the hero - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ravioli · 07-22-2003, 03:47 PM

this is an editorial i submitted to rpgamer and rpgfan. i wanted to get as much response as i can so i posted it here too. please give me your feedback and thoughts.

HERO

^The greatest and most important concept in any game, the foundation of the game, and the place where any good game should begin, is with the creation of the story. The story of a video game defines it precisely, it describes the world, environment and battle situations the player will encounter, it determines the mood and quality of the music and graphics from fun and upbeat to graceful waving sounds and awed visuals, and even in some cases it defines the battle system; the weapons of the time period, the skill of each character, and the scenarios which will be played. But the overarching concept of most video game, most novels or movies, is the concept of the hero, and his heroic journey to believe protect what he thinks is just right and moral in the given situation.
^The initial section of the heroic journey answer’s the question, “who am I?” The first decision a story teller has to make is who this hero is, what his personality, his origin, and his powers are. Some games utilize the whole gaming experience to explain this one facet of their hero, notably “Vagrant Story,” and “Final Fantasy VII,” others choose to twist the conviction of the hero, as “Final Fantasy IX” and “Vagrant Story” again does. These facts emphasize the importance and complexity of the initial part of the heroic journey. Before any progress can be made to achieving a moral end, a hero must decide which end is moral, and to do so the hero must decide or discover who he is and what he believes. Otherwise the hero has no conviction bracing his beliefs, and ambiguity takes hold.
^Once a hero is defined by himself or the writer, both must now confront his purpose. The second step in the heroic archetype is defining the quest of the hero. Most games of the past clearly defined a single antagonist as totally evil, giving no question as to truth or falsehood. It is when this line is blurred that makes a story interesting and great. Many different methods can be used by storytellers to blur the truth. The true evil can be hidden in the land, leading the hero through twists and turns like in “Final Fantasy VIII” or “Metal Gear Solid II: Sons of liberty.” There could be no central evil to combat, as in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.”
^To me, the most passionate and tempestuous method of distorting evil is to make its end the same as good. This can be as extreme as conservation to save the environment versus extermination of the human race to save the environment. It can be as narrow as the conflict of killing a few to save the many, or the sacrifice of the many for a few. Evil is the most evil when it is not considered evil or not known to be evil. Again, the hero must choose a side as being evil or more evil than another, and follow through with his convictions whether they are right or not. Most stories choose to forget the validity of the hero’s actions and default them as right at the conclusion. The closest any game has come to realizing that its hero might not always be right is “Metal Gear Solid.” In the end I interpreted Naomi’s words to mean we should not be concerned with the morality of our actions or what to believe, we should just live. The inspiring thing about a hero is just that, that he does not question life; he lives it with his own truth.
^Through both trials the hero must go through, his beliefs are tested and relied on again and again and again. The conviction of a hero is key to his success. He must no matter the cost of life, love, happiness, or hope; trust in himself and his mind that he knows what is right. The best example to illustrate this point is “Ico.” The simplicity of a horned boy leading his newfound love through a dangerous evil castle to combat an evil queen, compared to the complexity of emotions the players feels during the game, especially when the horned ghosts attack you, is amazing. The testing of this in a hero has made many a great game, play, and movie, like Death of a Salesman, Gladiator, The Book of Job, Vagrant Story, and Antigone. Arthur Miller calls this type of tested hero the tragic hero. And like in Hamlet, this type of hero will never give up his conviction, even for his life. Never in my life can say I have met a man who would give his life for his beliefs: everyone I have seen can be broken down to nothing. To have so much confidence in what you believe, such arrogance, egotism, and stalwart stubbornness, in the truth is the greatest gift anyone can have. Humans cannot do this. Somewhere within the bowels of their minds arise the feces of selfishness and doubt. A human can be broken, a hero cannot. A hero must have this gift, and utilize it to inspire, lead, and conquer his foes. It is what leads him to complete his task or to give all for it, the third duty of the hero and the writer.
^The game I have played that follows these guidelines the closest is “Vagrant Story,” if you could not tell. Ashley has so many elements of the hero, and the story is brilliant, coming close to if not with the same message as “Metal Gear Solid.” But this is not the goal of my essay, to laud one game. The purpose of this essay is threefold. One – to convey my complete infatuation with stories and the heroes they tell of, in whatever medium. Two – to show that games nowadays are on par with movies and novels and should be recognized as an art form as much as any of them. Three – to express my opinion that in its most abstract definition the only qualification of a hero is that he have utmost conviction and impenetrable will. He need not be noble or honorable, rich or poor, intelligent or clumsy, good or evil. All he must be is unbreakable.

[COLOR=red]

rockzilla · 07-22-2003, 04:35 PM

Have you read "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" By Joseph Campbell? If not, find yourself a copy. Campbell deconstructs hero myths from tons of civilizations to find a 'hero' archetype, and how hero myths affect us.

ravioli · 07-22-2003, 07:50 PM

no i haven't read that, but as soon as i can i'll pick up a copy. thanks!

07-22-2003, 03:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
ravioli Upright	the hero this is an editorial i submitted to rpgamer and rpgfan. i wanted to get as much response as i can so i posted it here too. please give me your feedback and thoughts. HERO ^The greatest and most important concept in any game, the foundation of the game, and the place where any good game should begin, is with the creation of the story. The story of a video game defines it precisely, it describes the world, environment and battle situations the player will encounter, it determines the mood and quality of the music and graphics from fun and upbeat to graceful waving sounds and awed visuals, and even in some cases it defines the battle system; the weapons of the time period, the skill of each character, and the scenarios which will be played. But the overarching concept of most video game, most novels or movies, is the concept of the hero, and his heroic journey to believe protect what he thinks is just right and moral in the given situation. ^The initial section of the heroic journey answer’s the question, “who am I?” The first decision a story teller has to make is who this hero is, what his personality, his origin, and his powers are. Some games utilize the whole gaming experience to explain this one facet of their hero, notably “Vagrant Story,” and “Final Fantasy VII,” others choose to twist the conviction of the hero, as “Final Fantasy IX” and “Vagrant Story” again does. These facts emphasize the importance and complexity of the initial part of the heroic journey. Before any progress can be made to achieving a moral end, a hero must decide which end is moral, and to do so the hero must decide or discover who he is and what he believes. Otherwise the hero has no conviction bracing his beliefs, and ambiguity takes hold. ^Once a hero is defined by himself or the writer, both must now confront his purpose. The second step in the heroic archetype is defining the quest of the hero. Most games of the past clearly defined a single antagonist as totally evil, giving no question as to truth or falsehood. It is when this line is blurred that makes a story interesting and great. Many different methods can be used by storytellers to blur the truth. The true evil can be hidden in the land, leading the hero through twists and turns like in “Final Fantasy VIII” or “Metal Gear Solid II: Sons of liberty.” There could be no central evil to combat, as in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” ^To me, the most passionate and tempestuous method of distorting evil is to make its end the same as good. This can be as extreme as conservation to save the environment versus extermination of the human race to save the environment. It can be as narrow as the conflict of killing a few to save the many, or the sacrifice of the many for a few. Evil is the most evil when it is not considered evil or not known to be evil. Again, the hero must choose a side as being evil or more evil than another, and follow through with his convictions whether they are right or not. Most stories choose to forget the validity of the hero’s actions and default them as right at the conclusion. The closest any game has come to realizing that its hero might not always be right is “Metal Gear Solid.” In the end I interpreted Naomi’s words to mean we should not be concerned with the morality of our actions or what to believe, we should just live. The inspiring thing about a hero is just that, that he does not question life; he lives it with his own truth. ^Through both trials the hero must go through, his beliefs are tested and relied on again and again and again. The conviction of a hero is key to his success. He must no matter the cost of life, love, happiness, or hope; trust in himself and his mind that he knows what is right. The best example to illustrate this point is “Ico.” The simplicity of a horned boy leading his newfound love through a dangerous evil castle to combat an evil queen, compared to the complexity of emotions the players feels during the game, especially when the horned ghosts attack you, is amazing. The testing of this in a hero has made many a great game, play, and movie, like Death of a Salesman, Gladiator, The Book of Job, Vagrant Story, and Antigone. Arthur Miller calls this type of tested hero the tragic hero. And like in Hamlet, this type of hero will never give up his conviction, even for his life. Never in my life can say I have met a man who would give his life for his beliefs: everyone I have seen can be broken down to nothing. To have so much confidence in what you believe, such arrogance, egotism, and stalwart stubbornness, in the truth is the greatest gift anyone can have. Humans cannot do this. Somewhere within the bowels of their minds arise the feces of selfishness and doubt. A human can be broken, a hero cannot. A hero must have this gift, and utilize it to inspire, lead, and conquer his foes. It is what leads him to complete his task or to give all for it, the third duty of the hero and the writer. ^The game I have played that follows these guidelines the closest is “Vagrant Story,” if you could not tell. Ashley has so many elements of the hero, and the story is brilliant, coming close to if not with the same message as “Metal Gear Solid.” But this is not the goal of my essay, to laud one game. The purpose of this essay is threefold. One – to convey my complete infatuation with stories and the heroes they tell of, in whatever medium. Two – to show that games nowadays are on par with movies and novels and should be recognized as an art form as much as any of them. Three – to express my opinion that in its most abstract definition the only qualification of a hero is that he have utmost conviction and impenetrable will. He need not be noble or honorable, rich or poor, intelligent or clumsy, good or evil. All he must be is unbreakable. [COLOR=red]

07-22-2003, 04:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
rockzilla Junkie Location: The Kitchen	Have you read "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" By Joseph Campbell? If not, find yourself a copy. Campbell deconstructs hero myths from tons of civilizations to find a 'hero' archetype, and how hero myths affect us.

07-22-2003, 07:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
ravioli Upright	no i haven't read that, but as soon as i can i'll pick up a copy. thanks!