Death is not a foreign concept to me. I know, what a way to start this blog. But, as unfortunate as it may seem, it’s true. Over the past few years, I have lost family members and family friends, some who were more dear to me than others but all who had some impact on my life. Loss can be a difficult thing to process, and grief is different for everyone, for every death. Coping with loss and grief can come in many forms, but for me, what has helped me the most is immersing myself into video games. Video games can provide you with a sense of purpose and normalcy when the real world seems just a little too difficult to manage. One game in particular that has been my go-to game to cope with loss is Spiritfarer.
My version of Stella’s ship
Spiritfarer is a management sim and sandbox action game which follows the character Stella and her cat Daffodil. Taking on the role of spiritfarer in the afterlife, Stella sets sail across the sea to find lost spirits and help grant their last wish to pass on. With death and loss so central to the plot of Spiritfarer, it’s no surprise why it’s helped me through some rough times. Spiritfarer is a game that explores what comes after death and shows that it is only normal to pass away before accomplishing and fixing everything that you wanted to. From coming to terms with a cheating ex husband to exploring mental health issues, the characters that you help throughout the game all face their own struggles that they must overcome. Even though the characters appear as anthropomorphic animals, and one even as a mushroom, they are some of the most human characters that I’ve seen in a video game. Each character has so much depth, and as you get to know them better, they start to show more sides of themselves to you, from their flaws to their vulnerabilities. The best part: you can hug all of the characters!
Interacting with StanleyHugging Gustav
Once each character feels ready to move on, Stella takes them to the Everdoor, the threshold from this part of the afterlife to the next. There the character reminisces on their life before giving a final hug to Stella and disappearing in a flash of golden light. Spiritfarer has taught me that although the time we spend with others will always be temporary, the relationships and memories we hold of them are valuable, even if the person is no longer in our lives.
I remember having the conversation so clearly with my father. It was 2014, I was twelve and helping my dad pick up groceries from Costco. He was a seasoned gamer himself, growing up in the arcade scene and playing PC games like Half Life, who admittedly knew much more about gaming than I did.
“You know, Five Nights at Freddy’s is going to revolutionize gaming,” I told him while sitting in the shopping cart. I had told him all about the brand new indie horror game that I watched Markiplier play for days, fascinated by the hidden story that laid beneath the cheap jumpscares and graphics. For hours, I had scrolled forums and watched Game Theory videos about the layout of the establishment, the timeline, and what the pressure capacity of the pistons in the animatronics had to be to have caused the Bite of ’87.
“Uh huh,” he said, and handed me a bottle of soy sauce.
Despite his initial dismissal, to my credit, Five Nights at Freddy’s became an overnight sensation as I had predicted, with eleven games, nineteen books, and a movie on the way. What started in 2014 as an indie experiment by creator Scott Cawthon grew into a cult classic with a loyal following that has stayed dedicated to this day, almost ten years later. It’s this following, spurred on my Youtube content creators like Markiplier and Game Theory, that made the game into such a phenomenon, myself being a part of it.
The animatronic duck “Chika” appears to scare the player in Night 6 of Five Nights at Freddy’s 1
Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) is a game in which you play as a nighttime security guard of a pizzeria and must defend yourself against the animatronics which come to life by checking security cameras and shutting office doors. While this may seem relatively simplistic on the surface, an analysis of newspaper clippings, cash checks, and the occasional glitch allows the player to piece together a much larger story of failed restaurant chains, serial killers hunting children, and generational trauma. The story is only as elaborate as the player decides it is, which creates a multi-leveled experience that allows you to choose your own engagement. Following the story of each game is difficult work, but possible when considering all the evidence, from reading between the lines of the book pages to analyzing source code for repeating patterns.
In Five Nights of Freddy’s 2, the Chika animatronic from the first game is seen broken and in disrepair on the floor.
However, one of the pitfalls of having such a large online community for a game about animatronic animals is that not every fan innocently follows the game for its interesting hidden storyline. Regrettably, the FNAF fandom has gained notoriety since its inception for its often overly graphic fanart and fanfiction. That being said, I refuse the game, with all the hard work and thought put into it by the indie creator, to be written off for its controversial fandom. When analyzing the game in a vacuum separate from its fandom, one comes to realize that the game is actually quite intelligent and fun when it comes to its mechanics and storytelling. What appear as simple and cheap jumpscares contributes to a story nine years in the making, with details from the first game present in the fifth, sixth, and seventh games. This non-linear approach to storytelling is unique to FNAF and takes a considerable amount of thought and time on the creator’s part.
Game Theory’s “final” Five Nights at Freddy’s timeline. As more information about the series comes out all the time, however, even this already complex map is now inaccurate!
What really makes FNAF special, though, is the fact that it is always growing. I started following this series as a seventh grader, but now a junior in college, I still hear about recent updates and game releases about the franchise. The theory that I put together about the series when I only had four games to work with in middle school is entirely different from the lore of the game now, and it’s entirely possible that six months from now, what we thought was the right answer about what the game is really about will be totally different. Five Nights at Freddy’s has somehow mastered how to stay relevant in the gaming community after so many years, and with so much story to tell, I hope that it only goes up from here.
Imagine the feeling of being revived in the River Styx, still reeling on the high of slaying your enemies. Though you were just killed, there is no time for rest, and you enter the underworld again, ready to feel the Eternal Spear in your hands and the splatter of blood of those who are an obstacle in your path to freedom…
Whoa, that was dramatic. Let’s reel it back in a little. When I was younger, I was obsessed with the Percy Jackson series. I read every book as it came out, and I still own most of them today. Greek mythology became an intense hyperfixation of mine, and I would often dream of a world where I too was a demigod, fighting monsters and fulfilling prophecies with the powers gifted to me by my godly parent.
So, it really came as no surprise to me that when I bought Hades, I immediately became obsessed with the game, from its beautiful graphics to the hack and slash combat to the complex and well-thought-out characters. My love for Greek mythology returned through characters like the whimsical Hypnos and the ever-loyal Achilles. Hades is a rogue-lite dungeon crawler which follows Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he fights to escape the underworld in order to find his mother, Persephone. He receives boons from his godly relatives in Olympus, and with each run, he becomes stronger and gains additional abilities. There is one crucial game mechanic that dictates the game. Every time Zagreus dies, he has to start over. Almost all of his progress is lost. But, each time, despite being ridiculed by his father from his throne, he picks himself up with the support of his companions who reside in the House of Hades.
Zagreus right after being revived by the River Styx
Hades is such an engaging game despite its seemingly tedious gameplay because it is interspersed with immersive storylines and opportunities to level up character relationships. Who doesn’t like infinite dying with a sprinkle of romance? As you progress through the game, you start to put the puzzle together—why Zagreus is stuck in the underworld, why he wants to leave, and how his relationships with the other characters influence his actions. You even get to learn about the backstories of other characters and can choose to help them in a variety ways, from rekindling relationships to reducing their sentence in the underworld. And again, did I mention the romance? From fighting against your potential lover to fighting alongside them, you can experience the growth in the character relationships as you choose to. And who doesn’t like a good enemies to lovers trope? Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. Every time you end up back at the House of Hades after yet another brutal death, you can relax by petting one of Cerberus’s heads.
Hades is an amazingly written game with an addictive combat system and well-developed characters. It exemplifies perseverance, growth and love, and we get the privilege of fighting alongside Zagreus as he adamantly greets death headfirst like an old friend.
Some families are Disney families, others are sports or camping families…mine is a board game family. Starting from age four, my dad would gather my mom, brother, and me around the dining table to play Chutes and Ladders, Guess Who, and Go Fish! Our downstairs closet was commandeered by multicolored boxes haphazardly shelved from floor to ceiling. Sometimes I wonder if the reason my parents only had two kids is because 4 players is ideal for most board games. As I became older, rather like in a grocery store, the games we played shifted to the top shelves as my brother and I outgrew those simple kids’ games for complex strategical ones: namely Eurogames.
Go Fish! Card Game
Eurogames are board games where the mechanics take center stage, as opposed to American games, where theme and story are the focus. While I still enjoy iconic American games like The Game of Life andCandyland, they become bland when compared to Eurogame favorites Dominion, Power Grid, and Puerto Rico. American games may have more colorful designs and silly characters, but Eurogames provide better variety, group bonding, and problem solving skills.
Power Grid Board GameDominion Board Game
Popular American games (like Sorry!, Trouble, Candyland, etc.), typically have the same objective. Move your piece to the end of the board and avoid obstacles along the way! Regardless of the storyline or characters involved, many American games follow copy-paste mechanics that quickly become grating. No wonder everyone dreads the tension of family board game night! Of course you’re going to be annoyed when you’ve essentially played the same game every week for a year! However, Eurogames are individual in both mechanics and goals…I’ve yet to come across a pair of games that feel the same. Instead of the simplistic movement of American games (typically forward and backward), Eurogames require combining a multitude of actions to acquire points/items/etc. For example, in Agricola, you might focus on farming and animal husbandry one time, go hard on trades, cooking, and family growth the next, and balance all five factors a third time. This variety leads to lively games that never feel the same, even if you’re playing the same one for the third time that week!
Sorry! Board Game
I also find that Eurogames lead to better quality time with others than American games. As American games focus more on the storyline and characters, it’s easy to become invested in those elements rather than the people around you. Your moves rarely impact other players, so in-depth conversation isn’t necessary. However, in Eurogames, you’re often playing directly against other players, focusing on what moves they’ll make and how they’ll impact yours. Story is secondary and player interaction is central. To play a Eurogame effectively, you must get into your opponents’ heads, getting to know them better as a result. I’ve grown much closer with new friends through Eurogames than I think I ever could with American games.
Finally, Eurogames are amazing for training problem solving skills. These board games are where I first applied problem solving in an arena with real stakes. In school, I didn’t care whether Suzie had 14 or 20 apples, but if I lost a board game to my brother, he’d hold it over my head for the next week! There are many ways you can play a single Eurogame, and the objective is finding which strategy fits best. To win, you often must combine several approaches, adjust as you go, and simultaneously consider your opponents’ strategies. Even if you eventually have a decent handle on one game’s strategy, your opponents will always provide new challenges to overcome (and besides, there are still hundreds of other Eurogames with unique mechanics to learn). Where American games often rely on luck, Eurogames develop skill that is helpful in both academics and general life.
Since I just presented an (hopefully convincing) argument for why Eurogames are a worthwhile pastime, it’s only fair that I now provide a few recommendations of Eurogames I personally love!
BEGINNER:
7 Wonders – The perfect large-group Eurogame, 7 Wonders is quick, easy-to-learn, and very fun! Players pick cards that feature skills, buildings, military, and resources from rotating hands to build their civilization. There are three rounds of card selection (called “Ages,” in line with the theme of 7 Wonders), where each round increases the pre-requisite skills/buildings/resources you need to play new cards. Each type of card provides a unique way to score points, and at the end of the 3rd Age, the player with the most points wins!
7 Wonders Card Game
MEDIUM:
Ticket to Ride – Ticket to Ride is arguably the most popular Eurogame (albeit, in close competition with Settlers of Catan for that title). The game’s goal is to complete train routes you have route cards for, which are each prescribed a point value for completion. You finish these routes by placing little train figures on the board’s tracks that correspond to your train cards, connecting one location to another. The player with the most points (solely gained from completing train routes) at the end of the game wins. Ticket to Ride may sound simple, but deciding which routes to complete and whether to draw more route/color cards, all while avoiding or blocking other players’ routes, makes this game a complicated play.
Ticket to Ride Board Game
HARD:
Agricola – Agricola may be my VERY FAVORITE Eurogame…which, if you can’t tell by reading this post, is saying a lot. Essentially, players are farmers who are trying to feed their families, raise animals, produce crops, have more children, upgrade their homes…the list goes on. There are a million ways you can play this game, and never enough turns to get everything done (which admittedly leaves you in a constant state of panic). Agricola isn’t the most difficult to learn but it is difficult to play well. Like 7 Wonders and Ticket to Ride, Agricola is also point-based (you gain points for how many of each animal you own, how many of each plant you’ve produced, etc.), where the player who has handled all the demands of a farmer’s life best by the end of the last round wins! I know the theme of the game may sound boring, but remember: it’s the mechanics that count in Eurogames, not the story.
Agricola Board Game
I hope you enjoyed this peek at the world of Eurogames…feel free to reach out to me if you play any of my suggestions!
WARNING: The following post contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VI.
Grandpa, no!!! You can’t die! What will I do? How will I live? I need you, Grandpa; you’re all I have left on this island. Everyone else is dead! No, no, not you too! Please, don’t leave me!
But, it’s too late. Grandpa…Cid…is dead. After the cataclysm, we both woke up here, on this island. We…I…won’t have enough food to last much longer. My friends are dead. There’s no one else here. I have no reason to keep living.
Overlooking the cliff, a soft ballad plays in my head. Soothing, in a way. A fitting end to a broken life. A relic of a forever-unrequited love, it will always remain. Locke…no, I don’t think he ever knew how I felt. But that was back when I knew people among the living. They’re all gone now. They…must be waiting for me, right? It’s time to join them.
A brief surge of hesitation flashes through my mind and body. Is this wrong? Too drastic? I take a step backwards. No. I need to euthanize myself from this pain of loss and nothingness. The best hope for my current life is unrelenting agony, assuming nothing else goes wrong. But then again, what can?
Tears well up in my eyes. The music in my head grows louder. It drowns out all else, allowing me one final auditory glimpse of the past. Goodbye, faded memories. Goodbye, remnants of a promising life. Goodbye, world.
I jump.
This scene from Final Fantasy VI, in my opinion, is the single most compelling example of why a video game’s story can be more important than its gameplay, if executed correctly. Once Kefka (the main villain in the game) deforms the world by disrupting the very fabric upon which it is built, we find the rune-knight Celes alone, save for her former mentor, Cid, on a scarred, deserted island. The two become close; Celes takes to calling Cid “Grandpa” since she never really had a grandfather and needs someone to protect her. Unfortunately, Cid is old and frail; he’s dying. Having just presumably lost everyone in her life, Celes’ only goal is to make sure that Cid lives.
The player’s only available task at this point is to go get fish from the ocean and desperately feed them to Cid, hoping he lives a little longer. Apparently, it is possible to come out successful in this task, and allow Cid to live. However, no instructions are given at all with regard to the mechanics of “getting” a fish, and even when you do give Cid one, his condition doesn’t seem to improve. Indeed, it seems almost as though developer Squaresoft didn’t want the player to let Cid live because of what ensues with his death. I lost this mini-game, and Cid perished.
After Celes finishes mourning, the screen fades. On the next screen, you see Celes, now in your control, standing near the edge of a cliff. No words are used; you know exactly what her intentions are. Instinctively, you try to leave the cliff. The game does not allow you to do this, furthering the sense of Celes’ hesitant determination. In the end, you are left with no choice but to walk to the edge of the cliff and press the A button, causing her to fling herself off the ominous peak.
You don’t want to help Celes kill herself, but you know that it has to be done. Inside, you completely sympathize with her and understand her reasoning. By having you attempt to keep Cid alive in vain, the game creates a perfect sense of futile desperation. By not allowing you to leave the cliff, this sensation is only furthered. Throughout her suicidal decision, you are made to feel exactly as Celes does.
Could this be accomplished by a book or movie? Absolutely not. I am fully confident that only interactivity could elicit feelings like this. Considering my hatred for the very concept of suicide, the fact that the game was able to make me accept its necessity is simply astounding to me. Never have I felt an emotional connection with a fictional character as strong as I felt at the precise moment I pressed that button, condemning Celes to her fate.
It turns out that Celes does not die from the fall, but all the same, the buildup to the jump is one of the most involving virtual experiences I’ve ever had. Getting that Triple Kill in Halo or 5-starring a song in Guitar Hero just does not satisfy after you have experienced this true potential of gaming. To all who claim that the mechanics of a game are more important than the enveloping narrative, I say this:
When talking about the role of story in a video game, I think it just depends on the type of person you are. For example, many people just play Halo for the shooting and killing. While this is the primary and most fun part of the game, there is a lot more to the game than that. I actually do sometimes stop and look at the “beautifully-rendered trees” and the wide variety of expansive environments. The story is also a lot more complex and interesting than most other games, but it is up to the gamer how much they want to know about it. For example, in Halo 3 there are numerous hidden “terminals” that the gamer can find. These terminals reveal a lot about what happened before the games, especially about the war between the ancient Forerunners and the Flood parasite thousands of years ago. There are also dozens of Halo books that further explicate the history and legend of Halo. It is not necessary to find these terminals, and many people just skip the terminals and cutscenes to just concentrate on the combat. If a player chooses to ignore the story, the game is just an action-packed alien-killing shooting rampage.
Someone in class also said that “no one plays Grand Theft Auto for the missions”, which I completely disagree with. When I first got Grand Theft Auto IV, the first thing I did was go through the missions, because I was interested in what the protagonist, Niko Bellic, would be like. The evolution of Niko’s character really interested me, along with all the shooting, stealing, and car chases the missions involve. I was emotionally invested in his story, and towards the end of the game, I really wanted him to get revenge on Dmitri. After I had completed all of the missions, killing people just wasn’t as fun anymore. Niko was just killing people because he was bored, not because an Italian mob boss was paying him to do it (as in the missions). Sure, it can be fun to drive expensive cars at over 100 mph while running over the pedestrians, but there aren’t really any repercussions to it, and gets boring after while if it doesn’t advance the story. Although gameplay is important, the story is what sets a game apart from others.
I have never played an online role-playing game, so I was a little confused when I started playing Lord of the Rings online. I didn’t who exactly I was, where I was, and who the people that were running around the map were. I started out as a Hobbit, since that was the race I was most familiar with. When the actual game started, I saw that I was in a small room with a number of other people. I spent about five minutes trying to either leave the room or talk to someone, before I finally figured out I had to talk to the postmaster. I didn’t read what he was saying, because I was anxious to start playing the game. After leaving the post office and meeting Bounder Boffin, I got my first taste of combat. It was mostly just jabbing the mouse button, but it was still fun. I then fought some more spiders, talked to some people, and discovered a town, before getting bored and logging off.
As for my impressions of the story, I didn’t see enough of it to make a judgment, and I did not really see the dialogue because I wanted to see what the game was like. However, I did like the fact that you got to make your own character and your own story. If I had been forced to play as Frodo or Sam or any of the other characters in the story, I would have felt I would not be able to make my own choices. With your own character, you can project your own personality and character onto him. Another thing I liked was that I had freedom to walk around and explore the world. I recognized a number of places from the movies and book, and it was interesting to explore the game’s setting, and I suspect I’ll be able to do quests in a variety of locations on the map.
Overall, I think I’ll like the game. The story will probably get more interesting, the setting is dynamic and diverse, and I have my character just the way I want him: a guardian Hobbit.
New Media: Storytelling in Literature, Films, and Games 
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