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thinking online
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2011
Psychology. Philosophy. And analyses of stories through these lenses- mostly timeless, always different.
The Melancholic Beauty of Pikmin: Nintendo's Existential Masterpiece
Put simply, Pikmin is a remarkably profound game. What is oft regarded as a ~cutesy early 2000s, feel-good GameCube game is quietly one of Nintendo’s most nuanced, meaningful narratives on life and nature. Drawing on my professional backgrounds in Ecology and Psychiatry, this video essay and psychological analysis of Pikmin explores its themes of nature, mindfulness, empathy, existentialism, ecology, philosophy, and evolutionary psychology. To explore these themes, this video essay blends elements of a Pikmin playthrough, a nature documentary with gameplay, short movies, and thoughtful insight into the game’s design, storytelling, and greater psychological insights.
As part of our journey together, we’ll examine this game in retrospective fashion, examining the Y2K aesthetics and earl 2000’s culture that shaped Pikmin’s initial perception. Central to our exploration is the curious lineage that Pikmin has left in wake of its humble beginnings. Pikmin, a game that was greatly overshadowed by its contemporaries and sold a humble 1M copies, is widely revered as one of Miyamoto and Nintendo’s most influential IPs, enduring all the way from the GameCube to the Nintendo Switch, inspiring merchandise, action figures, and its own representation in Nintendo Land. To understand why that is, we must look to the profound psychological subtext of Pikmin. In this exploration we will examine ecology, natural selection and evolutionary history, evolutionary psychology, theology and the Garden of Eden myth, dragon mythology and symbolism, Buddhism and mindfulness, and above all, empathy (Carl Jung also makes apperances, as is customary).
Together, we’ll examine how Pikmin captures the essence of survival and teamwork while mirroring real-world ecosystems and interspecies dynamics. The combination of beloved animation, captivating short movies, and soothing Pikmin background music make this game an aesthetic masterpiece in its own right, yet it is my belief that the deeper psychological subtext on the nature of life and death is what has cemented Pikmin as such an enduring force in our collective conscious as gamers (sorry, it’s not just those adorable sound effects). Today we make a case for this tale as an underappreciated masterpiece of gaming’s history by remembering The Melancholic Beauty of Pikmin.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:12 Y2K and the origins Pikmin
08:49 Symbolism, Psychology, and Ecologicy in Pikmin's opening segment
17:44 'To Live a Life,' meditations on the awareness of death and mortality
22:52 'The Darker Aspects of Nature,' an exploration of malevolence and duality in the natural world
28:58 Empathy and evolution
39:33 The legacy of Pikmin, cherished memories of a bygone era
Socials and such:
domenic.ciampaprofilecard/?igsh=MW51cDMzOWphbWEwbg==
As part of our journey together, we’ll examine this game in retrospective fashion, examining the Y2K aesthetics and earl 2000’s culture that shaped Pikmin’s initial perception. Central to our exploration is the curious lineage that Pikmin has left in wake of its humble beginnings. Pikmin, a game that was greatly overshadowed by its contemporaries and sold a humble 1M copies, is widely revered as one of Miyamoto and Nintendo’s most influential IPs, enduring all the way from the GameCube to the Nintendo Switch, inspiring merchandise, action figures, and its own representation in Nintendo Land. To understand why that is, we must look to the profound psychological subtext of Pikmin. In this exploration we will examine ecology, natural selection and evolutionary history, evolutionary psychology, theology and the Garden of Eden myth, dragon mythology and symbolism, Buddhism and mindfulness, and above all, empathy (Carl Jung also makes apperances, as is customary).
Together, we’ll examine how Pikmin captures the essence of survival and teamwork while mirroring real-world ecosystems and interspecies dynamics. The combination of beloved animation, captivating short movies, and soothing Pikmin background music make this game an aesthetic masterpiece in its own right, yet it is my belief that the deeper psychological subtext on the nature of life and death is what has cemented Pikmin as such an enduring force in our collective conscious as gamers (sorry, it’s not just those adorable sound effects). Today we make a case for this tale as an underappreciated masterpiece of gaming’s history by remembering The Melancholic Beauty of Pikmin.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:12 Y2K and the origins Pikmin
08:49 Symbolism, Psychology, and Ecologicy in Pikmin's opening segment
17:44 'To Live a Life,' meditations on the awareness of death and mortality
22:52 'The Darker Aspects of Nature,' an exploration of malevolence and duality in the natural world
28:58 Empathy and evolution
39:33 The legacy of Pikmin, cherished memories of a bygone era
Socials and such:
domenic.ciampaprofilecard/?igsh=MW51cDMzOWphbWEwbg==
มุมมอง: 9 382
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Eraserhead and The Unbearable Nature of Being
มุมมอง 318ปีที่แล้ว
A video essay and film analysis deeply examining David Lynch's perplexing proclomation: "Eraserhead is my most spiritual film." And yes, we certainly WILL be elaborating on that today. This video is the Frankensteinian culmination of a short film, personal reflection, film analysis, and philosophical interpretation- perhaps the first of its kind on this subject matter. Chapters: 00:00 Short fil...
A Conversation on Stars and Meaning
มุมมอง 140ปีที่แล้ว
An address on the theme of 'transitions' in relation to the search for life's meaning.
6:00 is that one of the anime movies made by that one Japanese cult?? lmao
LOL, this is one of the animations from Xenogears on the PS1, but I do need to hear more about this cult…
This has to be the best video i have seen this and last year by far
I really appreciate that, there will be more :)
I think you don't merely see with open eyes, but look, also. You have set a terrific standard for your channel.
Absolutely beautiful video essay. You really put into words how I feel whenever I play the first game. You’re too underrated
Oh my, thank you so much!! I had always felt there was something special about this game- it’s cool to see so many resonating with this sentiment. Hope to see you back for the next installation!
This really brings to my mind rainworld, a game with naturalistic and buddhist ideals (natural inclinations, struggle, enlightenment) everywhere you look and fantastically coherent ecologies of organisms on an uncaring and alien Earth. It is probably the most beautiful game in my eyes, and if you have an appreciation for pikmin I can see you liking it as well. And on the topic of the game's unique themes being lost on later installments... there is a dlc called Downpour, but I mean it is pretty much fanmade so that is just my personal gripes.
Oh wow, you’re not the first person to mention rainworld- this definitely bares exploration! What makes it the most beautiful game to you?
This is the video I send to anybody who questions my pikmin fanatisicm
Hah that is actually such an honor!
This may be the year of (relatively) low subscriber count TH-camrs doin video essays on niche topics. Let’s go dawg.
Let us hope we may be so fortunate! I appreciate the support :)
Okay im sold, time to play pikmin
Haha yes! Go forth and prosper.
Wow that was the most emotional explanation of pikmin I have ever come across
Hah love this; looks like I’ve done my job well then :)
You have a great way with words! Your channel will go very far, I can see it already
Oh my, thank you! You may just be prescient here :)
Pikmin 1 and 2 are masterpieces
I adore this video!!! ❤ Pikmin 1 has always had a unique feeling of isolation/exploring a beautiful scary alien planet that I dont think the sequels capture well, if at all. The juxtaposition of being Olimar, completely alone, to having a dog and a whole camp of people in Pikmin 4 is kinda wild. I love the entire series but the first one is such a jem. Thanks for the video I look forward to more!!
What a lovely comment! I agree, PIKMIN 1 has such a special, subtly melancholic atmosphere that no other game has been able to replicate. I love how organic and believable the world feels without needing to rely on massive text dumps or lore explanations, everything just feels like it’s existed for thousands of years before our arrival. I appreciate your support 😌 do let me know if there are any topics you’d like to see me cover!
I think that pikmin 1 has this level of melancholy that cant really be expressed through words the music sounds very dream like also and the rest of the series feels very weird in comparison you could make a case that throughout the game olimar is suffering from minor oxygen poisoning causing him to hallucinate some stuff its not really a dream theory but its is a viable option to explain the games weird vibes
Haha yes I’d never considered that! Something I’ve been thinking about since this videos release is the idea of loneliness and compassion- this is the only game (to my knowledge) where there’s no contact with other humans. It puts us in a place to empathize with nature as a construct, crossing the threshold between species.
Whats your opinion on hey pikmin?
I totally forgot from where is the soundtrack that starts at 20:10 :( Love your David Lynch and Pikmin videos! :)
@@Dajmoso that’s the city of tears from Hollow Knight! And thank you, I really appreciate your support :)
This channel is sick
Thank you! Your support is appreciated :)
28:54 oh yeah i forgot this was a pikmin video for a sec 😂
Mission accomplished 😝
0:47 Icarus is pronounced ih-ker-iss, not eye-ker-iss
Genra? Lemmings-like
Precisely!
This is your big break and I'm glad I'm here to see it
Hah I hope so- glad to have you here :)
Great video
Thank you fellow Dom
Great video! This is exactly how I feel about it, just me ver been able to describe it! ❤️💛💙
That’s fantastic to hear, thank you for the support :)
I dont know how it happened but one day I just suddenly hyperfixated on Pikmin
Haha, welcome!
I do think Pikmin 2 despite its more saterical and downright parody tone feels like it carried over Pikmin 1’s melancholy theming with the caves and how brutalist and dangerous they are. Pikmin are much more valuable due to replenishing Pikmin being rare so it emphasiszes heavily on how important life is. (I also get this weird feeling seeing my Pikmin slowly dwindle in numbers as I play)
Yes, that’s a really interesting point on the resource management front. It feels odd to write this but PIKMIN 2 somehow feels more like a video game once the time system had been removed.
I do think Pikmin 2 despite its more saterical and downright parody tone feels like it carried over Pikmin 1’s melancholy theming with the caves and how brutalist and dangerous they are. Pikmin are much more valuable due to replenishing Pikmin being rare so it emphasiszes heavily on how important life is. (I also get this weird feeling seeing my Pikmin slowly dwindle in numbers as I play)
Yes, those are all true! I don’t think it’s possible for a PIKMIN game to not evoke such feelings, it’s just that no sequel has leaned into them as much as the first title.
@ yeah the first definetly gives that vibe more and I think I t’s cause the unknown factor is so much more present. The other games have other characters and the situation isn’t nearly as urgent
Pikmin. It’s a buggy mess with annoying AI and terrible little design quirks that add up over time. Not enough to make the game unplayable, but it may be enough to test your patience… Did that change the fact that I’ve played this game about 30 times throughout my life? NOPE!!! I adore this game and the video perfectly explains why :3
Love this- may the PIKMIN fervor continue forever!
31:35 "Now I'm sure many of you are going to argue that this is just a game, that I'm reading way too deeply into this..." Dude, content that takes Pikmin more seriously than it seems to be is my favorite type of Pikmin content! I think the series has potential to be an incredibly emotional game with a lot of serious themes and messages. In a way, it already is -- the characters' realizing how huge previous species were on PNF-404 and how much that terrified them, how they view the nature of Pikmin and the growing suspicion that the crashes aren't an accident, the climate and food crises their home planets go through, the 4th game hinting that Olimar has suicidal ideation... all of these and more are very deep topics that are worth discussing in detail, and I'm glad to see videos like these doing just that!
Yes, exactly! They make allusions to the deeper subtext but I feel Pikmin 1 was unique in letting us really seep in that atmosphere.
Hey all, thank you for the incredible support this video has been receiving!! I'm starting a thread here for future topic ideas- what would you like to see me cover in future projects? I plan for psychological video essays on video games and film to be my primary medium. I am also a mental health provider whose trained in the nation's best residential OCD program and chronic insomnia institute. I'm considering making some educational videos on mental health and principles that will help viewers live a better life- I've uploaded a talk I've given on my page and would also consider sharing findings from my own research and gems form my clinical practice here.
Not too sure but there's lots of deep stuff in splatoon with the people around it, someone like me wouldn't even know about (part of the community since day 1) like the stories of youtubers, devs and the craze that splatoon is in Japan Anyways you deserve at the very least 900x the subs you have lol and hundreds of thousands of views!! Amazing video, I'd love to see what else you'd cover
You mentioned ico towards the end of the video, Id love to see discussion on any team ico games Of course, what im most interested in is whatever you think would be cool
Oh wow, I’m woefully unknowledgeable about Splatoon. I really had no idea that it was such a big deal in Japan, this is definitely something I’d be interested in exploring. What do you love about the series? And thank you for those words, I really really appreciate the support so early on :)
Yes, doing a work on ico almost seems like a right of passage for video essayists at this point lol. It’s been high on my list though a bit daunting as so much has already been said about the game, I do think it’d be worthwhile for me to explore the last guardian again.
Omg more people need to subscribe to you! This video is amazing
Hah thank you, I appreciate the support 😌
Ahh yes, the game series with the identity crisis, with pikmin 1 and 3 being deeper and darker, and 2 and 4 being more lighthearted and kiddie. Even the gameplay is sharply different between Pikmin Odds and Pikmin Evens. Seems like Nintendo doesn't know what to do with this franchise.
Yes, it’s interesting to see them cover both axes in the same linear franchise, it almost reminds me of the departure the Pokémon mainline has taken with newer games being wildly easy. Which style of PIKMIN do you prefer? It’s hard for me to say as I do love PIKMIN 4 as well!
@thinking.online the odd games (1 and 3) prefer the deeper themes, stronger emphasis on subtlety, and the short, tightly designed gameplay makes it easy to replay.
By all accounts, statistically the Pikmin series shouldn't exist... It should have become one of those forgotten masterpieces, but even if the series has lost the original vision, I am so grateful its still around. The fact we have Pikmin 4 at all is a miracle. I've loved these little plant dudes since I was a kid.
Yes exactly :) the fact that it’s been given so many chances, despite middling sales, shows how special the series is
Sorry for pointing this out, many of the origins of Pikmin are shuddered in misconceptions: 1._Adam and Eve started their concept during the transition between the SNES and N64. This development was started by a small team that did not involved Miyamoto yet. This leads to 2._ Mario 128 didn't come up with the many player concept of Adam and Eve. They were developed separately. 3._ The game involved Miyamoto when the Adam and Eve concept was already thrown out and the concept for player character that lead a bunch of plant creatures was created, inspired by The Selfish Gene and the artstyle of Tim Burton (fun fact, initial Pikmin designs were made in mind to appeal to younger teenage girls) 4._The "Ant backyard" Miyamoto story was made up for Publicity. Miyamoto came into the development of Pikmin to come up with the "Retrive objects to the base" gameplay loop. This was during the last year of development and finally gave the game a needed direction, as they would finalize the game overall plot. This can be seen in the E3 trailers, as they had so little completed of the actual levels, they had to use test levels to show off the game. These test levels can still be found in the games files in the final release All of this info comes from the Pikmin 4 developmer interview part 1, which has a ton of neat stories about the dev cycle of Pikmin 1, I highly recommend you give it a read, it's pretty fascinating
The games origin now in a meta context serve as both the unlikely seed and the need for evolution to avoid stagnation and flourish on a very hostile envoirment of the crazy Videogame landscape of the early 2000's
Yes, it was an incredibly exciting period for games yet many franchises did not make the transition.
Super interesting! Thanks for pointing these out, my intention for the intro was more so to set the stage for the theme of ‘look how unlikely this project is’, I’m positive there are other creators covering the history at a much higher level than I.
So I personally started with Pikmin 2, then went back to 1. It took a bit of getting used to, but I was able to appreciate Pikmin 1 for the tone and all of the themes such as racing against the clock to survive. It's a bit of a shame that there has never been a game with a hard time limit since. I also miss the tighter writing and atmosphere that isn't present in the modern Pikmin games. I could also say that about a whole lot of other games made in the Gamecube era as well.
I totally agree, PIKMIN is still around today for a reason but the more severe tone and atmosphere of the first one has never been replicated. That’s interesting, what other GameCube titles are you thinking of ?
i did not expect to cry while watching a pikmin video today the xenogears music at the end really got me
This made my day! Xenogears is forever imprinted on my heart ❤️
I think Pikmin is sizing up to be the next big thing for Nintendo. It's grown extremely popular in the last few months with children here in asia.
That’s very cool! It’s a wonderful franchise and certainly has great potential for stardom. I’m curious what you’d attribute its recent success in Asia to.
sweet sweet Twilight Town music ...
It forever holds a special place to those of us who know it 😌
If you want more worlds like that of Pikmin 1, i could recommend Rain World. That game can go from dicking around and selling squids to monkeys one minute to a crushing downpour wiping out all life thats stupid enough to not go indoors to waking up with a flying centipede spinning in circles under a rainbow within minutes
That sounds absolutely wild! How did you discover Rain World?
@thinking.online GDQ. I watched a Speedrun of it and thought it looked cool, immediately forgot about it for 6 months, was reintroduced to it through animation memes
commenting to boost in the algorithm this looks snazzy edit: Was worth. Very good video on a very good game. :) Recently a fan remake mod released for Pikmin 1 on the second games' engine to polish things up called Pikmin^2. It has a new side-mode as well. I haven't played it yet but it's 4 years in development and come from one of the communities' best rom developer. Surely it's worth the wait, you should consider checking it out! Happy new year fellow.
Hah, doing the good work 😌 Oh that sounds super cool! How’d you initially discover the project? Your channel also looks great, will definitely be checking it out!
Here at the start of your journey to success as a video essayist :) great work keep it up!!
Happy to have you along :) I appreciate the kind words, do let me know if there’s any ideas you’d like to see me cover
Celebration instrumental off rip, you’ve already got my heart. Lemme hear you preach the Pikmin bible, brother!
Hah this awesome, here to spread the good word 🙏
This video is incredible! You have one subscriber more now
I so appreciate the support 😌 Let me know any ideas or properties you’d like to see me cover moving forward!
Underrated Pikmin video essay? Count me in
Hah thank you, your support means a lot 😌
I think Nintendo's recent entries into the Pikmin series have proven that they themselves don't understand what makes Pikmin 1 captivating, but I am glad that there are fans out there like you that will voice the exact feelings that make this masterpiece so special.
Pikmin 4 is an entire love-letter to Pikmin - it has every mechanic from every game that ever slapped "Pikmin" onto the title. I'm 2 minutes into this video, but if THIS is the point that's being made, it's so misconstrued.
@Qbuilderz I think there's plenty to love in 4, but you'd be hard pressed to say it strikes the same tone or atmosphere- which is fine! 2 is my favorite, and that one trades 1's mood for a tongue in cheek sardonic story about debts and plunder. The different games have their own themes. I think 1's simpler gameplay gives it a pretty singular atmosphere its follow ups can't duplicate just by bringing back the same mechanics.
Well put! You nailed it in that later installments prioritized gameplay and engagement whereas PIKMIN 1 was singularly atmospheric and somber- two undoubtedly distinct approaches found within the same mainline. I’ve had very little experience with PIKMIN 2; I’m curious as to what you love about it!
@thinking.online I feel like Pikmin 1 heads might hate 2 on a first go lol As a kid when it came out, I was so excited for More Pikmin and Monsters. As I got older, the story- Olimar having to go back to plunder the Pikmin world he'd spent the last game in this terrified awe of just to pay off his jobs' debts as his reconnection to Hocotate comes laced with spam advert emails and his family's petty spending habits- hits as a kind of cynical comedy I understand more. I missed out on 3, but 4 kind of sands off both 1's melancholy and 2's cynical humor. Which isn't to say the end result is awful, but it does feel a little anodine.
I’m happy you share this sentiment, I thought I was touching upon something with this video but frankly wasn’t sure if I was the only one who felt this way!
Am I the only one who thought of the Nintendo DS? The game didn't matter the fact that I could play it anywhere on TWO screens was the most entertaining shiz ever
DS is the veritable GOAT console, soooo many great memories on that one. I agree, the licensed and shovelware games were their own vibe, I had the chunky silver DS too- that console embodies Y2K!!!
What are some of your favorite DS titles?
What an excellent video! I sure was surprised when i realised how little views this has! I'll eagerly be following you from now on!
@@whisperboat7706 I’m surprised too! Kidding, but it’s hard out here for a new channel- comments like this really inspire me to keep going :) It’d be really helpful to know what aspects you’ve found moving or impactful. This is my first video to get any type of traction so I’m incredibly curious how others are perceiving these ideas! Is there any story, or concept you’d like to see me take on next?
your music taste alone made me subscribe
@@2409dlewis hah thank you my friend, hope you enjoyed chromakopia recently ;)
Great video! I agree there's a very melancholic tone to Pikmin 1. To me, what drives it home is not just Olimar's somber journal entries upon failure or the nervous uncertainty and danger of the planet, but the fact all living creatures in Pikmin 1 have a little spirit that floats away upon death. Not just Pikmin, but also Bulborbs, Wollywogs, the big bosses and even the lowly Sheargrubs. The game makes you feel bad for killing, just by showing the cold reality. No words.
I'm really glad that you enjoyed :) That's such a fantastic point, more amazingly one I somehow missed after dozens of hours analysing this world... Yes, it makes us feel remorse yet doesn't offer us a way of escaping that reality; I'm glad you're able to appreciate the subtler notes of this amazing game. Do you think any of the later titles do justic to this theme? I haven't spent nearly as much time with those later games.. Hope to see you back in another video!
I loved this video and I hope that it reaches a big audience, you definitely deserve it!:)
Thank you, that means a lot!! There will certainly be more to come- hope to see you back at the next one.
It took me a long time to get around to watching this, but I'm glad I did! It's beautifully written! I can tell that writing and storytelling is a major passion for you! I also enjoyed your uses of VGM throughout! I think that was well put, that it was about having your life stolen from you! In one sense, the baby is a monster that removes the remainder of the protagonist's freedom. That's also apt about how much a person sacrifices to become "great" at anything, and how cruel is seems when just surviving eats away every shred of time. "Simply tolerating existence as he allows the world to happen to him" sums it up nicely. The men in the planets as a force of entropy is also apt! Also, your comments about the world of the film resisting life were interesting. I'm enjoying all the different symbols you're pointing out! I need to see this film again, haha! There's a lot more I want to comment on, but really every observation you made was extremely insightful! I will say that I really related to the points about the father in law. Your comments reminded me of my own father, who also, funnily enough, cut off his thumb on a job. In some ways, his life was an abject misery - just nonstop sacrifice, first as a soldier in the navy, then as a blue collar worker performing many thankless jobs, well into old age, and also as a husband and father. He wasn't allowed to retire. The paradoxical nature of life. Yes! The thing that the human body needs most, as a species, demands that we sacrifice (erase) the personality or "head" of the species. Great comments about the dream woman, wow! I'm really impressed with your observations! And very amazing comments about the MC's death. And I commend your beautiful conclusion to this essay!
Rebecca! This positively made my day. I really loved hearing all these pieces that resonated with you; thank you for sharing your personal story too, I think our experiences lend an extra degree of appreciation for the film's themes that have sadly gone unrecognized in our modern world (at least in the parts that I'm exposed to). I'm also happy that the conclusion landed with you- it's a rather dark film, so I tried to put a grounded, hopeful outlook at the end! This a really cool full circle moment for me as you know your psychological analysis videos were a major inspiration for this project :) It's been exceptionally difficult to find the time for creating video essays this year, but this has me so energized to keep working on my current project! I know you've been creating for a while now, but I'm sure you can appreciate the feelings of speaking into the void when first starting out- every bit of resonance goes a very long way. I'd love to hear about what projects you've been dreaming up- hope to chat soon!
@@thinking.onlineThanks a lot! I have two videos on the go (but slowly at the moment due to health issues). One is an analysis of Chrono Cross, the other is for Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild - more so the former! I'm excited to see what you make next! :)
@@RebeccaETripp Oh wow, that's going to be like Christmas morning for me- Chrono Cross is probably my favorite game ever (tied with Xeongears)!! Terribly sorry to hear about the health; wishing you restful days ahead :)
content aside mayhaps he ate w/ the editing😩🤌
A man was hungry.