Homosexuality, Gender Identity and the Japanese Persona:

This is the text of an essay I did a while ago back on the topic of Persona 4 and role playing. I'm posting this here to give you an idea of how think fantasy characters offer us an intresting doorwary into playing with the imaginal world. Looking back on it now there is a lot I'd change about it. First being flow, given I had to cut a lot of stuff out for word count. But maybe in my next post I'll take this apart from my view 5 years in the future.

Please note that I've had to remove the images from this essay. Enjoy.

Homosexuality, Gender Identity and the Japanese Persona: A Case Study into the Engagement of Players by LGBTQ subject matter within Persona Four (Golden)

This case study looks as the particulars of player engagement surrounding the characters of Persona4 that demonstrate LGBTQ elements. An in-depth examination of player’s engagement with the homosexual elements of Kanji Tatsumi and the gender identity of Naoto Shirogane was enacted. Conclusions drawn indicate that the player was not engaging with LGBTQ subject matter but with a Japanese value system that rested beneath the LGBTQ elements. Further examination into the area of Japanese games and player engagement was recommended.

Engagement?

The word “engagement” is a difficult term to apply to a subjective field, such as video gaming, made ever more arduous when we consider that no two players “engagement” is similar (Schønau-Fog, and Bjørner, 2012). However, there are two observable selves partaking in the engagement, the actual-self (the inherent state of mind) and the ideal-self (the fantastical state of mind) (Przybylski et all, 2012). Or, in simpler terms, the person the player is and the persona the player wants to be.

It is the engagement by this ideal-self—which is metaphorical construct created by primarily by the game—with two characters Persona Four characters that are of particular intrigue.

LGBTQ: The narrative, or a narrative device.

Homosexuality, and a lesser extent Gender Identity, remains difficult subjects to discuss without some element of hostility, especially within Japanese media and society (Hidaka, and Operario, 2006) even though Yaoi, Yuri and other such LGBTQ sub-genres are present within Japanese media (Gingold, 2015). Nonetheless, within Japan and Japanese main-stream video game and media production, LGBTQ inclusivity is still an area of great contention. (Mackin, 2016)

From western viewpoint, LGBTQ matters have, such in the case of J. Edgar Hoover, been used as a method of weaponizing civil distaste (Potter, 2006) In modern times the decry for more inclusive “spaces” has been the catalyst for a quantum leap in representation within media, music and political life. The current representation for the LGBTQ community is around 6.4 percent and 7.3 percent, for Fox and ABC for in-house productions (Sidahmed, 2016). It is with this mindset that we must approach this subject matter with a level of brevity, and an element of understanding, for Asian values that are not comparable with western beliefs.

Methodology

For this discussion, we are making a clear distinction between in-country Japanese games, that often have LGBTQ content, and mass market games that are exported to a wider audience outside of Japan of which P4 is a member. This case study will examine the homosexual elements of Kanji Tatsumi and the gender identity of Naoto Shirogane with a particular focus on the type of engagement by the player. We will study the players engagement and the context of that engagement by asking, “Do players engage with the LGBTQ content presented by Persona Four.”

Research: Kanji Tatsumi

Presentation of Argument

Persona 4 is both a dungeon crawler, such as the “Binding of Isaac” and “Pokémon”, and a social simulator (a mix between a visual novel such as Steins;Gate and “The Sims.” The player’s personas, his weapons to fight the shadows within the dungeons, are created by fusing to particular personas together to make a stronger “persona.” Each persona is attributed a trump card of the tarot deck, ie, the Fool, Death, Strength. Each trump card is attributed to a NPC with which the player can increase his social link for an increase EXP bonus when fusing his personas. The social link, which can be ranked up by choosing various dialogue options after “making time” to see a respective character, levels up from naught to ten.

By “levelling up” the personas the player’s gaming experience becomes more engaging. This “power creep” is often linked to a higher sense of enjoyment (Hamari, & Keronen, (2017) and narcissism (Kim, Namkoong, & Kim, 2008); a higher-level character is, statistically, better than a lower level character and rewards the player with easier game play. However, as with all social links in P4, the player must engage socially with the NPCs to increase his social link level. The “motivation” of developing an engaging dialogue, however, which is required to advance Kanji’s social link, is not necessarily linked narcissism.


Players have the choice to talk to Kanji and have to seek out contact with Kanji as his social link, unlike previous characters, is not activated without player approval indicating a certain amount of prior interest in his character (Christy, and Fox, 2016). Of course, Kanji’s social link involves him navigating his “supposed” sexuality through a narrative format which brings a level of subjectivity that is difficult to research but being able to identify with a fictional character similar to oneself has been correlated with narrative enjoyment” (Van Looy et all, 2012).

There has to be a level of interest in Kanji’s story as Kanji’s sexual questioning is left open after the completion of his dungeon. The player must therefore seek him out to discover the end.

Persona 4 is a persuasive game in a persuasive medium that engages players by its deep social interactions and having “that what which the player can identify with” to captivate the player (Christy, and Fox, 2016, pg.xx). In this case, Kanji’s sexual identity, is an obvious identifier of which players can be motivated to engage with as their ideal self (Przybylski et all, 2012). The player and Kanji spend time together, reflecting on his sexual identity until, at the end of Kanji’s social link, Kanji accepts his thanksgiving and thanks the player “for being there for him.”

Rebuttal of Argument

The disagreement is as follows: How do we know that players have engaged with Kanji because of his sexuality?

The rebuttal is as follows. It is difficult to discern a good narrative experience objectively without incorporating another scale outside of engagement. For example: In the case of P4, what makes Chei Satonaka’s (a primary P4 heroine) social link—her story of her disillusionment with her femininity—a less engaging experience than Kanji’s?
Kanji’s popularity, in some quarters, is because of his deviant sexuality (Youngblood, 2013) but when viewed through the prism of engagement, there is little evidence for this summation as P4 is an archetypal narrative of traditional Japanese values (Dwulecki, 2017).

Video games are engaged, if not exclusively but to a large extent, as a form of entertainment (McGonigal, 2011) through which a story is told. The ideal self is, fundamentally, an ideal which is illusionary in real life and only pseudo real within the game world, “…players who felt a wide distance between who they were and who they would like to be…” (Przybylski et all, 2012, pg.74). The ideal-self, in relation to the player, is a construct by the game developer rather than the player’s perceived self.

Therefore, the distinction between engagement and entertainment is derived from that which motivates the player to partake in Kanji’s story and not necessarily the content of his story. This is further complicated by P4s romancing system which allows the player, as a Japanese male, to choose which of his social links to date; a system within which it is impossible to date a male character. This is further complicated by the slanderous—though typical—presentation of gay-culture in Japan (Hidaka and Operario, 2006) of Kanji’s dungeon “Steamy Bathhouse” within which Kanji sexuality is treated quite viciously.

(Youngblood, 2013, pg.xx) describes Kanji as disrupting, “the normative homosocial space inhabited by the player avatar and his friends.” This argument is difficult to maintain when Kanji’s sexuality is treated so poorly. This is the anthesis of what is perceived to be the progressive nature of the LGBTQ movement (Piercestream, 2014). Therefore, it seems peculiar how one can engage with Kanji along LGBTQ values when this ludonarrative dissonance—whereby the game mechanics are mismatched against a game’s narrative—is occurring (Seraphine, 2016).

Naoto Shirogane (Engagement of “Gender Identity”)

Presentation of Argument

As mentioned above, P4 allows the player to romance female characters. Yet, Naoto appears, in the beginning sections of the game as a male detective investigating the murder cases in Inba. Further in the narrative she is revealed as being biologically female. Naoto’s social link details her confusion over her gender identity and her use of a male persona to carry on the family detective lineage.

Naoto’s gender questioning is not unusual. Children and gamers do engage with identity exploration in video games (Olson, 2010; Kafai, Fields, and Giang 2009) From a Jungian perspective, which is a major theme of P4, it possible to explain the experiential “playing” with a different gender as the conceptualisation—or the creation of a persona that has the characteristics—of one’s ideal partner, be it male or female (Kast, 2006). This is often expressed in fiction. The creation, and engagement with that fiction, wherein which the characteristics of the anima or animus ideal self can form via a gender-neutral character. This is very much the case from the viewpoint of Naoto’s route. Indeed, from a LGBTQ standpoint, the representation of gendering questioning characters has increased in recent years (Cole, Shaw, and Zammit, 2017).

Naoto, like Kanji, is rated highly amongst P4 players (SmashStrike, 2014). But the level of engagement the player can enact with her is wider in scope than Kanji. Players can romance her and choose her over all other female NPCs to be “their girlfriend.” Again, a deep—though fictional—motivational attachment to Naoto motivates the player to develop his/her skill points until Naoto will start to engage with them allowing for a level of engagement along relationship grounds (Dalisay et all, 2015)

Rebuttal of Argument

While the argument has been made that Naoto represents a form of “gender fluidity,” Naoto only adopts a male “persona” because, from a narrative perspective, she must be a man to be a detective.
Again, gender-bending in video games is quite common (Lee and Hoadley, 2007). However, Japanese media is targeted towards young women as a method of presenting their traditional places within society (Saito, 2014). Japanese media is, to some degree, a reflection of “not what you want to be” but what “society wants you to be” (Dwulecki, 2017).

This is where the perceived sense of her gender questioning is oft-set by the player’s eventual engagement with Naoto. Indeed, by completing Naoto’s social link the player unlocks the ability to see her in female school clothing and become her girlfriend. Regardless of this “reinforcing gender stereotypes” or not, it is an archetypal narrative of traditional Japanese values (Ono, and Yamada 2016). Japan values conformity over the individual, the traditional marriage over same-sex marriage (Brewer, 2014).

This is hardly a message of an “gender identity” but direct engagement with the Japanese zeitgeist (Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė, 2013), a direct transferal of Japanese values onto the player or Japanese soft-power in action (Chambers, 2012). In essence, the engagement is not with LGBTQ values, it is with Japanese values. Again, another case of ludonarrative dissonance (Seraphine, 2016). Again, players are not engaging with the LGBTQ content, (Piercestream. 2014) but—by completing Naoto’s route—partaking in the game’s inherent goal which is to “communicate persuasively Japanese values,” (Dwulecki, 2017, pg.109).

Discussion and Conclusion

Naoto Shirogane

Our hypothesis is proven wrong in this case. The player is not engaging with LGBTQ content, rather they are engaging with the inherent value system espoused by traditional and conservative Japanese values, which run contrary to the progressive policy of the LGBTQ movement (Equaldex. 2017). In summary, the ideal-self—in this respect the player acting out in the game world through protagonist of P4—is not a construct of the player, but of the game.

Kanji Tatsumi

The term engagement is difficult to apply in this sample. Homosexual men cannot engage with Kanji to the same extent, ie via the romancing system, as heterosexual men can with the contingent of female characters. Indeed, if they have engaged, it could be merely a result of the game mechanics and not of Kanji’s sexuality. Our hypotheses in this regard is unclear. Yes, engagement has taken place. Yes, engagement has taken place with Kanji. But because of his sexuality, or lack thereof, this remains unanswered.

Limitations and Conclusions

Our research is limited by its method and its scope. Examining a topic as wide as LGBTQ thermology and engagement is too broad an experiment to be properly examined in this case study. Further research into the area, particularly between the link between Japanese media and a western audience, is required.

References

American Psychological Association. (2012). Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. American Psychologist, 67(1), 10–42. doi: 10.1037/a0024659

Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė, K. (2013). Construction of gender images in Japanese pornographic anime. Regioninės studijos [elektroninis išteklius], (7), 9-29.

Brewer, P. R. (2014). Public opinion about gay rights and gay marriage. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 26(3), 279-282.

Chambers, S. N. I. (2012). Anime: From cult following to Pop culture phenomenon. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 3(2).

Christy, K. R., & Fox, J. (2016). Transportability and presence as predictors of avatar identification within narrative video games. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(4), 283-287.

Cole, A., Shaw, A., & Zammit, J. (2017). Representations of Queer Identity in Games from 2013–2015. Extended Abstract Presented at DiGRA.

Dalisay, F., Kushin, M. J., Yamamoto, M., Liu, Y. I., & Skalski, P. (2015). Motivations for game play and the social capital and civic potential of video games. new media & society, 17(9), 1399-1417.

Dwulecki, S. (2017). “I am thou… Thou art I…”—How Persona 4’s Young Adult Fiction Communicates Japanese Values.

Equaldex. (2017). Retrieved October 23, 2017, from http://www.equaldex.com/region/japan

Gingold, N. (2015, August 25). Why an anime character can be openly gay in Japan, but you can't. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-25/why-anime-character-can-be-openly-gay-japan-you-can-t

Hamamura, H., Hayashi, M. K., & Soejima, S. (2012). Persona 4: official design works: P4. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Udon Entertainment Corp.

Hamari, J., & Keronen, L. (2017). Why do people play games? A meta-analysis. International Journal of Information Management, 37(3), 125-141.

Hidaka, Y., & Operario, D. (2006). Attempted suicide, psychological health and exposure to harassment among Japanese homosexual, bisexual or other men questioning their sexual orientation recruited via the internet. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(11), 962-967.

Kafai, Y. B., Fields, D., & Giang, M. T. (2009). Transgressive gender play: Profiles and portraits of girl players in a tween virtual world. In Breaking new ground: Innovation in games, play, practice and theory.

Kast, V. (2006). Anima/animus. The handbook of Jungian psychology: theory, practice and applications, 94-113.

Kim, E. J., Namkoong, K., Ku, T., & Kim, S. J. (2008). The relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control and narcissistic personality traits. European psychiatry, 23(3), 212-218.

Lee, J. J., & Hoadley, C. M. (2007). Leveraging identity to make learning fun: Possible selves and experiential learning in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 3(6), 5.

Mackin, H. (2016, November 02). 5 Topics Persona 5's Social Links Should Cover. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/10/5-topics-persona-5s-social-links-should-cover.html

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York, NY: Random

Olson, С. K. (2010). Children's motivations for video game play in the context of normal development. Review of General Psychology, 14, 180-187.

Ono, Y., & Yamada, M. (2016). Do Voters Prefer Gender Stereotypic Candidates? Evidence from a Conjoint Survey Experiment in Japan.

Potter, C. B. (2006). Queer Hoover: Sex, lies, and political history. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 15(3), 355-381.

Piercestream. (2014, December 11). Trans-But-Not: Naoto Shirogane in Persona 4: Golden. Retrieved February 28, 2018, from https://piercestream.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/trans-but-not-naoto-shirogane-in-persona-4-golden/

Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivational model of video game engagement. Review of general psychology, 14(2), 154.

Przybylski, A. K., Weinstein, N., Murayama, K., Lynch, M. F., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). The ideal self at play: The appeal of video games that let you be all you can be. Psychological science, 23(1), 69-76.

Really Pants. (2013, September 24). Let's play of Persona Four Golden. Retrieved February 28, 2018, from https://lparchive.org/Persona-4-Golden/ (Note: All images come from Persona Four Golden

Katsura Hashino and Atlus. (2013). Persona Four (Golden) [PsVita]. Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan: Atlus.
Saito, K. (2014). Magic, Shōjo, and metamorphosis: Magical girl anime and the challenges of changing gender identities in Japanese society. The Journal of Asian Studies, 73(1), 143-164.

Schønau-Fog, H., & Bjørner, T. (2012). “Sure, I Would Like to Continue” A Method for Mapping the Experience of Engagement in Video Games. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 32(5), 405-412.

Seraphine, F. (2016). Ludonarrative Dissonance: Is Storytelling About Reaching Harmony?. Academia.edu.

Sidahmed, M. (2016, November 03). LGBT characters on TV will make up larger percentage than ever, study finds. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/03/lgbt-characters-tv-largest-percent-glaad-study

SmashStrike. (2014, March 13). [Persona Four Popularity Poll]. Unpublished raw data. Online poll conducted at: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/641695-persona-4-golden/69019825

Van Looy, J., Courtois, C., De Vocht, M., & De Marez, L. (2012). Player identification in online games: Validation of a scale for measuring identification in MMOGs. Media Psychology, 15(2), 197-221.

Youngblood, J. (2013). ‘C’mon! Make Me a Man!’Persona 4, Digital Bodies, and Queer Potentiality. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, 2.