National Video Game Day
Today is National Video Game Day!
I still remember the day I got my first ever Nintendo entertainment system. My mom and I were standing in the Macro in Durban South Africa. The summer (Christmas) holidays had just started, and we were looking for something to keep me busy. So we decided to purchase a Nintendo. I got three games that Christmas: 101 games for Nintendo, baseball, and Super Mario Bros. I played them endlessly, and so did my family. My dad and brother always beat me at baseball, but then I got much further in super Mario bros. Back then, there was no need to put time limits on how long I played the game because it would usually only keep my interest for an hour, and then I was running out the door again after my large Alsatian dog to play outside.
Looking back, what these games taught me were that someone had a lot of imagination and skill to turn their imagination into reality. It reminded me of Figment from Disney that sings “One little spark, of inspiration. Is at the heart, of all creation.” I am often asked where my ideas for stories come from, and usually, they come from one little spark — a movie, a video game, a book, a news article, etc. Once the spark is ignited, my imagination runs wild, asking what if questions? What if society was wiped out and could only live on in the bodies of robots? What if, people were genetically modified that created a new elite class that ruled the world? What would that mean to mere mortals, or the robots if they occupied the same planet? I play out these what-if scenarios in my mind until I find an interesting combination, and then I start to get down to character development. It’s fun, but it all starts from one spark.
These days I prefer to play Lord of the Rings Online, although their software is becoming outdated, as it still operates on a 32-bit system. Maybe one day they’ll advance. I have a lifetime membership, so it’s nice to not worry about monthly fees, unlike some other games. I have tried SWTOR, WOW, and a plethora of others, but none have a story that is as fascinating as LOTR, and who has such a good interface design. What I’ve learned about playing these games is the importance of having a good story that is built upon a good world design. This has affected my writing, in that, I now first spend a great deal of time drawing out and sketching out the world my stories play off on, before diving in and writing. Having a visual aid as a reminder also makes it much easier to come back to a project if I’ve put it to the side.
