Gaming Being Peculiar

Talk about a great year to be a gamer or get into gaming. A couple of months having to stay home unless absolutely necessary and there were quite a few titles that either came out recently, in the past or even just this year that actually relates to how we perceive life today. When I was out there driving to get coffee to get my day started one morning, the song “Ludens” by Bring Me The Horizon from the Death Stranding soundtrack came on and the connection that song had with the game and with both the song and game being a connection to current times, it really felt odd. I just sat there, how do we form connections or live a happy life without connecting with others?

How do we live lives in isolation and just in pause? Does it make you feel more appreciative towards the things we had before the worldwide shutdown happened? It made me remember the greatness of Death Stranding in how we all work together to make life as much better as possible during challenging times. There will always be an enemy to that cause and we work hard together to draw them out and wash them away. Deliver positivity instead of negativity and love instead of hate.

I had myself in question for hours that day and I could not help myself but indulge in other game stories. I have been playing video games since I was about two years old and I have never let go of the controller since. My first was “Spyro The Dragon” on the original PlayStation and it has been amazing as video games have grown over the years. Video Games has evolved to tell better customized stories than what you see in the movie theatres these days. The stories will move you, teach lessons and even drive your emotions crazy in a few select titles out there.

The remainder of the day went to thinking how strongly the well designed and told stores in video games really connects with us human beings. Some games right now like “The Last of Us”, “The Last of Us Part II”, “Death Stranding”, anything Resident Evil, “Grand Theft Auto”, “Red Dead Redemption”, “God of War” and much more amazing story telling in video games that move you. It had me thinking throughout my entire workout at home in my garage just thinking about the many lessons taught in modern video games.

At the time, I was playing “God of War” and despite it not having a complete connection to our world, it really had a connection with remaining strong and being vigilant and learning lessons during hard trials. Kratos and Atreus are travelling across Ancient Norselands to achieve a goal and Kratos teaches his son lessons throughout the game and they work together to achieve goal by goal leading to the almighty goal at the end of the game. It hit that same spark I am telling you about. Staying strong and focused to achieve each goal to hit the almighty goal.

I was unemployed because of layoffs due to the pandemic and I needed to meet more business goals to keep things afloat at home. I became more motivated and excited for my challenges that was at my doorstep and I gladly accepted it. I like being in the unknown because it really sets you free and shows you just how capable you are to take on real scary challenges. It made me appreciate the hustle many business owners go through daily. Work is a lifestyle and I love it because I love what I do. Thanks to video games getting me into doing what I do, I feel like I can take on anything with my opportunity to create and help people.

Letting that day sink in, I felt a good combination of the many games I have beaten over the years and it just made me feel more confident in my abilities and to keep things afloat for my small family.  The same passion I feel towards video games is what has driven me to become a Designer & Programmer. As much as I love creating tools / functionality, I also love level design and the meticulous process of putting a level and schematics together from putting together the GDD to the end product. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to say I am a creator and I will be making some cool games in the future. Time will tell what that will be, but I am much more motivated due to the nature of video games.

Not saying to pick up the controller, but if you do, be open minded and be ready to be mind-blown when those hard hitting moments in video games move you like it moved many others. Video games have evolved to a much higher purpose and I am proud to be as passionate as I was when I was playing as a young boy.