Local dialect Posted on Friday 1Dec06, at 8:56 am. "Yes" is "No" and "No" is "Yes." Angry fire hydrants, instant teleportation, hostile abstract art, an invisible man with a gold tooth whose eyebrows are connected, walking parking meters, and many people confused, amused, forgetful, and philosophical... in a land of neon lights ruled by money... or Mani. It all makes perfect sense in Moonside. Today's comic is a joke, but it also an homage to the game that introduced many of us to the creative and absurd trippiness possible in a video game. EarthBound was extremely innovative for its time, and it stands as the breakout quirky game, an RPG which dispensed with Tolkienesque fantasy settings in favor of a tongue-in-cheek portrayal of something close to the 1950s or 60s United States. Many dismiss EarthBound as a novelty. It's weird and unusual, to be sure; but it is no passing amusement. I assert that EarthBound is a video game that truly qualifies as that type of human artifact so ubiquitous yet so inscrutable: art. EarthBound is funny, clever, and often bizarre. It is often self-referential, lampooning RPG standards even as it implements them. However, it cunningly references many things outside of the game world as well. This practice of allusion is partly what elevates EarthBound to a higher status. We can follow the chain of allusion as it ascends the culture scale -- from popular work to classic literature. It begins with references to other video games (Mario, Donkey Kong, Xevious), moves on to movies (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Blues Brothers, Monty Python, Rambo), popular music (The Beatles, David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Grateful Dead), and finally finishes up at the top of the ladder with literary references (Gulliver's Travels, Casey at the Bat, To Kill a Mockingbird). Sure, EarthBound isn't the only game of its time to reference culture in this fashion -- mythological and literary references abound in many video games. However, what sets EarthBound apart is mainly what's at the bottom of the ladder. By being at once timeless and topical, EarthBound is a work of its time, a poignant portrayal of an idealized America. Roger Ebert wrote in his controversial video games-as-art article that "Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control." Many have attacked this statement with various arguments, but I think EarthBound is a perfect example of authorial control to the benefit of an interactive work. Shigesato Itoi's experiences, views, and ideas are clear in EarthBound; his tongue-in-cheek existentialism and his celebration of freedom are clear. His message and his emotions shine through. And isn't that what art's all about? I'd like to just apologize for the rant problems and lateness in the past week. The fault is my own and hopefully everything will be working properly now.