When Final Fantasy branches into the realm of philosophy and does well, it does it exceptionally well.
However, when Final Fantasy branches into the realm of philosophy and botches, it fuels my rage.
For instance, let us consider the seemingly unobtrusive statement in FFXIII, "Moms are tough," spoken by Hope's mother, first when she accepts a weapon from Snow to assist in the breakout, again after using a rocket launcher to save Snow again. At face value, this is a throwaway line trying to invoke some sense of admiration in the player, much like the idea of "Real heroes don't need plans." The writers are counting on you to not analyze it and to simply accept it much like it expects you to accept most things in XIII: as a superficially and aesthetically pleasing thing which sounds and looks good, which therefore means it must be good.
However, these three little words are far more problematic than one might initially think.
The very first thing one should ask when looking at this quote is perhaps the most obvious of the five Ws: WHY, exactly, are Moms tough? It's important to ask this, because for the short time we know Hope's mother in this game, this is the only line of dialogue which gives us any insight to her character. It's what is supposed to make us feel sad for her when she dies, while, much like Snow, remaining completely indifferent and emotionally void in regards to everyone else who dies on that bridge. So if the game wants you to feel bad for this character, it's worth wondering WHY this mother is tough.
The immediate answer that the game provides is because she is willing to pick up a weapon and fight. Fair enough. Yet this in turn raises the question: is that the only reason she is considered tough? The willingness to fight? The game answers yes, because on a completely superficial and skin deep level, this is what it considers bravery to be. But what about the other half of this little scenario: the fact that she leaves her son completely alone, without any kind of guidance, who might become lost or get injured in her absence, and who has shown that he is somewhat incapable of standing on his own at this young and impressionable age. Also, she is willingly and knowingly placing herself in a position of extreme danger which, as we see, may result in her death, which would then leave her son completely and totally alone and forced to fend for himself in the middle of a subterannian prison with.
Is that complete and total disregard for the wellbeing of her child also considered being tough?
The response, of course, is that the reason she goes to fight is because she wants to protect Hope from further disaster. On one level, yes, this is true. On the other, it does not excuse an incredibly irresponsible piece of parenting which winds up traumatizing the son in question.
At any rate, this is not so much a discussion about whether or not her going to fight was necessarily morally right, but rather that this act that the game triumphs as being "tough" is, in fact, far more complicated than it lets on. There is a negative consequence to this action which the game does not stop to think about when it's busy congratulating Hope's mom on going to fight. It wants to say that she is a figure of complete and total admiration, thus warranting our sympathies when she dies, and wants us to not think about how the situation is clouded.
A second way to look at the sentence is to put more emphasis on the first word: Moms. This is where the true flippancy and disregard of the quote can be seen, and it's overall value further crushed. If viewed this way, the phrase means that Moms (note the plural) are tough simply by virtue of being moms. What this then means is that the actions of Hope's mother mean absolutely nothing in dictating why she is tough. She didn't need to pick up a gun and go fight: she's already tough, because she is a mom. The end.
A further complication: given that the tone of the quote is to use the word "tough" as a strictly positive thing, therefore meaning that the toughness present in all mothers is admirable, then if we apply this sentence to FFIX, does that mean that Queen Brahne, too, is tough and deserving of our admiration? Of course not: the actions of Queen Brahne are extremely questionable. But that is exactly what this quote by Hope's mother is saying! By value of her own words, Hope's mother is admirable simply by virtue of her existence and not through her actions, and that this applies to all otehr parental figures regardless of their actions or their personalities.
Why does this matter? First, you should always be thinking about what it is you're consuming for entertainment: you should know what it means for the game and what it means for you. Don't just appluad something because it's cool or catchy. Second, as I said prior, this is the only line of dialogue which sets us up for the death of Hope's mom, and is the only thing that tries to make us feel sorry for such an event. Yet the line is empty and without merit, and thus the attempt to make me feel sorrow about her death fails.
Then again, Snow get's over the death in about two minutes, so maybe in the context of the game, this emptiness is acknowleged.
When Final Fantasy branches into the realm of philosophy and does well, it does it exceptionally well.
However, when Final Fantasy branches into the realm of philosophy and botches, it fuels my rage.
For instance, let us consider the seemingly unobtrusive statement in FFXIII, "Moms are tough," spoken by Hope's mother, first when she accepts a weapon from Snow to assist in the breakout, again after using a rocket launcher to save Snow again. At face value, this is a throwaway line trying to invoke some sense of admiration in the player, much like the idea of "Real heroes don't need plans." The writers are counting on you to not analyze it and to simply accept it much like it expects you to accept most things in XIII: as a superficially and aesthetically pleasing thing which sounds and looks good, which therefore means it must be good.
However, these three little words are far more problematic than one might initially think.
The very first thing one should ask when looking at this quote is perhaps the most obvious of the five Ws: WHY, exactly, are Moms tough? It's important to ask this, because for the short time we know Hope's mother in this game, this is the only line of dialogue which gives us any insight to her character. It's what is supposed to make us feel sad for her when she dies, while, much like Snow, remaining completely indifferent and emotionally void in regards to everyone else who dies on that bridge. So if the game wants you to feel bad for this character, it's worth wondering WHY this mother is tough.
The immediate answer that the game provides is because she is willing to pick up a weapon and fight. Fair enough. Yet this in turn raises the question: is that the only reason she is considered tough? The willingness to fight? The game answers yes, because on a completely superficial and skin deep level, this is what it considers bravery to be. But what about the other half of this little scenario: the fact that she leaves her son completely alone, without any kind of guidance, who might become lost or get injured in her absence, and who has shown that he is somewhat incapable of standing on his own at this young and impressionable age. Also, she is willingly and knowingly placing herself in a position of extreme danger which, as we see, may result in her death, which would then leave her son completely and totally alone and forced to fend for himself in the middle of a subterannian prison with.
Is that complete and total disregard for the wellbeing of her child also considered being tough?
The response, of course, is that the reason she goes to fight is because she wants to protect Hope from further disaster. On one level, yes, this is true. On the other, it does not excuse an incredibly irresponsible piece of parenting which winds up traumatizing the son in question.
At any rate, this is not so much a discussion about whether or not her going to fight was necessarily morally right, but rather that this act that the game triumphs as being "tough" is, in fact, far more complicated than it lets on. There is a negative consequence to this action which the game does not stop to think about when it's busy congratulating Hope's mom on going to fight. It wants to say that she is a figure of complete and total admiration, thus warranting our sympathies when she dies, and wants us to not think about how the situation is clouded.
A second way to look at the sentence is to put more emphasis on the first word: Moms. This is where the true flippancy and disregard of the quote can be seen, and it's overall value further crushed. If viewed this way, the phrase means that Moms (note the plural) are tough simply by virtue of being moms. What this then means is that the actions of Hope's mother mean absolutely nothing in dictating why she is tough. She didn't need to pick up a gun and go fight: she's already tough, because she is a mom. The end.
A further complication: given that the tone of the quote is to use the word "tough" as a strictly positive thing, therefore meaning that the toughness present in all mothers is admirable, then if we apply this sentence to FFIX, does that mean that Queen Brahne, too, is tough and deserving of our admiration? Of course not: the actions of Queen Brahne are extremely questionable. But that is exactly what this quote by Hope's mother is saying! By value of her own words, Hope's mother is admirable simply by virtue of her existence and not through her actions, and that this applies to all otehr parental figures regardless of their actions or their personalities.
Why does this matter? First, you should always be thinking about what it is you're consuming for entertainment: you should know what it means for the game and what it means for you. Don't just appluad something because it's cool or catchy. Second, as I said prior, this is the only line of dialogue which sets us up for the death of Hope's mom, and is the only thing that tries to make us feel sorry for such an event. Yet the line is empty and without merit, and thus the attempt to make me feel sorrow about her death fails.
Then again, Snow get's over the death in about two minutes, so maybe in the context of the game, this emptiness is acknowleged.