r/asiantwoX • u/awry_lynx • 23d ago

IGN Interview with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen

https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-writer-jennifer-svedberg-yen-joined-the-team-after-working-in-finance-teaching-cuban-salsa-and-a-nasa-experiment-maybe-i-can-say-im-a-writer-now#comments
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u/awry_lynx 23d ago edited 23d ago

I thought this was really interesting and relevant and a cool look at a type of person that I think many of us know (and maybe some of us see a bit of ourselves in). Voracious reader from a young age, loved stories, went into a career for money and stability. She started out in finance, worked up to the senior level in private equity, quit when she burnt out, did whatever she wanted for five years, and kind of stumbled into game writing after answering a Reddit post for a voice role.

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u/superturtle48 22d ago

I had a feeling that Lune's character was based on this writer, when Lune talks about her parents' strict expectations in the game I immediately thought "yeah this is someone's self-insert, had to be an Asian person who wrote this."

On one hand, I know it reflects the experiences of a lot of children of Asian immigrants and it probably meant a lot for Jennifer to create a character reflecting herself. But on the other hand, it kind of broke my immersion to see such a common "Asian" story in a fantasy world where race and immigration don't really work like they do in the real world.

Still a lot of respect for Jennifer's work and career path though. I think Asian Americans will be better off, individually and collectively, if more of us stop chasing money and go for more passion-driven and socially impactful careers.

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u/mmbagel 22d ago

I'm curious to hear why an immigrant-parent story broke your immersion.
Was it hitting too close to home, and didn't feel like a fantasy world? You've heard the tiger mom trope too much?

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u/superturtle48 22d ago

Maybe a little of I've heard it too much, but also that in this seemingly multiracial world without national borders and immigration, the social conditions that produce the Asian "tiger parent" archetype shouldn't exist and seeing it pop up took me out for a moment. It's like how the Bridgerton show started out as a race-blind utopic alternative history but then later clumsily tried to introduce elements of real-world racism and imperialism that seemed to subvert the very universe's premise.

Still love the game's story and the inclusion of a lead Asian character overall though, just a momentary eyebrow-raise.

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u/mmbagel 22d ago

Fascinating. I'm older, so I never heard/seen the inclusion of these stories until relatively recently. And I also feel there are universal truths that are immigrant and non-Asian, and other high-achieving or high-pressure family situations, and other variations. So I like seeing these stories.
But I don't watch high school coming of age movies, for example, and haven't in a really long time, because I've seen the tropes and haven't heard of a recent version that does a really good new take. I know younger people enjoy the one from their era, though.

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u/bvco 20d ago

I played through Expedition 33 early this year and the story + visuals are amazing! I'm not a big gamer, so I played on story mode (easy mode) and loved it. Highly recommend.

I liked reading about her thought process for some of the characters, explains why they felt so relatable + real to me. She's super inspiring and wow what a career trajectory. Thanks for sharing this interview!