Tough

Life is hard. Currently I stand in a position where I'm not entirely sure what the next move for me is. I don't have a computer, my car is practically dead and not worth fixing, I hate my job, and there's still snow on the ground even though it's late March.

Though, this is the thing that I'm always talking about. Video games, if anything, have prepared me for totally FUBAR situations. Zelda has taught me courage. Mass Effect has taught me that there is a great big universe out there worth exploring, and one that is worth saving. Mario has taught me that my goal might not be attained on the first try, so I should keep on looking no matter how hard the levels get. But in life, I don't have continues, and I may not get a second chance. That is why life scares me.

Video games are safe. If I fail, I can easily press start to continue. I can go anywhere, and do anything, but I'm afraid to fail. Though is it really failure if I learn something from it? When we continue in a video game, we come back with the exact same scenario, yet we have new knowledge of what to do in order to succeed. But, like I said, I don't have any continues in life. However, I don't think that I'll be getting into any life threatening situations anytime soon. If I don't succeed, then perhaps I should be looking in another castle.

I believe it's high time for me to take an adventure. There's a great big world out there, and it's just outside my front door. I may not have all of the resources, but if I've got the gall, and the persistence, then I can go out there and give it a shot. In Zelda, you always start off with only three hearts. That's not much compared to what you end up getting. The acquisition of hearts, and the visual representation of all of those hearts shows, quantifiably, how much players have grown.Zelda is still one of the greatest game franchises of all time, because of how it instils fear. Not the paralyzingly fear that most horror games go for, but the kind of fear that makes you take a deep breath before going down the stairs into the unknown darkness. This is life. This is how we grow. That is how Shigeru Miyamoto designed Zelda. Miyamoto created Zedla based on his childhood adventures of going into the woods behind his house. Miyamoto grew from his experiences of facing his fears. After all, there is a great big world out there.

I'm no space Marine, and I can only hope to be as cool as Commander Shepard, but I can still be an explorer. Mass Effect is one of my favorite games of all time because of that important element of exploration. It's in human nature to want to explore. If there was space faring technology available to the masses, I think that I would stop,everything that I'm doing, and spend all of the money in my savings to go out there and see the galaxy. There is so much that this planet has to offer. To stay indoors and only dream about doing things. I do love my video games, because I'm never in my life going to be able to slay a dragon, talk to an alien, or save a princess. Those are the things that I really want to do, but video games give me that opportunity. I've always adhered to the principle of people being more important than video games. It's true. Video games may be vast, expansive, and expanding experiences, but they will never be as intriguing, involving, and fascinating as the people around you. Mass Effect also shows the value of others in your life. Not just as romance options, but also partners in combat. Players have to decide which team members to take with them, which team members best compliment their load out so that they can be the most effective when taking on missions. You may not be tracking down the most notorious information broker in the known galaxy, but you have to pick your friends, and discern who you spend your time with, and who you choose to have by your side when things go bad. My pastor always talks about who we have in our car. Meaning, on the road of life, are we going to have a car full of people that we trust, or a party bus full of many, but fair weather friends? This is how Mass Effect is relevant. I don't have a Turian sniper for a friends, though I wish I did, but I've got some friends whom I know will be there through thick and thin. These are the kinds of people that you need by your side in life. Because that's just how life works. Times will be good, and times will be bad.

I'm not discrediting video games and their worth. Video games are worth something, and valuable to today's society. Games are relevant, because of their impact through their interactivity. I know Shepard's struggles, I feel Links trepidations, I'm with Mario and his challenges and pressing g him onward to saving the princess. Video games are relevant. They may not be the most matured art from out there, but I feel like they are well on their way to becoming the most advanced form of art out there. Above all, if there is anything that every video game will teach us, it's that if at first you don't succeed, press start to continue and try again.