Utilizing Today's Mediums?

Share thoughts and ideas regarding what can be done to meet contemporary humanity's need for rites of initiation and passage.

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shantam
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Post by shantam »

This is my first post of many here, and I was extremely excited to see a forum division devoted to the problems Campbell saw with today's society and the lack of myth.

I'm a writer who has been exploring alternate methods of storytelling - in particular using video game/interactive media technology to tell my stories.

It occurred to me recently that the video game medium, if properly harnessed, may be an excellent way to move forward with the transmission of myth to a generation - a future - that may never have access to it otherwise. Rare as they have been, I (as a fairly avid gamer - I love the adventure that comes with role-playing) have experienced some contact with that invisible world that exists outside our language while playing. The game known as Final Fantasy VII was one that I played, as a teenager, that spoke about pertinent topics, bringing the player along the hero journey, experiencing bliss and loss, joy and sadness. The kernel of myth was clearly present in that game, and I have to wonder if a more concerted effort could be made to use the medium as a tool to help bring mythology back into our lives.

I am curious about any thoughts you may have about this. It may be a little too "on the nose," but it seems to me that using this medium could actually place the audience in the role of the hero, or the hero's companion, or simply someone observing the hero in an immersive environment that would allow the audience to explore it, experience it and identify with it in a very visceral way.

Also, I'm wondering if anyone has already done any work along these lines. I've been attempting to convert a story I have been developing into a game medium, and I'm wondering if anyone else has tried this before.

Thanks for your time <IMG SRC="/forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">

J. Jacob Weston

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ProjectDeity on 2007-02-14 00:36 ]</font>

bodhibliss
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Post by bodhibliss »

On 2007-02-14 00:36, ProjectDeity wrote:

I'm a writer who has been exploring alternate methods of storytelling - in particular using video game/interactive media technology to tell my stories.

It occurred to me recently that the video game medium, if properly harnessed, may be an excellent way to move forward with the transmission of myth to a generation - a future - that may never have access to it otherwise.
Right on, J. Jacob - and welcome to the Conversations of a Higher Order.

Technology is taking Story in undreamed directions - and the interactive possibilities do intrigue me.

You'll find some interesting thoughts in a past discussion that eventually faded away at http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic. ... forum=2&54 in our "Awakening the Mythological Mind" forum (much overlap with this "Mythological Tools for Rites of Initiations & Passage" conversation). The discussion of video games and role playing eventually petered out, but you might find some interesting thoughts worth engaging, so might revive that thread by replying there, or bring some of those ideas back into this conversation.

You'll notice discussions surge and ebb around here - but often a long dormant topic gets revived and catches fire (especially when someone new joins, bringing fresh insight).

Until you get used to the rhythm of posting here it may feel like you're being ignored at times, but that isn't always the case. Conversations generally unfold at a leisurely pace, with a bit of a lag between responses - often because there is much material to chew and digest, and then it takes time to formulate a reply, squeezing it in among the detritus and demands of the workaday world (not to mention time spent reading and replying to other posts).

The upside is that there is often greater depth to many of the posts than might be found on some message boards.

The only drawback i see to videogaming myth is the absence of community. The telling of stories, the acting out of myths in theatrical ritual, even going to a play or movie, has been a communal experience.

Of course, this is the trend - television takes us out of the public eye and into the living room, where entertainment has gradually morphed into an individual experience ... and the computer takes it a step farther: the whole family can gather in the living room to watch television together, but i notice they're just not as mesmerized watching tapping the keyboard and surfing websites on the PC.

Now, with video games, the experience of myth takes another step back from community and shared engagement in the outer world, to an internal, subjective, solitary event.

That's not so much an objection i have - just noticing a dynamic and voicing a concern - a concern related more to the overall trajectory of our technological culture than to video games specifically. Nevertheless, gaming and "mything" are two activites that fit well together, and i'm excited to see this emerging theme.

namaste
bodhibliss


bodhibliss
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Post by bodhibliss »

duplicate post deleted

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Bodhi_Bliss on 2007-02-14 11:28 ]</font>

Transtar
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Post by Transtar »

Welcome to the fourms!
I am also an avid gamer, and know how deeply video games immerse you in the role of the hero. (I cried in Final Fantasy 7) But I have found that the backstory of the Warcraft saga is rooted in many myths (espically norse), while they develop their own storyline. And I have found a couple people like myself who like the myths and will discuss them either in a fourm or while playing World of Warcraft. But I feel the video game medium will touch many of the younger generations who are put off by the thought of conversations that talk about myths and religion.



shantam
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Post by shantam »

Thanks for the welcome and an insight into the lay of the (forum) land. I'm going to take a look at that thread mentioned above.

The aspect of the above posts that I wanted to briefly respond to, because I think they represent the advance in technology (and, currently, the direction of the game development industry, particularly the role-playing game (RPG) community) are the mentions of "community" and the World of Warcraft, which is termed a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

Advances in software and design, coupled with advances in hardware and network performance and capacity have given birth to these enormous games. Some of them tout tens of millions of active players, with, at any given time, tens of thousands of people online and playing in -each- of these virtual communities.

The growth and direction of the video game industry, in particular the MMORPG giants, is driven by the -consumer-, which is very interesting in it's own right. What the consumer finds the most fun, engaging, comfortable and pleasurable is what they get. The drive for content (the stories - or myths - that create an immersive world) is tied into the what the consumer wants, and to remain competitive, the game producers must deliver.

Some of these games have been around for over a decade, with dedicated player base and, because of the sense of community and the continuous nature of the game (open-ended and progressive - games that don't offer frequent updates to content and story don't last - the consumer won't have them) these virtual entities have, often, spawned their own histories, with tradition, custom and, in some ways, myth.

This can be seen in the game-play style of the most ardent, hardcore gamer - there is a consciousness to the "game universe" that is similar to the consciousness of ritual. You are taken from where you are, in your society, and transported to another world, often stylized, loaded with symbols and the creations of writers, artists and musicians.

It is almost as if these software development teams are shaping the code much like a sculptor shapes clay. We are creating entire worlds that, inevitably, are reflections of our own.

The description, and my take on, the MMORPG industry above is simply to help people unaware of the industry to see what the medium is capable of, and to demonstrate that, even without any conscious attempt, we may have a new medium to use for ritual, myth and countless other purposes.

We need to look beyond the word "game" and deeper into what the medium can bring us, which is the ability to create a vivid world, by our specifications, to present to society as that sculptor would present his statue. It is the medium people are gaining more interest in; as generations pass, those of us who, as children, were interested in these virtual worlds will grow up remaining interested. One's media predilections may follow one as she grows; I think this is inevitable.

The limitations of the situation, as they currently exist, lie in the motivations of the development firms and the structure of the design team. The software/game houses are looking after the bottom line and "good business practices" is at the helm.

Because of this, game design currently focus more on the "interface", rather than the "story". They make the games flashy, fast-paced, intuitive and fun, rather than focusing on the content that goes into the game. There is content (story), but the motivation's behind it are to serve the purposes of good business, and not to transmit myth, or to help people find their connections to the invisible world, or to understand the increasingly confusing worlds they live in, or to find their bliss.

The bottom-line importance of this issue, as I see it, is tied into the statement I just made: "to understand the increasingly confusing worlds they live in." There is an over abundance of information, there is no clear way to help (and this would be a prime application of the above technology) children transition into adults, exploring, embracing and loving their own self-reliance, and these games could contribute to that confusion.

If we don't make use of this technology, just as it was important to find a decent, beneficial-to-Man use for television, it will develop it's own consciousness. That could turn out wonderful, but, money -is- the motivating decision-maker behind the technological growth, development and direction, and... I'm not so sure I am comfortable with that.

Thanks for indulging me this long post, and I hope it isn't too rambling. I have to admit I won't be editing it too intensely, so excuse any errors.

J. Jacob Weston


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ProjectDeity on 2007-02-14 20:00 ]</font>

Bliss 5150
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Post by Bliss 5150 »

I haven't been on and I forgot how to link. Oh well, can you please copy and paste?

Realtime Art Manifesto

http://www.tale-of-tales.com/tales/RAM.html




shantam
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Location: Mt. Shasta, Ca

Post by shantam »

On 2007-02-15 16:53, Bliss 5150 wrote:
I haven't been on and I forgot how to link. Oh well, can you please copy and paste?

Realtime Art Manifesto

http://www.tale-of-tales.com/tales/RAM.html
I owe you one. That is an incredibly helpful link.

In the most sincere meaning possible, thank you. <IMG SRC="/forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">

J. Jacob Weston

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