Dealing With Depression Using Dark Souls

Disclaimer: The views and comments made in this post do not necessarily reflect how other people suffer from depression. Everyone is different and everyone experiences things differently to others. These are purely based on my personal experiences.

Before I start with this personal post of mine, I’m going to try my best not to turn this into a sob story. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been dealing with depression for a very long time. This, naturally, has had an effect on many areas of my life: feeling shy and socially anxious around people (especially women), putting too much pressure on myself due to societal and family expectations, saying negative things to myself when I do something wrong, even if it’s miniscule (“useless”, “idiot”, etc.) and so forth. Luckily, though, I have learned overtime to accept my depression and realise that it’s a part of who I am. By acknowledging this fact, it’s made the coping process a bit easier for me these days. 

Is Old School Cool Again?

It’s a (Wo)man’s World: Looking at Higurashi From a Feminist Perspective

The fictional town of Hinamizawa is not new to those familiar with the Higurashi series. Fans will know that this town is filled with many mysteries: from its storied past to the mysterious deaths and disappearances that happen during the Watanagashi Festival. What makes Higurashi an intriguing series is that it raises more questions than answers. As the title suggests, I will look at how Higurashi can be read as a feminist text through its use of strong female characters and subversion from society’s expectations of women. For the purpose of this article I will refer to each arc in the series using their original name. For example, Chapter 1 will be referred to as Onikakushi, Chapter 2 will be referred to as Watanagashi and so forth. Note that this article will also contain spoilers so please read at your own discretion.

Gamer’s Corner: Life is Strange

Have you ever had a moment where you were spoilt with choices, but couldn’t decide what you wanted? What if you had the power to rewind time and correct the mistakes of the past, only to find that it caused more harm than good and you were left second-guessing yourself afterwards? This is what Life is Strange is built upon: showing us that time is not something that can be taken lightly and that the choices we make can have serious consequences in the future.

The Baka’s Guide to Surviving Your First Convention

Comic Book Conventions, such as San Diego Comic Con, are one of the many highlights on the geek calendar. This is where you would usually spend your hard earned money on comics, figurines, special drawings and video games, usually at a discounted rate. While this is just one aspect of attending conventions, others attend for the vibe or to show off their latest cosplay creations. While it’s nice to think about the great things you hope to do at the event, it’s always good to be prepared for anything, especially if you are a first time attendee. Here are a few tips to help you survive your first comic book convention, based on my personal experiences.

UCON 2015

So this past weekend I attended a local convention in my area called UCON; a convention organised by the University of Cape Town’s anime club called Genshiken (yes, based on the anime). It was a 2-day event filled with many things you would usually find at a geek convention: gaming, manga, comics, figurines and lots more.

When Video Games Found You Love

Excuse me; are you perhaps the droid I am looking for? [Image via Favim]

So recently I found a sweet and lighthearted article on Kotaku about how different people found love through video games and other geek interests – it really warmed my heart reading about them. Afterwards, I went to the comments section to read more stories that didn’t make the final cut; I just wanted to read more of these stories. It really goes to show you that video games are more than just “child’s play”; it can also potentially help you find your soulmate (local or international). If you or anyone else you know experienced something similar to the stories I read I would love to hear about them 🙂

Land of the Rising Queer: Depictions of the Anime Lesbian

[Image via Anime Planet]

So this was an essay I recently wrote for my film seminar on the depiction of lesbian characters in anime in relation to Japan’s view on homosexuality. Aoi Hana was the case study I used in the essay. If you have the time and/or perhaps interested in what I wrote, please give it a read. Let me know in the comments section what you thought about it.

Why Choices Matter

Choices play an integral part in Telltale’s games [Image via SFP]

We all have to make choices in our lives. Maybe you only have time to watch one episode of any anime and you need to decide which one to watch, or maybe you need to decide whether you want to study for that test the next day or go out clubbing with your friends. In any case, some decisions may be more important than others. How, then, does this reflect in games where your decisions determine the path in which the storyline goes? The Walking Dead, Telltale Games’ hit game, is a perfect example of this. If you have not played it yet, I highly recommend that you do. The game does a great job at making you second guess your choices, hoping that you made the right one.

Everything You Wanted to Know on Japanese Schoolgirl Uniforms

[Image via Pinterest]

So this is an article I recently read that details the different types of schoolgirl uniforms that you find in Japan. Hope you enjoy the interesting read! 😉