Yet, the tension posed by the vertical presentation recoups the formlessness of modern art. Indeed, the dripping effect Ramirez employs is synonymous with low budget horror flicks. Latex is a material commonly utilised in gory special effects. These turbulent surfaces are contained in matte latex frames that appear to have bubbled and dripped in the drying process, leaving a patchy, globular finish threatening to slide off the vertical support. Two abstract works featured in Vampires of the Earth are glossy messes of resin and black aluminium resembling wet tar. For instance, rather than merely pointing to the breakdown of high and low culture-the juvenile iconoclastic gesture par excellence-he subtly unravels their symbiotic relationship in works that integrate the affective successes of both. Ramirez is adept at reconciling seemingly incongruous ideas and aesthetic vocabularies. However, the concept of the tropics is not simply a geographical construct, the imaginary of the tropics also emerges out of the spaces of mythology and oral storytelling, ethnographic reports, literature, science fiction magazines, film and television, video games and the internet. The contributions to this special issue reflect upon vampires and other monstrosities in relation to the tropical regions of the world from historical pasts to present-day manifestations, and imaginary tropical futures, including: the British colonial empire in the tropical east, New Orleans in the deep south of the United States, across the border to Mexico and Latin American communities, over to India and Southeast Asia, including Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and to the tropical east coast of Australia.

This special issue examines the presence of these beings within cities and their rural surrounds. Vampires and other blood-sucking monstrous beings constitute some of the most famous myths, legends and stories that continue to haunt contemporary societies. While there have been successful franchises that pit Within this context, perhaps surprisingly, vampires have been used more sparingly than other monstrous creatures such as, for instance, the popular zombies. As exemplified in books outlining innovative and genre-defining games since the birth of the industry, liminal and monstrous beings based in mythology, folklore and popular culture, have been widely referenced – from ghosts to dragons and beyond (Mott, 2010 Dillon 2011).

Vampire tropes and video games In their short but rich history, video games have relied on many different sources for inspiration and for crafting engaging interactive stories and emotional experiences. Thus, every telling of such myths – whether though oral tales, novels, cinema, or video games – brings the myth alive to engage with liminal or repressed aspects of a society. The paper also analyses how specific vampire myths reflect socio-cultural issues of particular times and places.

Different experiences will be discussed via explanatory lenses – such as Labov's (1972, 1997) narrative analysis and the AGE/6-11 framework (Dillon, 2010, 2016) – to gain insights into how to build compelling myth-based narrative in games in original and surprising ways. We draw on examples from the early days of video games with titles like ' Dracula ' (Imagic for Intellivision, 1982) set in a virtual London and evoking European folklore, to the rich possibilities offered by ' Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines ' (Activision for PC, 2004) which conjures up the subtropical New Orleans vampire tradition, and then turn to the latest experimental games using the example of ' Tainted ' (ITE/NUS for PC, 2016), which taps into the rich Pontianak vampire-ghost myths of the Malay Archipelago. A selection of games and vampires will be analysed in terms of gameplay and storytelling elements to show how the rich mythology and folklore that characterises these liminal beings can be successfully employed in a variety of settings and contexts. This paper discusses traditional vampire tropes as a tool for innovation and novel experiences in the history of video games.

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