|
The Seekers
One day a prehistoric human stepped out of a tree, or maybe
fell out of a tree. Who knows. Either way this hypothetical
person decided to explore the new world on the ground, and the
rest was history. We humans have been exploring for a long time,
spreading further and further out. We explore the past for
knowledge we have lost, and we explore nature for knowledge we
hope to gain. Out of all of the endeavors of humankind, this is
the one that drives the others. Art, history, mathematics,
science, music, politics, philosophy and the countless other
areas of knowledge are around so we may explore our world and
ourselves.
Many people continue to learn about the world around them.
They are the seekers, trying to understand and discover. Many
others are content to let this facet slip by them. Lack of
money may keep one from traveling, lack of being pushed may keep
one from gaining a higher education. Life is not always easy,
but only a lack of interest can keep anyone from exploring. If
you want to learn, you will... the important thing is to want to
learn bad enough. Now ask yourself, do you?
RPGs and the Pioneering Spirit
All I seem to see recently when I read RPG sites is people
complaining. Some want "better" storylines, some want more
original gameplay, some want 2D graphics. Debates rage over
what is the most important element of an RPG game, storyline,
graphics, the combat system. I never hear anyone mention the
ability to explore, to learn, to immerse yourself in an
alternate reality. I never hear this and I wonder why.
My first RPG was Dragon Warrior for the NES. I was asked
by the king of the land to slay a fiend. A fiend who released
monsters everywhere, kidnapped the princess, and stole the
balls of light from, presumably, the kings treasury. I even knew
where this vile being resided. His fortress of evil sat only
across the water from the kings own hall. How could I get in?
I had no boat, and the strange sound the game made when I tried
to walk into the water pretty much told me I was not the
swimming type. So I went to the town near the castle. They sold
we a weapon and armor (good thing I didn't make it across the
water empty-handed), and I went off from town to find my way into
that castle. I left town to explore.
So what did exploration teach me. Well the first time I
lost half my HP to a slime, I knew I was not ready for the all-
powerful Dragonlord. When I finally found Erdrick's Cave, I
learned that this situation happened before, and more importantly
that there was a solution, a plan of action. I learned as I
explored that there was a way onto the island where the
Dragonlord was, and I grew powerful enough to stand against his
evil.
Was the storyline a "good" one? At the time I enjoyed it,
but it would not have been as good if I had read it. Stories,
good or bad, can be read, heard, watched. It doesn't matter.
What made Dragon Warrior a good game was the ability to look
around, to explore and learn about the world as I went. That
got me hooked on RPGs, more than any other type of game.
A Few Good Games
Final Fantasy came out with a fanfare that I remember well.
Nintendo Power, the magazine for fans of the NES, did a three
magazine spread on the game complete with contests. I couldn't
wait to play the game, and drooled over pictures of it and
Dragon Warrior II in the magazines. The worlds looked huge,
with caves and islands to explore. What would be happening
in these worlds, and what would there be to see and do? Would
people need help like they did in Dragon Warrior? I don't
really know what other kids thought about these games, but that
was what was important to me.
It is here that I want to make an important point. The
storyline in an RPG, or in any video game, is not "good" or
"bad". It is the reality of that world. The difference
between literature and an RPG game is the interactivity. In a
video game you get involved. If you like being involved then
keep playing. If you do not, then turn the game off. Real
life is the same way. If you like what you are doing, and what
is happening to you then you will keep doing it. If you don't,
then you will decide to do something else. If you decide there
is nothing in life you want to involve yourself with, then you
will probably contemplate suicide. The fact is, there is
something you could (and should) be doing in real life, and in
playing video games (RPG and otherwise)... exploring and
learning.
How many of you have played Final Fantasy Legend? If you
have not, you should. FFL is a game about a tower. Not just
any tower, but a tower that leads to paradise. Alright, say
you are walking through the woods and you come across a
clearing where there stands a tower. A huge tower, forcing you
to crane your neck to look up at where the tower disappears
into the clouds. Suddenly, a voice in your head tells you that
at the top of the this tower is paradise. Your welcome to go
there, but the catch is that there are monsters inside.
Beyond that you know nothing. There could also be people
inside, lost civilizations, treasure, who knows. The tower is
huge and mysterious... what do you do?
What do you think most people would do? Some would enter,
some would not. Is the storyline important here? Does it
matter, on some literary crux, the exact events that transpire.
Does it matter who is at the entrance to the tower and how they
got there. Maybe its as the game makes it... a human, a mutant,
or a monster. Some amorphous variable who can choose any path.
What if it is more definable, what if it is Rikku from FFX-2
who stands at the gate to paradise. Does one have to be a
swashbuckling adventurer complete with sword and armor, to make
a difference. Does that make you more important then being
a fun-loving, ditzy, young woman. Who else can be in this
situation... a pop star, a rocket scientist, the president of
France. The story is a record of events, but it is not the
story that matters. Any story can matter. What is meaningful
is what you would do, and why. What is meaningful is that you
get to make a choice. That you get to explore, to shed light
upon the face of darkness. I hope, whoever you are, that when
you find the tower you enter.
To Light Up the Darkness
Ultima Underworld II is a game that is relatively obscure.
It was released for the PC, sometime in the mid 1990s and I
think that most people don't know a whole lot about it. You
are the avatar, a being that has helped the world of Ultima
since the series began. Your arch nemesis at this time is the
vile and cunning Guardian, a multi-dimensional entity that
wants absolute power, and as the saying goes, brings along
absolute corruption for the ride. The Guardian has trapped
you and all the high ranking nobles of the land (including the
king of course) in a castle and chuckles as he tells you
what he will do with the rest of the world. So you set out
to find a way out of the castle.
In the first part of the game you find your way to the
bottom of an extensive catacombs beneath the castle sewers.
Down in these catacombs you find a huge gem. Each facet of
the gem leads to another world, and exploring them brings
you face to face with a horror. These are all worlds touched
by the Guardian. Some are destroyed husks, raped of resources
and left barren and dead. Some are the home of resistance
forces, losing a war against this dark enemy. Some are
peopled by those whose lives have been improved by the Guardian.
They understand not, why you fight their savior.
Ultima Underworld II should be played by everyone. It
is an explorer's dream. Trying to set right what the Guardian
made wrong forces one to contend with the moral dilemma of
good versus evil. This entity who enslaves people and destroys
worlds, has one interesting rule. His subjects are not allowed
to drink. You come to find out that this is because those
who are drunk cannot have their thoughts scanned by the
Guardian. Imagine though you slip into a world beyond the
crystal, and are suddenly in a small medieval style European
town. All the people seem happy, and then you see a statue of
the horrible Guardian. Inquiring about the statue you hear
the following story:
The town used to be a nasty place. Consumption of alcohol
was excessive, and this led to other social ills. Crime was
high and most people were not safe. Then the Guardian came
into town one day and brutally took over. He disposed of those
who drank too much, of the criminals, and forbade drinking
again. He also has complete control of the town, but allows
people to work for a small tribute. He takes ten people a
year to fight for him in wars, in places the townsfolk have
never heard of. Look at the town, though, life is so much
better then how it was. Ten people fighting honorably so the
Guardian can help the inhabitants of other worlds is
understandable. Is it not?
What do you say? First of all, what do you believe? Who
is right, who is wrong, and how do you go about doing the right
thing in this situation? Exploring and learning allow you to
light up the darkness. To bring explanation to the previously
unexplainable, and to hopefully use it for the good of those
around you.
What do you say to the townsfolk if you know nothing about
the Guardian? You may well agree with them, but what if you
have knowledge though. What if you can say, hey Mr. Mayor, come
with me. Your town had a problem and the Guardian used that
problem to score an easy victory. Let me show you a world where
the people are doing fine by themselves. Let me show you what
this beloved Guardian does to those worlds. Your people go to
fight for him, let me show you why. The explorer saves the day
(well hopefully), and for those of you who like a good story,
look at what is happening. A story is forming right before your
eyes.
A Final Fantasy, Lets Hope Not
I have been playing Final Fantasy XI since it came out in
the United States on PC. The game is incredibly fun, and maybe
not for the obvious reasons. I hear a lot of complaints about
MMORPGs in general and I understand many of them. One in
particular makes the most sense. The game does charge a
monthly fee. If you cannot afford to play, or if the money
needs to be spent on something else, that is understandable.
The rest of the complaints, are more in the gameplay
department. For most people MMORPGs are about socializing and
leveling up. These things are part of the territory, but for me
the most important aspect of the game is... you guessed it...
the ability to explore.
From the moment I stepped out of Bastok into the desolate
rocky foothills of Gustaberg, I was dying to explore. In more
ways then one, actually. I have been chased, and sometimes,
killed by probably every creature type I have encountered. I
had no idea a small walking plant could pack such a punch. I had
even less of an idea that a Quadav (an irate turtle-person),
would really not want me to see the nifty lighthouse up close.
I found the waterfall in North Gustaberg, the stone monument in
South Gustaberg, and the Crag of Dem all by being where I
probably should not be (if you go by level). In short, by
exploring.
There is much I can talk about that I have done so far in
Final Fantasy XI, but the Crag of Dem illustrates the point I am
trying to make. The Crag of Dem, for those who do not know, is a
huge white structure on the eastern side of the Konstahdt
highlands. When I first saw it, I was amazed. It is really big
and does not look like anything in Bastok (my home town). As
I explored more and more in the game I found other crags... Mea
in Tahrongi Canyon and Holla on the La Theine Pleateu. Then I
saw it... the walls of the same architecture half above ground
and half below. There are parts of these walls near the crags,
but my first real experience with them was in Batallia Downs.
I first walked into Batallia Downs at level 16, because I
wanted to walk to Jeuno. I made it to Jeuno, but on the way
there I saw the wall stretching across the south of Batallia.
It was the same architecture as the crags, and I immediately
wondered why. Who built these structures? Why were they built?
Can I get inside? Exploration yielded no way in, so I decided
to ask around. Socialization being a key aspect of MMORPGS,
I figured someone somewhere knew something.
I began to ask people about the strange walls and crags.
Most people did not know anything about them except that one
can warp to the crags with the proper spells. The more I asked,
though, the more I realized something. Not many people knew
anything about these walls because not many people cared.
Spending an hour trying to find a way into a wall, sucks up
time that one could use becoming a more proficient swordsman.
The world it seems, is filled with people who want to be the
best. In Final Fantasy XI that translates into doing the most
damage. Why look for the entrance to a building, sitting in the
middle of the wilderness? If there is a way in, all the guides
and websites will say so. If there is not, then all the time
you were looking was wasted. I wish to ask this as a matter
of something to think about. Is this wasted time or not?
If a space probe is sent to Mars looking for life, it
costs money and takes the time of people to send it. Is it
worth it? What if it finds life? What if it does not? The
money and time could be spent trying to cure cancer, or trying
to feed the poor, or trying to build a football stadium. What
is worth doing and what is not worth doing? I think everything
is worth doing. At some times, some things are needed more. At
no time, though, is advancing the state of humanity ever not
needed. Feeding the poor is a social problem. It will be hard
to solve, if it is even possible, but the solving should be
attempted. Should exploring Mars stop, though, just to feed one
more person. Some would say yes. I would say no, and though
this is a hard decision to make, I will try to explain why.
I believe humanities advancement is the crux of our being.
It is why we are here, and it is what we do. I value life, but
it is because of that value that I understand it when people
die. Some things are worth dying for. Doing the right thing is
one of them. So is exploration and advancement. I would never
wish to live in a world so sterile that every action, every
resource, is weighed to make sure nobody ever gets hurt. I
think this is a tragedy upon the soul, that does much more
damage to humanity as a whole than any physical ill. One
cannot put a measure on what anyone should or should not be
doing, save to say it does not hurt the public good. We should
try to feed the poor, and we should try to explore Mars. In
fact, maybe we should try to so intrest to poor in the
exploration of Mars that people who previously could not feed
themselves find work to do and begin to eat better. Its more
complicated than that, of course, but I hope you get the point.
A Pirates Life For Me
I hope the above has given all of you readers something to
think about. When you play RPGs, think about exploring. Think
about learning about a new world. Let the story unfold on its
own. Let the graphics immerse you in the reality. Let the
music take your breath away. Have fun, just remember to explore.
Then in your more "real" life, do the same. Drive down that
road you have never been down. Save some money and go see
Stonehenge. Go to NASAs website and download those wondrous
images of Mars. Read a book about chemistry, or a poem about
unrequited love. In fact let me end with an interesting story
for all of you.
I am currently reading a book about Oak Island, an island
off the coast of Nova Scotia. On this island there may or may
not be buried treasure. People have been looking for hundreds
of years, but to no avail. Oh yeah and the reason it is so hard
to find is that somebody rigged an ingenious trap on this island.
Anyway, the book I am reading is called "The Big Dig" by D'arcy
O'Connor. Check it out.
Oh, hey I forgot to mention something. Do you want to know
how this supposed treasure hunt started? Someone in the late
1700s went to explore the island and found a cut tree limb above
what looked like worked earth. A voice inside his head said hey
there might be pirate treasure down there. This person was
walking through the woods and found worked earth, not a tower to
paradise. A tower to paradise can be entered, worked earth can be
dug away. What did this person choose to do... read the book.
|
RSS feed
iTunes