Notes:
When thinking about video games, “research” is not usually one of the first things that comes to mind. Perhaps this is because these games are generally seen as pure entertainment, usually for children. While, for the most part, these are true assessments, there is nothing intrinsic about video game media that prevents its analyzation or research. In Japan, people “will not agree that 'popular culture' by itself is vulgar or second-rate by nature” (Kato, xviii). In fact, “popular culture” may in some cases be more demonstrative, because it is “the drawing in of people to some practice, event, or phenomenon that resonates with their everyday lives” (Allison, 128). The inclusion of so much marginality in Final Fantasy X reflects the fact that, more and more, marginality is becoming a part of the everyday lives of the people of Japan. An analysis of these elements of marginality can aid in an understanding of marginality in contemporary Japan.