EarthBound and The Golden Compass, revisited

A talk given at Cascade Moot (August 31, 2024) on the theme: "From the Fringe: The Importance of Secondary and Tertiary Characters" A Tale of Two Tonys: Loss and Recovery in The Golden Compass and EarthBound Presentation slides - essential for playing Name That Tony! with us and reading text boxes from EarthBound Reflecting on two secondary characters, Tony from Snow Wood and Tony Makarios, respectively appearing in EarthBound, a video game released for the Super Nintendo in 1995, and The Golden Compass, a book by Philip Pullman published that same year, players and readers of all ages are invited to consider themes of loss and recovery from a new perspective. Both characters are kidnapped, one at the start and one near the end of the adventures in which they figure; both characters have someone important taken away from them in turn. Their responses provide significant symbolic images and gameplay mechanics that draw us closer to the heart of these stories. Thanks to the team at Signum U for hosting, and to you for listening. https://videogameacademia.org/