'Polygon Shock' proves Polygon is innocent
By
dakshkohli23
The TV anime 'Pokémon' broadcast on December 16, 1997 used a lot of intense flashing as a special effect, which caused photosensitive seizures in viewers. Since the title of the episode was 'Electric Soldier Porygon,' this incident is also called the ' Polygon Shock ,' and polygons have hardly appeared in anime since the incident. However, the overseas anime media Anime Feminist has reported that the flashing effect that was most likely to have caused the seizures was actually unrelated to polygons.
Porygon Was Innocent: An epileptic perspective on Pokémon's “Electric Soldier Porygon” - Anime Feminist
https://www.animefeminist.com/porygon-was-innocent-an-epileptic-perspective-on-pokemons-electric-soldier-porygon/
'Electric Soldier Porygon' is the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime, and tells the story of Satoshi and his friends heading to the Cyber World after someone invades the Cyber World, causing a malfunction in the Pokémon Transfer Device. Towards the end of the episode, Satoshi and his friends, riding the Cyber Pokémon Porygon, are pursued by a vaccine software that is trying to repair the Pokémon Transfer System, but Pikachu uses a 10,000 Volt Thunderbolt to shoot down the missiles fired by the vaccine software, and they successfully escape from the Cyber World.
In 'Electronic Soldier Polygon,' in order to express the world inside a computer, intense flashing effects are used frequently, and the number of flashing effects lasting more than one second reached 25. These flashing effects caused photosensitive seizures, and nearly 700 viewers were taken to the hospital.
Although photosensitive seizures are said to be a type of epilepsy, 76% of viewers who were taken to the hospital had no history of epilepsy, and according to the WHO , 10% of all people will experience an epileptic seizure at least once in their lives. Thus, photosensitive seizures can occur even in people who have never been diagnosed with epilepsy.
It was already known that flashing light could cause photosensitive seizures, but research after the Polygon Shock incident revealed that red light has an even greater effect. It was analyzed that the main cause of the Polygon Shock incident was the scene in which Pikachu unleashes his '10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt,' in which the light flashed red and blue to represent his being in the Cyber World.
After the Polygon Shock, the Japanese TV Broadcasting System established the '
Guidelines for Visual Techniques in Animation, etc.
' In addition, Professor Graham Harding of Aston University conducted a photosensitive reaction test and found that photosensitive seizures often occur with 5-25 flashes per second, and in some people with 3-60 flashes per second.Harding suggested that every single frame of an animated series be checked before it was aired, to check the speed at which the blinking occurred and how much of the screen it took up. Based on this suggestion, a computer program was developed to automatically check every frame, and every single frame was checked.
In scenes that are caught by the Harding check,
measures are taken to reduce visual stimuli
by lowering the brightness of the entire screen or overlapping the previous and next frames, but since the image is unnaturally dark and lacking in contrast, some fans are calling for an 'unedited version that is faithful to the original concept.'Anime Feminist emphasizes that photosensitive seizures can happen to anyone, and while the Polygon Shock incident was horrific, they are pleased that 'more people around the world can now enjoy anime in a safe format,' and that the incident has protected the safety of many more people than those directly affected. They call for 'the return of polygons to anime.'
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