Review Fix chats with The World of Final Fantasy VII editor Jason C. Cash, who discusses the creation process behind the book and so much more.
About the Book:
Final Fantasy VII altered the course of video game history when it was released in 1997 on Sony’s PlayStation system. It converted the Japanese role-playing game into an international gaming standard with enhanced gameplay, spectacular cutscenes and a vast narrative involving an iconic cast. In the decades after its release, the Final Fantasy VII franchise has grown to encompass a number of video game sequels, prequels, a feature-length film, a novel and a multi-volume remake series. This volume, the first edited collection of essays devoted only to the world of Final Fantasy VII, blends scholarly rigor with fan passion in order to identify the elements that keep Final Fantasy VII current and exciting for players. Some essays specifically address the game’s perennially relevant themes and scenarios, ranging from environmental consciousness to economic inequity and posthumanism. Others examine the mechanisms used to immerse the player or to improve the narrative. Finally, there are several essays devoted specifically to the game’s legacy, from its influence on later games to its characters’ many crossovers and cameos.
About the Author:
Jason C. Cash is a professor at SUNY Delhi, where he teaches literature, composition, and film. His research interests include Irish fiction and video game narrative. He lives in Oneonta, New York.
Review Fix: Why is Final Fantasy VII special?
Jason C. Cash: I go back and forth on this. Most of the time, I would give the easy answer and say that the superior hardware Sony offered Square meant that the Final Fantasy franchise could enter alongside games like Metal Gear Solid as part of newly cinematic ethos in game design. In short, it looked and sounded pretty and allowed the stories – which were always big – to feel big. Having said that, my gut instinct is that it’s about character and thematic resonance. The core characters, especially Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth, are iconic and complex, especially for the time. The themes of environmental and economic injustice hit hard in 1997, too, and they arguably feel even more relevant today. Maybe that’s it – the technology’s ability to more fully realize the rich characters and themes. From a gameplay perspective, the fluidity and flexibility of the materia system is also notable, but I’m a story person first and foremost.
Review Fix: What’s the main reason why you decided to do this book?
Cash: I had been working primarily with Irish fiction in my scholarship and began branching out into popular culture. I was at a conference when I met Craig, my co-editor, at a panel on video game narrative. We talked with someone who wanted to do a collection of essays for the 25th anniversary. When she left academia and decided to let the project go, I contacted her and got her blessing to pursue it myself along with Craig.
Review Fix: What was the research process like for this one?
Cash: I can’t speak for all of the contributors, but for me, it was a matter of reacquainting myself with the game first and then reading everything that I could find on the game. Despite being one of the landmark titles in all of video games, there hadn’t been a lot of academic scholarship, though a few notable essays by people like Rachael Hutchinson and Robbie Sykes provided a solid foundation, as did Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi’s work in The Legend of Final Fantasy VII. After that, it was a matter of diving deeper into the history of climate change and environmental justice research and seeing how those threads had developed through the broader Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, especially Advent Children.
Review Fix: What did you learn that you weren’t expecting through this one?
Cash: I learned a tremendous amount from our contributors, much of which was unexpected despite guiding the framing of the book and selecting chapters for inclusion. If I had to identify one thing I expected least, it was how much the environmentalist concerns of the late Pope Francis shared an ethos with the game. It’s not really a matter of cause and effect, of course, but it speaks to some of the underlying ethical and moral imperatives the game taps into.
Review Fix: Who will enjoy this one the most?
Cash: Again, this probably varies from essay to essay, but I would say people who are fans of the Final Fantasy franchise who are interested in a diversely-focused set of readings on the game and its cultural influence.
Review Fix: Why should people pick this one up?
Cash: If people decide to pick it up, it should be to learn more about how richly the game and its various sequels and spin-offs tap into larger cultural conversations. For me, games are a bit complicated. Realistically, they feed into many of the problems, including destruction of the environment, that this game specifically addresses. They often reduce complex moral arguments into simplistic mechanics or cliché dialogue. At the same time, however, they invite identification and a kind of lingering with characters that other media can’t quite replicate. Given the pressing concerns the game raises, from the aforementioned environmental themes to questions of identity and postcolonialism, I think there’s some value in reflecting deeply on how Final Fantasy VII has contributed to that discourse.
Review Fix: Why is this one special for you?
Cash: This was the first book I ever had published and the first work of games criticism I personally saw of my own in print. It was validating for me personally and professionally, and it’s given me a throughline in other publications on games like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin or the Horizon franchise.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Cash: I’m currently well into a draft on the representation of Christianity and religion in the Castlevania game series and its adaptations. I would also eventually like to do something with Final Fantasy XIV, especially the arc that runs from A Realm Reborn through Endwalker, but it’s so narratively rich and thematically varied that I have a lot of narrowing to do.
Review Fix: Where can people find out more?
Cash: I don’t have much of a social media presence, but I did do an interview for the New Books Network after the book launched that might be useful. I’m always happy to talk more about the book through my e-mail, [email protected].
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Cash: I hope that people who decide to read the book find it interesting, even if they don’t agree with my reading or others. It’s really quite varied and, for me, a lot of fun.
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