East Asian Studies Speaker Series: Frank Mondelli

Description

Frank Mondelli, an assistant professor of Japanese studies at the University of Delaware, will give a talk titled "Gotta Read 'Em All – Decoding Braille in the Pokémon Series" as part of the East Asian Studies Speaker Series. This event is co-sponsored by the Department of History of Science & Technology and the International Studies Program.

To obtain a trio of legendary monsters in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002), players can embark on an elaborate side quest where they must decode two-dimensional representations of Braille. Removed from its original context as a tactile language, this visual "Pokémon Braille" is at once an inclusive and exclusionary gesture. Mondelli explores the ludonarrative appropriation of Braille and other communication systems in Japanese games and beyond, asking how games can impact accessibility and disabled expression in broader society –and vice versa.