innickysmind

[innickysmind]

Video Games and storytelling

Video Games have always been a favourite pastime of mine. Even though the industry started off with mostly gameplay focused games, narrative games were always there. The genres and styles of games are so diverse that it gives you the opportunity to experience so many stories that you take part in. From point and click adventures, shooters, strategy, fantasy to walking simulators and immersive simulators the video game industry can give you almost any type of story you would want.

When I was young I was playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3, a turn-based strategy game that was very reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons. It let me play a fantasy story rich in details, creatures, lore, and intrigue. It also allowed me to create my own campaign and write stories around it as it came bundled in with a map creator. That was my first taste of what videogames could do to push a narrative.

Later on, in life I’ve had my first experience with an immersive sim. First I wish to explain what exactly an immersive sim is. This type of video game genre emphasizes on the player’s choices, a build your own adventure of a sorts, with multiple paths and options for you to choose from. This style incorporates multiple genres in order to bring more depth to the gameplay. One of the most famous examples is Bioshock (2007), a game that incorporates horror, first person shooter, mystery, and the immersive sim aspect. The game changed the industry at its release. It gave way for story focused games to take the mainstream and it’s unexpected plot twist is quoted even to this day. The amount of work that went into the story could be comparable to a novel. Bioshock won multiple awards including BAFTA Games Award for Best Game and VGX Award for Game of The Year in it’s publishing year.  The sadly now defunct Irrational Games took a lot of care and time to craft a story that will be unforgettable, setting a precedent for future games. Kenneth. M. Levine, the developer, created a name for himself in the industry for his craft, creating two sequels to Bioshock that won the hears of both players and critics for its immersive story telling.

Almost all of the most respected games that are fondly remembered had a story that was easy for people to get lost in for hours at a time, similar to how people get immersed in books. In a small amount of time Video Games became a new medium for incredible stories that would last for hours upon hours. One good example of this is The elder scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s main storyline without side quests would take you approximately 30 hours to finish, but if you want to experience the game fully, the closest estimate that I could find being 500 hours. Imagine being the main character in a fantasy story that would span a minimum of 20 big novels, that’s what Skyrim offers.

Video Games are an amazing new medium to explore in storytelling and personally I would love to try and write a story for an adventure game one day. Of course, being such a new mode of writing there aren’t set rules on how it should be formatted, which only adds more spice to creativity. With this in mind, I cannot wait to see what the future brings.

[innickysmind]

Stories and their influence on our lives

As a writer and an avid reader, I’ve come to understand how much the stories we read influence our lives. Some people follow intrigue and create a natural curiosity, either a thirst for knowledge or just interest for what surrounds them. Some people follow romance, when either said romance is missing from their life or just to spice things up in their relationship. Other people go for the escape from reality when things seem to hard or when they wish to go on an adventure when it’s not possible either due to financial reasons or health issues. Universally though, everyone enjoys a good story, and that story could have either a great impact or a small butterfly effect. For me, and probably every reader, some, if not all, of what I’ve explained applies to them.

Ever since I was little stories were my gateway into a better life, a more adventurous one at least. In the beginning it started with video games and movies, it slowly shifting into anime, cartoons, and middle grade books, reaching its peak when I was 18. At the turn to adulthood I was so desperate for a better life that I would go through every medium of storytelling to explore what was outside of normal life. To be someone else for a day. For me stories shaped the way I live and interact with others, it made me face my fears with a smile on my face, as how in most stories, it has a happy ending no matter how grim. I know that there are a lot of stories with a sad/bad ending and those stories do fascinate me, but I prefer the ones where the ending is hopeful, even if the situation is dire beyond belief. As a writer I wish to give the same stories, to make someone’s day better. If they struggle with life problems to find a character to relate to and walk together, equal footing. They can experience an adventure with fictional friends on fictional lands and wonder about the beauty of our own world. At least that is what I wish for as a writer.

Books can inspire us, they can give us the push we need in life. In Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything there is a quote I read from time to time: ‘You have to try. You have to take your chances. Go and attempt and see what happens. And even if you fail – especially if you fail – come back with your experience and your hard-won knowledge and a story you can tell. And then later you can say, without regret or hesitation… Once, I dared to dare greatly.[1]’

Other books keep us going, Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not has this quote: ‘I realize I’m crying a little, too. I remember. Sometimes pain is so unmanageable that the idea of spending another day with it seems impossible. Other times pain acts as a compass to help you through the messier tunnels of growing up. But pain can only help you find happiness if you remember it.[2]’

We have a lot to thank to the stories that surround us, either of others of that of your own. Without them our lives would feel emptier, we would have less to seek and learn. We would not be the humans that we are today, as history was preserved through word of mouth, through storytelling. So, take this to mind dear reader, as much as we make the stories, they make more of us than you might think.

[1] Morgan Matson, The Unexpected Everything (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016).

[2] Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not (Soho Teen, 2015).

[innickysmind]

Four Stories that inspired me

Throughout every reader’s life there will always be certain books that mark them for life. From the first book they read to the one that they will consider their favourite, even if that certain book might not be perceived as good by the general public or critics, the reader will ignore the flaws and love it for what it is. I would like to explore four books that are on that list. I will choose to explore how the first book that has influenced me to have a passion for reading stories, how the second book has changed my perspective on what you can create and made me want to write myself,  how the third one helped me cope with my own problems In my life and lastly the fourth book which started it all for me.

 The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delaney [1]

Everyone had their first book that set them on the path of reading, especially when young. In recent times one of the most well-known book that applies to this criteria is ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone[2]’ by J. K. Rowling. Well, for me it was ‘The Spook’s Apprentice’ by Joseph Delaney. This first book in the Wardstone Chronicles presented the perfect world for my 10-year-old mind to explore fantasy and horror. It made me want to become a Spook, someone who fights the dark side of the world and bring safety to those around them and it all started with the warning on the back of the edition I found at the library: ‘’ Warning: Not to be Read after Dark ’’. Joseph Delaney created a world filled with diverse lore and monsters. Certain scenes can be considered horrifying when read by an adult, but Delaney’s storytelling makes it perfect for kids, always keeping the hope alive, that no matter what things will turn out ok. That is what lead me to reading.

 The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss [3]

Patrick Rothfuss’ debut novel ‘The Name of the Wind’ I can safely consider my favourite book of all time. This beautifully written high fantasy story that debuted in 2007 changed my life and set me on the path of a writer. Rothfuss has an amazing talent for writing, making the reader live the story. His prose which can be almost called poetry is easy but quite powerful. His characters seemed so real to me that I’ve openly wept through the harsher parts of the story. I personally never knew that the written word could be so strong, poignant, sharp, and melodic. The name of The Wind has brought me to my knees, wishing to become a writer myself, strive to become an amazing writer one day, to express such powerful emotions to the reader as Rothfuss did. I think the best example of his writing talent is shown when the main character Kvothe plays the lute at The Eolian. Rothfuss expertly writes the scene so well you could actually hear the music in your head and you’re part of the audience under the same spell woven by Kvothe.

 Jumper by Stephen Gould [4]

In my teens I had a lot of personal issues, did not have the best home life. I’ve had mental breakdowns, anxiety attacks, nights where I’ve cried myself to sleep, moments of utter depression which resulted in two suicide attempts. Sometimes live gives you the worst hand and you have to work with it. I did not know how to relieve myself of dark thoughts, of self-questioning and self-doubt. This is where Stephen Gould’s ‘Jumper’ jumps in (excuse my pun). The story starts with Davy, the main character, when he was little. Davy did not have a happy home himself (though different circumstances from mine). He had an abusive father and got bullied constantly. Now you might think, why ‘had’? Well Davy discovered that he has the ability to teleport and be free of his troubles. That to me was the perfect escapist dream. I’ve lived through Davy wishing to experience the same freedom that he obtained. Of course, trouble always rears its head in, you can’t escape it forever, but for Davy it was easier to cope with it and grow, something I’ve also done every year of my life. Even now whenever I feel down I take my copy of ‘Jumper’ or any of its sequels and read through it and let myself relax.

 Nobody’s Boy [5](Sans Famille) by Hector Malot

‘Singur Pe Lume’, known as ‘Nobody’s Boy’ in English or in its original title ‘Sans Famille’ by the French writer Hector Malot was written in 1878. This classic work of fiction was the first ever book that I have read. I could not have chosen a better book to begin reading. Such a powerful and emotional work left me speechless. I was very young when I read it, less than ten years old. This book is not meant to be for ten-year olds. Rémi’s journey through a harsh harsh life taught me humility, kindness, generosity, and bravery. I can still clearly remember the night I started it and finishing it by the morning. I cried so hard during the cave in scene that I woke up my mom. For the first time in my life she did not get annoyed at me for staying late, she knew what I was going through when reading the story. Singur Pe Lume changed my life for the best and has influenced what I personally consider my favourite books of all time. It definitely had an influence on my enjoyment of ‘The Name of The Wind’.

[1] Joseph Delaney and David Wyatt, The Spooks Apprentice (London: Red Fox, 2009).

[2] J. K Rowling and Jim Kay, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (London [etc.]: Bloomsbury, 2017).

[3] Patrick Rothfuss, The Name Of The Wind (New York: Daw, 2017).

[4] Steven Gould, Jumper (New York: Starscape, 2002).

[5] Hector Malot, Singur Pe Lume (Bucharest: Adevărul Holding, 2015).

[innickysmind]

The magic of Magic Systems

Photo by JR Korpa on Unsplash

As a big fantasy fan, I have had my share of diverse forms of magic from complex rule-based ones to simple but incredible ones. Working on my own projects meant that I had to explore deeper and understand better how these systems work which meant research.

From my understanding there seems to be a consensus that magic is on a spectrum ranging from soft magic to hard magic.

The soft-magic system is usually vague and to a certain degree unexplained. It is made without limitations or rules which results in a sense of awe and curiosity from the reader. Known works that fit into the soft-magic system are most traditional fairy tales, ‘Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and ‘The First Law’ by Joe Abercrombie. On the other hand, the hard-magic system has specific rules and limits which it gives a sense of reality and balance to the worldbuilding while also encouraging the writer to find creative ways for characters to abuse and bend those rules. Known stories that use this hard-magic system being ‘Kingkiller Chronicles’ by Patrick Rothfuss and ‘The Dresden Files’ by Jim Butcher.

Most books though fall on the hybrid section, somewhere between soft and hard, ‘Harry Potter’ by J. K. Rowling and ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by G. R. R. Martin being known examples.

For now, I will explore more by following one of my favourite fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, as he has multiple lectures on fantasy.

His lecture on magic systems: Brandon Sanderson - 318R - #8 (Magic Systems)