What Earthbound Taught Me
First off, just a quick little introduction. Some of you may remember me. You know, Chris, the moderator turned administrator turned slacker turned goner. Anyways, even though I don't keep tabs on the forums as much as I used to, I still keep an eye on the site daily. Well, enough of that; if you remember me, enjoy another bit of my writing; if not, here's a piece written by a guy named Chris.
Ever since 1996, when I first purchased Earthbound and fell in love with it, I've come back to it for several reasons. First, it is a great game; we all know that. Who doesn't enjoy the marvellously simplisitic graphics, the wonderful music, or the epic storyline? Who could forget the first time they met a Mr. Saturn, or Master Belch, or Dr. Andonuts? Who couldn't be touched by the team's willingness to be turned into robots to save the universe, or the miracle of their victory and return? Each of these events, as well as many more, have an influence on us that goes with us through our lives.
Earthbound, at its core, is a story of hope. The hope of Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, and the world that they could somehow be saved from the evils of Giygas. In these troubled times on Earth, it is easy to forget hope and give into the despairs of the world. However, Earthbound is a source of hope. Not in the sense that because we have Earthbound, we will be saved, but that it can inspire us to look around us for things to cherish and love. To paraphrase Terra of Final Fantasy VI, "It's not the net result on one's life that's important. It's the day to day experiences... ." Ultimately, at the end of life, when we prepare to be judged, most of us probably will not have had a significant impact on the whole world. However, the little things we've done, helping a person, teaching someone, and other such things are what will matter to us in the end.
What did Earthbound teach me? It taught me to keep hope and faith. In times of trouble, when things seemed to collapse around me, Earthbound has been one of the things that kept me up. This is what makes Earthbound a great game instead of just a good game: the message of hope that it carries. Maybe Itoi meant it to be there, maybe not, but we can all thank him and the design team for creating this great story.
First off, just a quick little introduction. Some of you may remember me. You know, Chris, the moderator turned administrator turned slacker turned goner. Anyways, even though I don't keep tabs on the forums as much as I used to, I still keep an eye on the site daily. Well, enough of that; if you remember me, enjoy another bit of my writing; if not, here's a piece written by a guy named Chris.
Ever since 1996, when I first purchased Earthbound and fell in love with it, I've come back to it for several reasons. First, it is a great game; we all know that. Who doesn't enjoy the marvellously simplisitic graphics, the wonderful music, or the epic storyline? Who could forget the first time they met a Mr. Saturn, or Master Belch, or Dr. Andonuts? Who couldn't be touched by the team's willingness to be turned into robots to save the universe, or the miracle of their victory and return? Each of these events, as well as many more, have an influence on us that goes with us through our lives.
Earthbound, at its core, is a story of hope. The hope of Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, and the world that they could somehow be saved from the evils of Giygas. In these troubled times on Earth, it is easy to forget hope and give into the despairs of the world. However, Earthbound is a source of hope. Not in the sense that because we have Earthbound, we will be saved, but that it can inspire us to look around us for things to cherish and love. To paraphrase Terra of Final Fantasy VI, "It's not the net result on one's life that's important. It's the day to day experiences... ." Ultimately, at the end of life, when we prepare to be judged, most of us probably will not have had a significant impact on the whole world. However, the little things we've done, helping a person, teaching someone, and other such things are what will matter to us in the end.
What did Earthbound teach me? It taught me to keep hope and faith. In times of trouble, when things seemed to collapse around me, Earthbound has been one of the things that kept me up. This is what makes Earthbound a great game instead of just a good game: the message of hope that it carries. Maybe Itoi meant it to be there, maybe not, but we can all thank him and the design team for creating this great story.
