MAGE CAST episode #042 – The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (Xenogears)
2 min read
This Xenogears podcast represents an original conversation from the Bookwarm Games show! I was invited to the discussion by Wesley Schantz, host of Bookwarm Games. We’ll talk about the core principles of The Well-Red Mage, the value of open discussion and conversation free from ridicule, the necessity of communication to learn from each other, some words on systematic theology, agnosticism, impassibility and aseity, ancient individual rights, loving something to understand it, objectivity and subjectivity together in appreciation of video games, context for “best game ever” statements, the relationship between personal favorites and qualities in an object, the evolution of standards in art, the development of Xenogears and Yasunori Mitsuda, suffering artists and the definition of the word “art”, the phrases “work of art” and “art form”, Final Fantasy VII’s rich mythological texture and how it might’ve introduced a lot of people to theological ideas, schools of thought on theology portrayed in fiction exemplified by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, how video games handle religious ideas, critically and negatively or not, the difference between doing things “under the title of” and “in the spirit of”, popular culture’s simplifications vs reading the original material, questions about theodicy, the numinous, biogenesis, and manuscript studies being raised in video games, remakes vs remasters, and stories that take their time.
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Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage, Mage Cast, or Story Mode.
