Table of ContentsIntroductionSonic the HedgehogConclusionBibliographyIntroductionBetween the 1990s and 2000s, technology improved significantly, particularly when it came to video game graphics. In the 90s, the technology was premature, characters were 8-bit and colors were rare; today, they are full of details and feats. However, back then, video games weren't considered "bad", gamers of that era didn't know the difference, so there was nothing inherently "better" to compare to today, not that modern games were created there, we can see that there was an obvious increase in graphical advancements. Due to these games' inability to be compared to anything "better" at the time, they continue to resonate in the hearts of older gamers; they may not have been visually pleasing, but the memories associated with the games are what made them particularly special. Although game companies have now developed the ability to improve the quality of their game design, they have nonetheless chosen to conform to the look and feel of previous games and retain the characters and even sometimes the environment of those games. games similar to previous productions. Regardless of how characters change, there are certain characteristics that are present throughout, which ensures that no matter how much a character changes, their essence is always perpetuated. Companies that come to mind when discussing this subject include Nintendo with its Mario character and SEGA with its Sonic character; and other characters present in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get an Original EssayIn this essay, my goal is to explain how and why the iconic appearance of SEGA's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog (designed by Naoto Ohshima), has changed or disappeared. on this subject, why these changes are significant and how they have been received by fans of the franchise; and the changes have a huge impact on the overall character of Sonic the Hedgehog. I'll get to this by stating that the reason SEGA chose to do this with the character designs is because they and many other video game companies market on nostalgia and keep their characters similar to older versions, which allows them to appeal to an older audience while allowing them to conquer new audiences. This allows them to make significant changes and create new titles while retaining the old values. My essay will also include how this has an effect on gaming society, I will draw points from books and academic texts that focus on the evolution of this character and the importance he has within the gaming industry. game, and I will briefly compare and contrast with other companies that follow this practice. I also intend to press the question of whether the physical changes to Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend take away from what they originally are or whether the personalities that SEGA has gone out of their way to to give these characters are enough to ensure that they are still the same thing in themselves.Sonic the HedgehogSEGA is a Japanese multinational video game developer and publisher headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. They are known for the Dreamcast, Genesis and especially their mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. It was when SEGA made Genesis that they experienced major success rivaling that of Nintendo, as well as releasingsuccess of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game in 1991; Since then, Sonic has been SEGA's mascot. It was originally created in order to compete with Nintendo's mascot, Mario SEGA created "a teal hedgehog with red shoes that he (Naoto Ohshima) called Mr. Needlemouse". He was later renamed Sonic the Hedgehog. His palace was then modified in accordance with 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 capable of constantly moving while a hedgehog could and could continually eliminate enemies with its thorns. In the first Sonic games (1990s), his appearance was 8-bit and pixelated, the graphics of these games and even the first television show featured Sonic with a short, stocky figure, he wore his iconic red shoes with a single white stripe. crossing them horizontally. These early depictions of Sonic lasted until the late 90s, and while trying to recreate a design in 8-bit form was difficult, the resemblance was uncanny and still easily recognizable as Sonic. SEGA released Sonic 3D Blast in 1996. Sonic ditched its 8-bit pixelated look and adopted a new 3D look, because SEGA could now afford it. The team that had worked on Toy Story helped create this game. They had just finished Toy Story and SEGA, eager to start a new project, wanted them to be a part of it, after witnessing their abilities. With the development of skills and the emergence of new ways of creating games, SEGA thought it was time to start making 32-bit games. The games that followed after 3D Blast now only featured 3D Sonic. In 1998, Sonic's appearance changed once again, his red shoes adorned with a few belt buckles (perhaps to get closer to Santa's initial look, which I will return to later), finally his eyes changed from black to green to conform to a more humanoid look. 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 that "the power of the Dreamcast allowed producer Yuji Naka to create an experience that was both recognizable and new for the gamer who grew up on a diet of Sonic games" (Melissions and O'Rourke, 2012). . This is a key factor that must be considered when creating new games for a franchise. It establishes that new and old fans of the franchise are satisfied because both are as important as each other. Sonic Adventure was created for the Dreamcast after the cancellation of Sonic X-treme which was intended for the SEGA Saturn. The game received critical acclaim and became the Dreamcast's best-seller, not least because the new 3D environment and realistic physics allowed "the team to bring to life a much more believable world", as stated by brilliantly Melissions and O'Rourke (Melissions and O' Rourke, 2012).Sonic's look remained more or less the same until 2016. In 2016, Sonic Boom, the game and then later the latest Sonic TV show is released. Sonic as well as many other characters in the franchise have received a makeover, much to the dismay of fans. Sonic gained a set of smaller feathers 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 a tan color to a blue color, matching the rest of his body. In an attempt to cover itself and keep fans comfortable, SEGA stated that these characters were from an alternate universe and that the change in look was not canon, thiswhich means Sonic and his friends technically still looked like his original self in our reality. In 2011, SEGA released the game Sonic Generations, to celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary. This game featured classic Sonic in 3D as well as levels from both classic and newer Sonic games, levels were played from a certain perspective regardless of which Sonic variant was used. For example, if "classic" Sonic was used, the game would be played in a side-scrolling perspective like that of the original SEGA Genesis; if it was its "modern" variant, 3D levels similar to those in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors were played. Development of Sonic Generations began in early 2009, following Sonic Unleashed. The Sonic team wanted to reimagine the most popular aspects of previous games and merge them into one. Every location and boss in the game were those present in previous titles, with the game including many other references to past entries. The game received positive reviews and was a commercial success. After the generation "classic" Sonic introduced into 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 looking back at previous games and adding small references, it ensures SEGA doesn't lose 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 spoke about his mixtape Sonic the Hamilton was released in 2008. The mixtape was entirely inspired by SEGA's speedy mascot. The mixtape included tracks inspired by the music and sound effects featured in the 1991 game Sonic the Hedgehog. Hamilton explained how the mixtape made him believe he was Sonic, believing he was Sonic gave him courage and gave the impression that he could achieve anything to boost his self-esteem. Hamilton (Hornshaw, 2016) explained that he never believed in himself, so when he was given the opportunity to believe that he was a hero, his self-esteem skyrocketed. It was Sonic's heroism that drew Hamilton to him, and millions of other fans, to the character of Sonic. “He never gives up,” the rapper says. “He believes in himself and is a team leader. He also has a big heart. He risks his life for the trapped wildlife [in the Sonic games and cartoons], and instead of staying to receive glory, he leaves to save another life. That's what I like about him. (Charles Hamilton, 2016) Writing the mixtape also allowed him to relive the experience he felt all those years ago as a child when he fell in love with the blue blur. It wasn't Sonic's appearance that made her fall in love with him (although that may have played a small role), but his personality. Although many fans have been annoyed by the transition from "classic" to "modern" Sonic, the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind, but regardless either, they will always remain faithful. And SEGA knows it. They feed on nostalgia. And that's one of the reasons they put so much effort into giving their characters personality. Just as new generations of people are born, new generations of Sonic must also be born in order to keep up. As a further commemoration of their 25th anniversary, SEGA released Sonic Mania as a tribute to the original Genesis game. It featured newly tweaked graphics and reimagined scenes 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 both nostalgic and new.” (L Patterson, 2017) These were the ones that stood out the most because they relied so much on nostalgia that they also lacked originality. Using nostalgia as a marketing technique is a smart approach, using this type of approach ensures that fans will be loyal to playing these new titles because they bring back memories and feelings from the first time they discovered these games. The definition of nostalgia is "a nostalgic desire to return in thought or fact to an earlier time in one's life. Playing these games produces a feeling of happiness and a desire to return to a similar time, a time perhaps more happy. It fills the player's head with childhood memories, perhaps when playing with friends or siblings taking them back to a similar, or even more peaceful, time. Games make people feel good. 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 of work or school, that's something you can look forward to. This is why many companies have such devoted fans and why the video game company regards these franchises with such esteem. Sonic the Hedgehog was a character present in a child's life in the 90s at one point or another. to another if they had grown up with him and if they were there from the beginning or joined the fray at the end, this is a character who impacted many people's lives. Sonic's character design was based on the SEGA logo, which I briefly mentioned earlier; his red shoes "were a concept evolved from a design inspired by Michael Jackson's boots with the addition of the Santa-inspired color red and the contrast of those colors on Jackson's 1987 album Bad." “His personality was inspired by Bill Clinton's positive attitude. They gave him this kind of attitude to greatly differentiate him from Mario; who was always happy and smiling. In the book The Golden Age of Video Games, Dillion explains how "SEGA often associated new games with famous personalities to encourage instant awareness and enthusiasm for the titles" (Dillion, 2011, p.). For this reason, at first it might be difficult to know who SEGA's target audience was. On the one hand, they included subtle details referencing celebrities that the franchise's younger players were unfamiliar with; however, it was a marketing strategy. The inclusion of these details ensures that older players and even fans around the world will be satisfied and feel appreciated that they (SEGA) took the time to add, even if these specific details are minute. Dillion also points out that "to make the system attractive to new players, SEGA's strategy was to fold" (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, compared to the graphical appearance of games today, games from the 90s were terrible in comparison. Regardless of this, these games still managed to capture the hearts of many people. The character models were irregular and polygonal, but even today the original titles are most often preferred over the latest ones, the reason being nostalgia. Falling in love with a game character goes deeper than just looks and SEGA and many gaming companies know this, which is why they put so much effort into shaping said characters. These are the little quirks implemented in these charactersthat made them special. For example, "Sonic would tap his foot in impatience and frustration if the player took too long to move." (Loguidice and Barton, 2009, p.) A person who returned to it after a short break would see the humor in it because they would be able to understand how tedious it is to wait for someone. This could be seen as an attempt to make Sonic more human and allow players to identify more with him. In addition to this, Sonic was also later given green eyes as well as his famous love for chili dogs. Little tropes like these have been carried over into different versions of Sonic, allowing him to possess the same personality while appearing differently. Sonic was received with such esteem within the video game industry because he was considered an "animal with an attitude", which made him unique and immediately beloved by audiences as Loguidice and Barton explain ( 2009). This craze was so well received that Nintendo, the very company Sonic was created to thwart, jumped on the bandwagon; create Yoshis to try to compete with them. However, the Yoshis were, like Loguidice and Barton (2009), very laid back creatures, they were one, not having their own look or personality; with only a change of palate to differentiate them from each other. To go along with his quirky behavior, Sonic's can-do attitude, his sense of independence, the fact that he never gave up and knew right from wrong; this is what made him stand out from so many other characters. An excerpt from an article (Hester, 2016) explains the thinking behind Sonic's many physical changes. “Since his debut, Sonic has gone through many appearance revisions over the years. He was given a more contemporary, bold look in Sonic Adventure and a bolder, Western-focused redesign for the Boom series. It has oscillated between 2D and 3D, on 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 such as Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleashed” (Hester, 2016 ) In the same article, Hester shares the views of Al Nilsen, a former SEGA employee. . Nilsen goes on to say. “It's fine to change the appearance of the character, but the gameplay has to work against that” (Al Nilsen). By this, Nilsen means that changing the appearance of any video game character is a good thing, if the gameplay can also live up to that standard. If you continually change a character's appearance and the gameplay deteriorates, fans will associate the change negatively, rather than welcoming it. If, however, these visual changes to Sonic resulted in improved gameplay, fans would associate a change in appearance with improved gameplay quality. Some, however, believe that the latest Sonic games defeat the original purpose of his character. When Sonic Adventure was released for the Dreamcast in 1999, "the game introduced players to a redesigned, bolder 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. Franchise fans may agree that visually changing characters can be accepted, but voice acting is something that should be taken much more seriously. Over the years Sonic has had many voice actors, many fans have been unhappy with the number of voice actors he has gone through, in comparison to characters like Mario who has had the same voice actor since the beginning. This is an aspect for which SEGA has been heavily criticized by fans. With theold models, new ones appeared. “SEGA returned to the visual style last seen in 2003 and worked to bring back its brighter, happier days” (Barry, 2014). Although, in some ways, Sonic and friends retained their Sonic Adventure creations, Barry (2014) explains, however, that there was a slight lack of "edginess" and "realism" in their updates. Through what can be called trial and error, SEGA ultimately achieved the desired design and the "modern" Sonic that we have come to know and love. Between the years 1991 and 1997, changes to Sonic were minimal, compared to Sonic Adventure where SEGA envisioned a Sonic that was "nostalgic but new" (Melissinos and O'Rourke, 2012, p.119) came a Sonic whose everyone was finally satisfied. Then Sonic Boom was created. Fans couldn't understand why SEGA was going to change Sonic's appearance again, when everyone was finally getting 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 existing Sonic. They said it should instead be seen as a “complement”. The new design looked like marmite, you either loved it or hated it. As the video game industry ages, these types of updates and overhauls are inevitable. In a Max McGee article (2014), he explains how style change techniques have been redefined and how what's hot today could be gone tomorrow. In McGee's article, Bob Rafei, director of Sonic Boom, pointed out that "change just for the sake of change is not a worthy goal in itself and is not as impactful as change that serves a greater purpose.” (Bob Rafei, 2014). If change for the sake of change isn't necessary, then SEGA may be a matter of choice in Sonic's latest appearance. Sure, the change isn't canon, but why do it in the first place? Apparently SEGA wanted Sonic to appear older, with the birthday Sonic was now technically 25 years old; so maybe a change was in order. This can be seen in the game Sonic Boom and also the TV show of the same name, there is a lot more adult humor and fourth wall breaking. Sonic now has a Deadpool esc vibe, even going so far as to turn and talk to the audience (in the TV show) from time to time. SEGA explained that no other entertainment medium evolves as quickly as the video game industry, and if gameplay evolves, its characters should evolve as well; This is a completely understandable view. “I admit that the changes made by SEGA of America worked, but I 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 many times, but if fans are happy, do you really need to make changes? Again, I'll use Nintendo's mascot, Mario, as an example. Of course, since Mario was first created, it has undergone changes, but these are only changes in graphical quality over the years. But once Nintendo made a 3D version of Mario, they stuck with that version, which made their fans happy while still maintaining the nostalgic properties of the characters. There have been so many different variations of Sonic since the early 90s, from "classic" to the late 90s and even at one point, a werepig! The fact that the blue hedgehog still deserves so much attention after so many years of change and the fact that he still has dedicated fans speaks for itself, SEGA must be doing something right. GOODOf course, fans of this franchise are not new to recasting their favorite character. So they weren't to blame assuming Sonic was undergoing a permanent change. Takashi Iizuka (2014) states that Sonic Boom Sonic and "Modern" Sonic will continue to move in parallel "to each other to the Sonic we all know and love." Changes to Sonic's designs are not something SEGA has taken lightly, but a lot of thought and preparation goes into it ahead of time, and many variations are created before arriving at the final version. However, from the creation of Sonic, from 8-bit to i16-bit, they had to work with some hardware limitations SEGA was careful, but they didn't want the changes they made to be too extreme for no reason, as they. knew that they couldn't always please everyone and that there would be a permanent break when their new designs were revealed. When creating new variants of Sonic, they decided that the best thing to do was. to play safely. An interview with Stephen Frost supports this assertion: “There were a lot of passionate people who didn't understand what we were doing and there were others who understood and accepted it. But I was happy that even though there are still questions and uncertainties about it, given the few days or weeks after the event and people having more time to dedicate to the designs, I think that for the most part, they understood why we did it and we accept it” (Stephen Frost, 2014). It's impossible to please everyone, and not everyone likes change; and if you change a person's favorite character, of course they will be unhappy. To avoid this, however, SEGA has kept one thing constant: its personality. Sonic's cheeky nature is something present in every game, new and old. His habit of impatiently tapping his foot and looking at his non-existent watch is something even older players will appreciate, keeping them happy while taking them back to the past. Sonic's personality is an intertwining of kindness and ferocity. He has an extremely big heart and is driven by his own sense of justice and fair play. He stands firm in the face of evil because he is all for freedom and equality. For this reason, he is never one to rest in the face of injustice or oppression. He hates all forms of corruption, burning with fury when he witnesses something unethical, and will not rest until it is stopped, throwing caution to the wind without hesitation. However, when faced with problems, instead of worrying, he takes the opportunity to have fun, causing almost frequent adrenaline rushes. For Sonic, saving the world is no big deal and just another excuse to have a good time. When he finds himself in a difficult situation, he acts as if nothing can stop him. For this reason, seeing Sonic scared is rare, and when we do, you know something extremely bad is happening. However, in times of crisis, he appears aggressive and focused on the task at hand as if he had undergone an instant personality change. Despite all this, Sonic is very kind and caring, strongly committed to helping anyone in need, whether it suits him or not, even if it gets him into trouble. Sonic also has a lot of self-confidence. as a massive ego to go along with it, making him sassy, ​​quick-witted, arrogant and sometimes more often than not a little too confident. In the original Japanese version, Sonic rejects honorifics and often talks aboutinformal manner, which can be considered rude in Japanese culture. However, he sometimes uses honorific titles when addressing close friends or acquaintances. He often jokes to lighten the mood and will never pass up the opportunity to taunt his rivals. Despite this, he can be a gentleman when he wants to be and also knows that he cannot handle everything alone, he realizes that he will always have his friends to support him in difficult situations, always with the exception of their help, and strongly believes in teamwork. The fact that so much can be said about a character is very impressive. It's rare for video game characters of such simple nature to possess such broad, human qualities. Although Nintendo's Mario adopts the same nostalgic principle, he doesn't have much to say, this could however be seen as a good thing as his games are still loved by many. However, SEGA wanted to not go down that route and wanted to create a visually beautiful character, but at the same time a character that people could admire and relate to even if they are not human. ConclusionIn conclusion, through the nostalgia of players, the enthusiasm of die-hard fans, the uniqueness of his character and his history on the front lines of a war between video game consoles, Sonic continues to bring the masses together. Its history will always be somewhat obscured, linked to the fact that the console that created it lost that war. But if Sonic was aware of this, he wouldn't let it get him down, because his character has managed to greatly eclipse this until today. While other characters were only defined by what appeared in their actual games, Sega immediately gave Sonic the Hedgehog something more: multiple, diverse platforms that allow fans to delve deeper into the franchise . Although the games were successful and Sonic's character resonated with gamers, it was Sega's massive marketing effort that helped establish him as a force to rival Mario. Thanks to Sonic's history and the nostalgia surrounding him, a few bad games aren't enough to stop Sega's mighty mascot. Moving forward, Iizuka says, Sonic Team is looking to bring the character even further back to his "edgy" roots, while also expanding beyond the type of games he's played in before. As evidenced, the last 23 years have seen many notable changes for Sonic the Hedgehog. Some for better, some for worse, and some that fans still debate today. Despite being a spin-off series, Sonic Boom is potentially the most important thing to happen to the franchise in a long time and could very well shape the franchise going forward. Can we expect to see any changes from SEGA in Japan if Sonic Boom proves to be a success? Only time will tell. As the end of the 10th anniversary story book says: “Sonic continues to evolve. » Confident, he often engages in playful banter with his enemies, such as asking Infinite, "optional" questions to find out what the secret behind the latter's powers were, what his favorite color was, and whether he loved long romantic walks on the beach, as well as "asking" a replica of Zavok if he would let Sonic join a party taking place on the Death Egg (referring to the unrest resulting from the infiltration of the Resistance in the region). Consistent with his free-spirited nature, Sonic never dwells on the past or allows his painful experiences to weigh him down. Instead, he lives in the present and always looks forward to118-119.