Strap in for a massive episode - in Episode 7 I'm joined by my good friends Erick Flores and Jaden Joslin from the band Native Tongue, consummate gamers both, to delve even deeper into CD Projekt Red's 'Cyberpunk 2077'. We chat about the actual experience of playing the game from its earliest release, as well as discussing the production of it through the lens of the current gaming industry, which has a lot in common and shares a lot of the same problems as the mainstream film industry, and the cultural industries at large. We cover the game's strengths as a work, the challenges of birthing such a juggernaut into the current culture that is both trying to be an open world RPG and tell a compelling story, and opine for what we specifically look for in games and cinema that our hegemonic culture seems to completely lack. This was an exciting episode to record as we touch on a range of subjects relating to the production of contemporary art, including the film 'Parasite' by Bong Joon-Ho and its resonance with Western audiences, the shift in the gaming industry from strong storytelling and artistry to the games-as-a-service model that relies on DLC and has heralded the death of complete projects, as well as the impact of Japanese video game auteurs like Hidetaka Miyazaki and his 'Dark Souls' series, and Shinji Mikami and his horror series 'The Evil Within'.
Check out Native Tongue's latest song and music video 'Buffering', directed by yours truly: Buffering - Music Video
Support the project at www.justinreid.com.au/support.
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The Mirror looks at cultural production through a critical and philosophical lens, emphasising the importance of historical understanding, deep reflection, and true situational awareness for developing higher levels of craftsmanship and discipline in artistic practice.
Episode Links:
- Buffering - Native Tongue (Music Video)
- Evolution of a Filipino Family - Lav Diaz (Available on MUBI)
- Il Maestro - Martin Scorsese (Essay)
- itch.io - Independent Video Game Platform/Community
- The Engoodening of No Man's Sky - Internet Historian (Video Essay)
- Lars Von Trier Interview: The Burden from Donald Duck
Artworks Mentioned:
Video Games
- Cyberpunk 2077
- The Witcher 3
- Dark Souls
- Demon Souls
- Mass Effect
- Fable: Anniversary Series
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
- Until Dawn
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Final Fantasy 7
- Resident Evil 1,2,3,4,6,7
- Resident Evil: Code Veronica
- The Evil Within
- DOOM 3
- ANTHEM
- Fortnite
- Fight Crab
- The Avengers
- Destiny 2
- Dead Space
- The Darkness
- Dante's Inferno
- Asura's Wrath
- The Last of Us
- Super Meat Boy
- Hollow Knight
- Maneater
- Shenmue 3
- Mighty No. 9
- Assasin's Creed
- Rainbow Six: Siege
- Far Cry
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Call of Duty
- DOOM Eternal
- Resident Evil 8: Village
Films and Television Series
- Evolution of a Filipino Family - Lav Diaz
- Parasite - Bong Joon-Ho
- The Revenant - Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach
- Breaking Bad + Better Call Saul - Vince Gilligan
- Star Wars: Sequel Series - JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson
- Spawn - Mark A.Z. Dippé
- Joker - Todd Phillips
- Zodiac - David Fincher
- Pan's Labyrinth - Guillermo del Toro
- The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro
- Thor: Ragnarok - Taika Waititi
- Wonder Woman: 1984 - Patty Jenkins
- Tenet - Christopher Nolan
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The Mirror Theme is written, produced and performed by Annalisa Vetrugno, with drums contributed by Giacomo Greco.
You can find their work here:
Annalisa Vetrugno - Commissions | Instagram
Giacomo Greco - Instagram
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