanin Monday here on Blerdy Otome and that means I’m spotlighting another Melanin Friendly Game! For those of you just joining the party—every Monday I spotlight games that feature Black and brown characters for anyone looking for titles with just a bit more representation. As a blerd and a gamer, I am always on the lookout for representation in my games. This is largely a personal project for me—there are almost no “diverse game” tags on major game sites—so, it can be pretty difficult find games with characters of color… unless you already know where to look.

I took a bit of a break last week, but I’m back and this time around I’m covering Pale Spectrum, part two of the Book of Gray Magic by Ithaqua Labs. This game serves as the sequel to Brilliant Shadows, continuing the story from the first game with the same expansive cast of characters. Follow along with Necromancers, Paladins, Witches, and Changelings in this story of intrigue, mystery and magic. If you are a fan of high fantasy, the Book of Gray Magic series is just for you!

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Melanin Monday: Lovestruck

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Hey there Blerdy Tribe, it’s Melanin Monday here on Blerdy Otome and that means I’m spotlighting another Melanin Friendly Game! For those of you just joining the party—every Monday I spotlight games that feature Black and brown characters for anyone looking for titles with just a bit more representation. As a blerd and a gamer, I am always on the lookout for representation in my games. This is largely a personal project for me—there are almost no “diverse game” tags on major game sites—so, it can be pretty difficult find games with characters of color… unless you already know where to look.

This week I’m doing things a little differently, instead of spotlighting one game I’m going to cover the story app, Lovestruck. Now, I will readily admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Voltage’s decision to move all of their original English language content from the pay-per-route model to the freemium format. But, it is what it is and there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. What I want to talk about instead is how from day one representation has been a big part of why I love Lovestruck and the Voltage Inc. original English language titles.

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[Melanin Monday] Diversity in Otome Games

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Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and NPCs, out there it’s Monday, and that means another Melanin Monday post!! I know its been awhile since my last Melanin Monday post (I’ve been slacking off), but, for those of you just joining the party, here’s a little refresher. Melanin Monday is a bi-weekly post series that I started for Black History Month, where I talk about Black and Brown skinned characters in anime, manga, video games, etc., but you guys loved it so much I decided to continue it! This week, I’m looking at diversity in otome games!

Otome games promise a player driven gaming experience, giving players the opportunity to romance a diverse group of characters. But, really how diverse are otome games? Sure they feature characters from a wide range of character archetypes, but when it comes to their appearance, they all seem to fall into the same generic bishounen category. What’s more, mainstream otome games tend to have a distinct lack of racial diversity among their romance options. Western otome games have been more successful at integrating more diverse romance options in their games, with characters from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicity, but, Japanese otome games are much more restrictive in the types of romance options they offer. But, given that otome games are created with a Japanese audience in mind, this is not wholly unexpected.

However, with an increasing number of Western gamers playing otome games, this lack of diversity could alienate individuals looking for games featuring characters that share similar characteristics to themselves. In recent years, Western otome games and Original English Language Visual Novels (OELVNs) have stepped up to provide a solution by offering games with more diverse romance options that are more reflective of their target audiences. As a woman of color, I appreciate the efforts of Western developers to incorporate diverse characters into their narratives, because it creates an opportunity for representation that may have otherwise not existed.

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Melanin Monday: Why We Need Quality Representation- A Short Rant

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Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, it’s Black History Month once again and with it comes the revival of Melanin Monday, the post series where I talk about the representation of Black and brown characters in pop culture. While I mainly focus on the nerdier side of the pop culture spectrum, from time to time I will cover more personal posts about my experiences as a Black nerd.

This started as part of Black History Month 2017, but you guys liked it so much that I decided to keep it going, albeit rather sporadically. However, for the month of February I will try to post one of these every Monday.

This week I didn’t really have anything planned since this post coincides with my OWLS Blog Tour post, and I am notorious for waiting until the last minute to do anything… So rather than focus on a particular form of media, I’m just going to talk about the importance of representation in general… as a rant.

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