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Once I finish what I’m working on I’m thinking of doing a horror-focused game next. Although my current project actually has an undercurrent of cosmic horror to it that might not be obvious on a given playthrough. It just kind of seeps into most things I write.

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I slice of life that follows a persons entire life.

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Yeah, there’s a lack of much of anything from the Middle East or South Asia, even NPCs. I can only think of one ME and one Indian main NPCs in the dozens of games I’ve played. Recently, in 2 competition-based games, ME contestants were eliminated in the first round. Is it politics or just lack of interest from authors or consumers?

I’d love a Aladdin/Sinbad-style story. Djinns and pirates, or something.

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I would have liked Choice of Scheherazade, I think that would be pretty cool. A bit above my pay grade, though.

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Because… we’re so focused on writing Medieval Europe?

I mean, dragons and swordfighting are true and tested formula. Although, you’re right that we have raksasa, jin, irrigation-based culture, and a more mystical approach to magic, unlike western elemental-magic.

Yeh, I’m talking about SA/SEA region, btw :grimacing:

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The Middle East does in fact have it’s share of dragons. Though they are a far cry from the western versions that we know. Typically from the Babylonian period(Which would be cool to see a story about, by the way.)

Humbaba or Kumbaba is a demon who assumes the shape of a fire breathing dragon and was slain by Giglamesh(A total badass hero by the way). He was however not likely an evil being as he was the guardian of the forest and is most closely viewed as a nature deity.

A better known Middle Eastern dragon would likely be the Persian dragon named Asdeev, He was in some cases believed to be a Daeva(Supernatural entity) that assumes the form of a white dragon. Despite the western culture association of white being good, Asdeev was anything but. He attacked and ate everything in sight, but was also cunning to pick and choose his targets carefully. Rostam defeated him by beheading him, and the potent poison of Asdeev’s blood ended up petrifying the body of the dragon itself.

Also from Persia is Asbarsax, the lord of 365 virtues. Not a standard dragon in that he was depicted as two legged and had the head of cockeral. Most sources would label him as a god, hence the name “Supreme being.”

But the most famous of all was likely, Baau, the goddess of dark waters. In older history the dragon was better known as Tauthe. But the name that is probably most well known these days is Tiamat, the cosmic dragon. Tiamat was probably popularized by the role of being a five headed dragon in Dungeons and Dragons, but the original depictions were not quite the same. It’s still true that Tiamat was seen as powerful even among dragons, however.

Middle Eastern dragons tend to be more supernatural in nature in their legends Like you said, they are more mysticism oriented, but they aren’t without some traits of the west culture. Which can only make sense, since quite a bit of it was at some point derived from the Greeks across the globe.

I may not remember my own birthday, or be able to do basic math, or know anything really relating to science, but if it’s information that no normal person could ever need to know or use in day to day life? I probably have some understanding of it.

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I believe you are correct when you mentionned that sports game would have to use sports as a context, the prime example of that being Slammed and Pitcher’s choice (not sure about the name). The first one was a huge success, even if a lot of people didn’t follow wrestling, because the story was compelling and sport was only acting as a vessel for this story. The MC could have been anything else, a cook, an actor, a singer or even a lawyer (but I’ll guet tot that) . The second one was way more focused on the sport part and lost me halfway (I don’t even know all the rules about baseball, so it was too heavy for me). So yeah, sports game are interesting if the sport part serves the story.
And if this can be said about sport, it can be said about a lot of others topics that you wouldn’t necessary be interested in, because they are complex (relatively speaking) and not very welcoming to non initiaites, like sports, like medecine… or like law ! :stuck_out_tongue:
So go ahead and write that legal story (I’m pretty sure you already have a ton of idea about it !), I know you can turn that sometime dry subject into a really nice story !

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Hmm… do the mid-Eastern dragons more serpent-shaped a la Eastern dragons, or more lizard-shaped?

I never know Middle East has their own share of dragons.

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More often than a not, a Middle Eastern dragon will have closer to more scaled and serpent like tendencies, though not many are often pure serpentine.

Asdeev would be closer to a westernized dragon, but the middle eastern type of dragons generally lean towards more a mix between the two. Hydras aren’t readily uncommon in the culture but they aren’t all too often either.

You’ll likely see more serpents in the culture and more often that not, related to the water. Some western type dragons are prevalent though not the majority. However, mixed trait type dragons seem more common than either two.

If you want a good source about dragons in cultures all around the world, I would go here.

http://www.blackdrago.com/bookindex.htm

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Ooh, my kind of sites!
I need this stuff, thanks.

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Like Anachronox did 2001… <3

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There are not many games like sabres of infinity series

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Noir doesn’t have to be rooted in misogyny to be noir. A lot of genre fiction features misogyny because the pulps were a male only enclave. But writing noir today there’s no reason why you can’t diverge from that tradition.

All genre tropes can be subverted or revised.

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Shadowrun is a good Mix of Cyberpunk and Fantasy.

We’re advanced enough in the world to have Guns, Computers, Cybernetics, The Matrix, Robots. Etc.

But then we’re also now sharing the world with Dragons, Elves, Trolls, etc. And lots of magical entities like ghosts, poltergeists, spirits.

Go look up Shadowrun lore. It’s all really interesting. I love their world building.

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There’s plenty of interest in legal drama. Just look at Better Call Saul.

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I’m working on a semi-noir right now where you can pick your gender, and so I’ve been studying up a bit on noir. From what I’ve read, misogyny is not generally listed as a theme :stuck_out_tongue:

@irongateprobe my WIP is kinda like a legal drama as well. There’ll definitely be at least 1 courtroom scene.

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Noir began in the pulps in the 30s. A lot of the noir movies, even quite recent ones are still based on that old fiction.

But you’re right misogyny isn’t a staple of modern noir. And some modern retellings of old stories subvert the old misogyny. Take a look at Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which turns Raymond Chandlers fiction from the ww2 era, puts it all in a blender and turns it into something new and modern.

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I’ve played both Shadowrun returns and Dragonfall. I still have to play Hong Kong, but I’ll do it one day. All great games.

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Personally, I’d like more western and pioneer- themed games.

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I would like a more political focused game

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