IndexIntroductionSonic the HedgehogConclusionBibliographyIntroductionBetween the 1990s and 2000s technology improved significantly, particularly when it comes to video game graphics. In the 90s the technology was premature, fonts were 8 bit and colors were poor; today they are teeming with detail and skill. However back then video games were not seen as "bad", gamers of that time knew nothing different, so there was nothing "better" to compare today, not that "modern games were created there, one can see that there was an obvious spike in graphical advancement. Due to the inability for these games to be compared to anything “better” of the era, they still continue to resonate in the hearts of older gamers; visually pleasing, but the memories associated with the games are what make them particularly special Although game companies have now developed the ability to improve the design quality of their games, they still choose to conform the look and feel of previous games. the characters and sometimes even the environment in these games similar to previous productions no matter how much said characters change their certain characteristics that are present throughout, which ensures that no matter how much a character changes, its essence is always carried forward. . The companies that come to mind when talking about this topic are Nintendo, in particular with its character Mario and SEGA, with its character Sonic; and the other characters present in the Sonic the Hedgehog saga. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn this essay I aim to explain how and why the iconic appearance of SEGA's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog (designed by Naoto Ohshima), has changed or is missing as a result, how those changes are significant, and how they were welcomed by fans of the franchise; and the changes have a major impact on the overall character of Sonic the Hedgehog. I will achieve this by arguing that the reason SEGA chose to do this with character designs is because they and many other video game companies market nostalgia and keep their characters similar to previous releases, allowing them to appeal to an older audience while still allowing them to gain newer audiences. This allows them to make significant changes and create new titles while maintaining the old values. My essay will also include how this has an effect on the gaming society, I will draw points from books and academic texts that focus on the evolution of this character and the significance it has within the gaming industry, and compare briefly other companies that do this. follow this practice. I also intend to point out whether the physical changes made to Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends take away from them who they originally are or whether the personalities that SEGA has gone to great lengths to give to these characters are enough to ensure that they are still the same inside. Sonic the Hedgehog SEGA is a Japanese multinational video game developer and publisher based in Tokyo, Japan. They are known for the Dreamcast, Genesis, and most notably, their mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. It was when SEGA made the Genesis that it found great success rivaling Nintendo along with the successful release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game in 1991; Sonic has been SEGA's mascot ever since. He was initially created to compete with Nintendo's mascot Mario SEGA created "a teal hedgehog with red shoes that he (Naoto Ohshima) named MrNeedlemouse". He was later renamed Sonic the Hedgehog, his palate was then changed to match SEGA's cobalt blue logo. Sonic was originally supposed to be a long-eared rabbit, but SEGA decided against it stating that a rabbit was not able to keep moving constantly while a hedgehog could and was able to continuously knock down enemies with his spines. In the early Sonic games (1990s) his appearance was 8-bit and pixelated, the box art of these games. and even the first TV show featured a Sonic with a short, stocky build, wearing his signature red shoes with a single white stripe running across them horizontally. These early depictions of Sonic lasted long into the late 1990s and although try to recreating a design in an 8-bit form was difficult, the resemblance was striking and still easily recognizable as Sonic. SEGA released Sonic 3D Blast in 1996. Sonic abandoned his 8-bit pixelated look and adopted a new 3D one, as SEGA now had the means to do so. The team that worked on Toy Story contributed to the creation of this game. They had just finished Toy Story and SEGA, eager to start a new project, wanted them to be part of it, after seeing their skills. With the growth of skills and the emergence of new means of game creation, SEGA thought it was time to start making 32-bit games, the games that followed after 3D Blast now exclusively featured 3D Sonic. In 1998 Sonic's appearance was changed once again, with his red shoes adorning some of his belt buckles (perhaps to relate more to Santa's initial look, which I'll talk more about later) finally his eyes changed from black to green to conform to a more humanoid appearance. In addition to the change in appearance, Sonic Adventure was released in 1999, it was the first game to feature 3D gameplay. Melissinos and Patrick O'Rourke point out "The power of the Dreamcast allowed producer Yuji Naka to create an experience that was both recognizable and new to the gamer raised on a diet of Sonic games" (Melissinos and O'Rourke, 2012). This is a key factor to consider when creating new games for a franchise, as it establishes that both new and old fans of the franchise are satisfied as both are as important as the other. Sonic Adventure was created for the Dreamcast after the cancellation of Sonic X-treme intended for the SEGA Saturn. The game received critical acclaim and became the Dreamcast's best-seller, as the new 3D environment and realistic physics allowed the "team to bring a much more believable world to life," as Melissions and O'Rourke brilliantly put it ( Melissions and O' Rourke, 2012). Sonic's appearance remained more or less the same until 2016. In 2016, the Sonic Boom game was released and then the latest Sonic TV show. Sonic and many other characters in the series have received a makeover that has stunned fans. Sonic has acquired a set of smaller quills on his head, making him look more like a real hedgehog; as well as bandages around his limbs and a brown bandana around his neck. His arms also changed from light brown to blue, matching the rest of his body. In an attempt to cover up and keep fans at ease, SEGA said that these characters were from an alternate universe and that the change in appearance was non-canon, meaning that Sonic and his friends technically still looked like their original selves in our reality. In 2011, SEGA released the game Sonic Generations, to celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary. This game featured classic 3D sound as well as game levelsClassic and newer Sonics, the levels were played in a certain perspective of the Sonic variant used. For example, if "classic" Sonic was used, the game would be played from a side-scrolling perspective like that of the original SEGA Genesis; if it was its "Modern" variation, 3D levels similar to those of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors were reproduced. Development of Sonic Generations began in early 2009, following Sonic Unleashed. Sonic Team wanted to reimagine the most popular aspects of past games and merge them into one. Every location and boss in the game was present in previous titles, with the game including numerous other references to past entries. The game received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. After Generation The "classic" Sonic introduced in the game continued to make appearances throughout the series. This game supports the main argument of my essay and the fact that most of SEGA's actions are based on nostalgic values. By going back to previous games and adding small references, SEGA will not lose the fans who were with the franchise from the beginning. An article written by Phil Hornshaw explains how, to celebrate Sonic's 25th anniversary, rapper Charles Hamilton talked about his mixtape Sonic the Hamilton was released in 2008. The mixtape was entirely inspired by SEGA's speedy mascot. The mixtape included songs inspired by the music and sound effects featured in the 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog game. Hamilton explained how in the mixtape he believed he was Sonic, believing he was Sonic gave him courage and made him feel like he could achieve anything something that can increase his self-esteem. Hamilton (Hornshaw, 2016) explained that he never believed in himself, so when he was given the opportunity to believe he was a hero, his self-esteem skyrocketed. It was Sonic's heroism that attracted Hamilton, like millions of other fans, to the character of Sonic. “He never gives up,” says the rapper. “He believes in himself and is a leader of the team. He also has a big heart. He risks his life for trapped wildlife [in the Sonic games and cartoons], and instead of sticking around for glory, he sets out to save another life. That's what I love about him.' (Charles Hamilton, 2016) Writing the mixtape also allowed him to relive the experience he had many years ago as a child, when he first fell in love with the blue blur. It wasn't Sonic's looks that made him fall in love with him (although that may have played a small role), but his personality. Although many fans have shown annoyance with the transition from "classic" to "modern" Sonic, they are reminded of the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but they will always remain faithful. And SEGA knows it. They feed on nostalgia. And that's one of the reasons why they put so much effort into giving their characters a personality. Just as new generations of people are born, new generations of sounds must also be born to keep up with the times. As a further commemoration of their 25th anniversary, SEGA released Sonic Mania as an homage to the original Genesis game. It featured revamped graphics and redesigned levels from the past, as well as several new ones. It received both positive and negative responses. Comments such as “it relied too much on nostalgia” (Ahern, 2017) and “it felt nostalgic and new at the same time.” (L Patterson, 2017) They were the ones that stood out the most, because they relied so much on nostalgia that they were also said to lack originality. Using nostalgia as a marketing technique is a smart approach, using this type of approach guarantees that fans will be loyal as they play these newer titles sincethey bring back memories and feelings from when they were first introduced to these games. The definition of nostalgia is "a wistful desire to return, in thought or deed, to an earlier period in one's life. Playing these games produces a sense of bliss and a desire to return to a similar time, a time perhaps happier. It fills the player's head full of childhood memories perhaps when they played with friends or siblings; taking them back to a similar or even more peaceful time. Games make people feel good. They are created to entertain and used as a means of escape , you can be whoever you want as Hamilton exclaimed; and after a long day at work or school it is something you look forward to. It is for this reason that many companies have such devoted fans and why the gaming company looks up to them franchise with so much esteem. The character of Sonic the Hedgehog was something that was present in a child's life at some point in the 90s if they had grown up with him and if they had been there from the beginning or he joined the fray at end, this is a character who influenced the lives of many. Sonic's character designs were based on the SEGA logo, which I briefly talked about before; his red shoes "were a concept evolved from a design inspired by Michael Jackson's boots with the addition of the Santa Claus-inspired red color and the contrast of those colors on Jackson's 1987 album Bad." “His personality was inspired by Bill Clinton's 'can-do' attitude. They gave him this type of attitude to significantly differentiate him from Mario; who was always cheerful and smiling. In the book The Golden Age of Video Games Dillion explains how “SEGA often tied new games to famous people to encourage immediate awareness and enthusiasm for the titles” (Dillion, 2011, p.). Because of this it might be confusing at first as to who SEGA's target audience was, on the one hand they included subtle details referring to celebrities that younger players of the franchise would not be familiar with; however, this was a marketing strategy. Including these details ensures that older gamers and even fans around the world are happy and feel appreciated that they (SEGA) would take the time to add even such specific small details. Dillion also points out that "to make the system attractive to new players as well, SEGA's strategy was to abandon" (Dillion, 2011). Even going so far as to incorporate Michael Jackson's Moonwalker game to receive instant recognition. It's true that 25 years ago technology wasn't as advanced as it is today, in relation to how graphics look in games today, 90's games were abysmal in comparison. Regardless, however, these games have still somehow managed to capture the hearts of many. The character models were jagged and polygonal, but even today the original titles are often preferred to later ones, the reason being nostalgia. Falling in love with a game character goes beyond just looks and SEGA and many other game companies know this, which is why they put so much effort into shaping such characters. It was the little quirks implemented into these characters that made them special. For example, “Sonic famously tapped his foot in impatient frustration if the player took too long to move.” (Loguidice and Barton, 2009, p.). A person coming back to this after a short break would see the humor in this as they would be able to relate to how boring it is to wait for someone. This could be seen as an attempt to make Sonic seem more human and allow players to relate to him more. In addition to this, Sonic also later receivedgreen eyes and his famous love of chili dogs. Little clichés like these have been carried over to different versions of Sonic, allowing him to possess the same personality while appearing differently. Sonic was received with such high esteem in the gaming industry because he was seen as an "animal with an attitude" which made him unique and immediately loved by the public as Loguidice and Barton (2009) explain. This craze was so well received that Nintendo, the very company Sonic was created to counter, jumped on the bandwagon; creating Yoshi in an attempt to compete with them. The Yoshis however were, like Loguidice and Barton (2009), very relaxed creatures, they were all the same, they did not have a unique appearance or personality; with only a change of palate to differentiate them from each other. To go along with his eccentric behavior, Sonic's attitude, sense of independence, the fact that he never gave up and knew right from wrong; it's what made him different from so many other characters. An excerpt from an article (Hester, 2016) explains the thinking behind Sonic's many physical changes. “Since its early days, Sonic has seen numerous appearance overhauls over the years. He received a more contemporary, edgy look in Sonic Adventure and a bolder, more Western-focused redesign for the Boom series. It has bounced between 2-D and 3-D, console and mobile, and often receives different subtle designs in each game, such as a classic look in Sonic Generations and a modern look in games like Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleashed" (Hester, 2016) Within the same article Hester shares Al Nilsen's opinions, a former SEGA employee goes on to say "It's okay to change the look of the character, but the gameplay has to go against that" (Al Nilsen). this Nilsen means that changing the appearance of any character in a video game is fine, if the gameplay is also up to that standard. If you continually change the appearance of a character and then the gameplay gets worse, fans will associate the change with However, if with these visual changes came improved gameplay, fans would associate a change in appearance with improved gameplay quality of his character. When Sonic Adventure released for the Dreamcast in 1999 “the game introduced players to a redesigned, edgier Sonic, whose attitude increased as the character was given a voice and three dimensions to explore” (Hester, 2016). Voice acting is a very important aspect of the character's personality. Fans of the franchises can agree that visually changing characters can be acceptable, but voice acting is something that should be taken much more seriously. Over the years Sonic has had numerous voice actors, many fans have been unhappy with the number of voice actors he has had, compared to characters like Mario who have had the same voice actor since the beginning. This is something that SEGA has been heavily criticized by fans for. With the old projects accumulated came new ones. “SEGA has returned to the visual style last seen in 2003 and worked to bring it back to its brighter and happier days” (Barry, 2014). Although in a sense Sonic and his friends retained the designs of Sonic Adventure, Barry (2014) however explains that there was a slight lack of "nervousness" and "realism in their updates. Through what can be called trial and error mistakes, SEGA finally achieved the desired design and the "modern" Sonic we have come to know and love. Between the years 1991 and 1997, Sonic changeshave been minimal since Sonic Adventure, where SEGA intended a Sonic that was “nostalgic but new” (Melissinos and O'Rourke, 2012, p.119) came a Sonic that everyone was finally satisfied with. Then Sonic Boom was created. Fans were confused as to why SEGA would change Sonic's appearance once again just as everyone had finally gotten used to "Modern" Sonic over the past seven years. SEGA was quick to point out, however, that Sonic Boom was not a replacement for the current Sonic. They said they considered it a “complement” instead. The new design was like Marmite, you either loved it or hated it. As the video game industry ages, however, these types of updates and redesigns are inevitable. In an article Max McGee (2014) explains how style change techniques have redefined and what is in fashion today may disappear tomorrow. In McGee's article, a comment by Bob Rafei, director of Sonic Boom, pointed out that "change just for the sake of change is not a worthy goal in itself and does not have as great an impact as the change it serves to a greater purpose." (Bob Rafei, 2014). If change for the sake of change isn't necessary, then SEGA may be wondering what its choice is in Sonic's final appearance. Sure the change isn't canon, but why do it in the first place? Apparently SEGA wanted Sonic to appear older, with the anniversary Sonic was now technically 25 years old; so maybe a change was needed. This can be seen in the game Sonic Boom and also in the TV show of the same name, there is much more adult humor and fourth wall breaking. Sonic now has a Deadpool vibe, going so far as to turn around and talk to the audience (in the TV show) every now and then. SEGA explained that no other entertainment medium evolves as quickly as the gaming industry, and if gameplay evolves, so should its characters; This is a completely understandable view. “I admit that SEGA of America's changes worked, but I have to wonder if they were all necessary” (Madeline Schroeder, 2014). Product designer Madeline Schroeder is right here: not all changes are bad, as I've pointed out on numerous occasions, but if fans are happy, changes really need to be made. Once again I will use Mario, Nintendo's mascot, as an example. Sure, Mario has undergone changes since Mario was first introduced, but these have only been changes in graphical quality as the years have passed. But once Nintendo created a 3D version of Mario, they kept it, and this made fans happy while maintaining the character's nostalgic properties. There have been so many different variations of Sonic since the early 90's, from "classic" to the late 90's and even a werepig at one point! The fact that the blue hedgehog still deserves so much attention after so many years of changes and the fact that he still has devoted fans speaks for itself, SEGA must be doing something right. Of course, fans of this franchise are no strangers to their favorite character getting a redesign. So they weren't to blame when they assumed Sonic was undergoing a permanent change. Takashi Iizuka (2014) states that Sonic Boom Sonic and "Modern" Sonic will continue to "move forward in parallel" with each other in the Sonic we all know and love is hers to stay for quite some time. The changes in Sonic's design are not something that SEGA has taken lightly, however a lot of thought and preparation is done beforehand and many variations are created before arriving at the final one Since Sonic was created, however, since the 8-bit days i16 bit where they had to working with some hardware limitations. SEGA was cautious, but didn't want tothat the changes they made were overly extreme for no reason, this was because they knew they couldn't always please everyone and that there would be a definitive split when they unveiled their new designs. When creating new variations of Sonic they decided the best thing to do was to play it safe. An interview with Stephen Frost supports this statement“There would have been many passionate people who didn't understand what we were doing and there were others who understood and accepted it. But I've been happy that while there are still questions about it and uncertainty, given the few days or weeks since the event and people have had more time to dedicate to projects, I think for the most part they've come to understand why we did it and we agree” (Stephen Frost, 2014). It is impossible to please everyone, not everyone likes change; and if you change a person's favorite character they will obviously be unhappy. To avoid this, however, SEGA has kept one thing constant, its personality. Sonic's brash nature is something present in every game new and old. His habit of impatiently tapping his foot and glancing at his non-existent watch is something that even older players will appreciate, making them happy while simultaneously driving them into oblivion. a mix of kindness and ferocity. He has an extremely big heart and is guided by his strong sense of justice and fairness, he stands firm in the face of evil as he stands for freedom and equality. This is why he is never the type to give peace in the face of injustice or oppression. He hates all forms of corruption, burning with rage when he witnesses something unethical, and will not rest until stopped, throwing caution to the wind without hesitation. However, when faced with problems, instead of worrying, he takes it as an opportunity to have fun, making him seek out adrenaline rushes almost frequently. For Sonic, saving the world is no big deal and is just another excuse to have fun. When he gets into trouble, he acts as if nothing can stop him. Because of this, seeing Sonic scared is rare, and when we know, you know something extremely bad is happening. However, in times of crisis he is aggressive and focused on the task at hand as if he had undergone an instant change in personality. Despite all of this, Sonic is very kind and caring, and has a strong commitment to helping anyone in need, regardless of whether it's convenient for him or not, even if it means getting into trouble. Sonic also has a lot of self-confidence. like a huge ego that accompanies him making him cheeky, witty, arrogant and sometimes more often than not a little too confident. In the original Japanese version, Sonic discards honorifics and often speaks informally, which can be seen as rude in Japanese culture. However, he sometimes uses honorifics when addressing close friends or acquaintances. He often jokes to lighten the mood and never misses an opportunity to taunt his rivals. Despite this, he knows how to be a true gentleman when he wants and also knows that he cannot face all things alone, he realizes that he will always have his friends to support him in difficult situations, except their help, and he strongly believes in teamwork . The fact that so much can be said about a character is truly impressive. It's rare for video game characters of such a simple nature to have such vast and human qualities. While Nintendo's Mario conveys the same nostalgic principle, there isn't much to him, but this could be seen as a good thing because his games are still loved by many. SEGA, however, in order not to take this path, wanted to create a character who118-119.