Was the NES game Adventure Island set in the Philippines?

Was the NES game Adventure Island set in the Philippines? The team behind the YouTube channel The Game Theorists thinks so.

Despite the game maker Hudson’s statement that the game is set somewhere in the South Pacific, The Game Theorists posits that a number of factors suggests otherwise.

They claim that a close analysis of Adventure Island, coupled with some know-how on history, geography, and local flora, leads one to the conclusion that the game is set in the Philippines.

The following are what The Game Theorists consider to be clues:

The fruits

Coconuts and bananas are abundant in the game, as they are in the Philippines, which is one of the top island countries in the world where both of these tropical fruits are found.

The Game Theorists also posits that the green netted fruit in the game is the honeydew melon, which is found in the country.

Carrots, which are produced in upland farms, likewise make an appearance, as do what are believed to be the manzanita and the star apple.

The animals

Adventure Island comes with a number of dangerous animals that kill the protagonist, Master Higgins, on contact. Among these are red and blue octopuses, which are both found in the local waters. Then there is a long fish that is believed to be the barracuda, which thrives in the country, as well. Also in the game is a fire-spitting cobra which The Game Theorists notes is very similar with the Philippine cobra, right down to its ability to spit venom.

Master Higgins

Master Higgins, as described by The Game Theorists, is the picture of the stereotypical American, with his love of trophy women (called Lailani or Tina in the game, which incidentally are both common names for Filipinas) and his use of a baseball cap. What ties him to the local Philippine setting is the Philippine-American war during the early 1900s. Master Higgins, according to the theory, is possibly inspired by the American plantation owners who, in the early part of the twentieth century, had Filipinos working for them in the fields.

The video is worth well watching as it provides a refreshing perspective on a game that formed part of the childhood of many Filipinos. While there may be no way of knowing whether the theory is correct, it may be fun to think about the possibility.

Click here to view the video.

Disney princesses with normal eyes

Disney princesses are often children’s first encounter with the ideals of beauty in our society.

Many parents would likely not protest this phenomenon, since Ariel, Jasmine, or Pocahontas are often seen as arguably better models for children than say, Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan.

Disney princesses are commonly portrayed as kind, gentle beings, who possess beauty both inside and out. However, what these depictions often fail to show is that in the process of giving them that innocent, can’t-hurt-a-fly image, cartoonists resort to exaggerating some features.

A Buzzfeed post points out that Disney princesses often have too-large eyes that are unrealistic. On one level, these exaggerations reinforce their childlike quality, as children often do have large eyes for their tiny heads. However, they also provide the audience—mostly impressionable children—with unattainable goals to reach for, even subconsciously.

Check out these images of Disney princesses with normal eyes.

 

What's your opinion on these Disney princesses with anatomically-accurate eyes?

via buzzfeed

Dating website lets you give bribes for romance

Dating websites abound online, so in a bid to stand out from the crowd, a newly-launched platform called Carrot Dating adds a unique twist to the online dating scheme: bribes.

Users of Carrot Dating participate in the mechanism by logging in, selecting a potential date from the list of users, and choosing from among the list of gifts to tempt the prospective date into saying “yes.”

As the website’s name suggests, the gifts are a metaphor for the carrot that one dangles in front of a horse to get it going.

The bribes range from traditional romantic gifts such as flowers or jewelry, to more pricey and unconventional options such as a plastic surgery session or a shopping spree.

Meanwhile, the prospective date is given a list of offers, and gets to select which is the most attractive.

It’s a win-win situation, according to the makers of Carrot Dating, since it allows users to try to come up with the best bribe for the potential date. On the other hand, the potential date gets a wide range of options, and does not need to settle on one which he or she deems cannot provide the best gift.

Carrot Dating does not pretend that the world of online dating is any less superficial than it actually is. Rather than entice users with the image of a happily-ever-after romance, it plays along the fake, factory-produced idea of love with which dating websites are often associated.

To date, the website has gotten 45,000 registrations since it was launched on October 21, showing that many are interested, if not simply curious, about the odd approach to romance.

Not everyone, however, is happy with Carrot Dating’s business model. Many netizens have expressed their disapproval of the website, saying that it cheapens the dating process into a materialistic mechanism. Some have even went as far as to call Carrot Dating a prostitution hub, due to the exchange of favors for dates.

Check out Carrot Dating’s website here.

Via mashable