The Grand Adventure

Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, video games are not just the light distractions and toys that they once were. They have transcended their former guise, and have become something much more. They have become a statement, a way to get a message across, and an artist's platform.

My favorite genre of video game is the RPG, and this particular genre carries a large part of the story-telling weight in the video game realm. In an RPG, while the gameplay is important, as are the systems in place, and the weapons that you use, the most important aspect of the game is the story. It means nothing if you start out with the strongest creature in the virtual world that your game is based in, and kill all things that are weaker than you. But, to start as a peon, and then build your way up to being able to fight the strongest creature in the land...there's something magical about that.

Of all of the video games I have played, one of my personal favorites has been Grandia. When the game starts out, you're just a kid who wants to be like his dad, a kid who goes out everyday on "adventures" such as fighting the neighborhood bully, or finding a key for a shop owner. This is just the beginning though, and as the story progresses your adventures begin to grow. You meet an old adventurer and get his steamship pass so you can go to the New World, you jump into fights with those who are stronger than you to protect those who are weaker than you, you fight to keep the discoveries you have made from being used for evil, you resist those who think that power is all that matters, and, in the end, you save the world.

You see, it's stuff like that dreams are made of. In the video game, you have to save the world. Regardless of how weak you may feel, your character can save the world, and you see that it is not because he was already stronger than everyone, or because he was born with all the talent, but he wins because he doesn't give up. He gets beat time and time again, but he keeps on going. He gets told that he's to young to do anything, but he keeps on trying. He is just to stubborn to lose, and there is definitely something that we can learn from this.

So many times we want to do something daring, or to do something exciting, but we're scared of what will happen. We're scared that we will fail...just like we have failed so many times before. We need to take the example that is given to us in Grandia, and apply it to our lives. Don't be afraid to go on your adventure, and don't give up. Maybe you can save the world.