I had some deep thoughts a few days back that were inspired by completing Myst V, walking to the gorge with Brianne, and reading an interview with Rand Miller:

Normally I strive to learn, experience new things, build knowledge, and continue to grow. But I realized that experience can also add a burden. It can weigh you down. But this is also good, because it makes you stronger and helps you battle even more difficult things in the future.

I am glad that Myst V and Uru show the Ages we have visited and dreamed about are not paradises. For me, the Myst series had become a paradise; It was a way to be free of the stresses of reality. Often times I have wanted to link from my dorm room to Relto or another Age. But Myst V has also shown that these places are not perfect. Everything changes and can degrade. It is the people that makes the location.

So I found paradise in the people around me. I’ve finally been able to do that this year. I’ve been doing more activities in the dorm and less on the computer. This is a wonderful thing.

It’s been said before, but Myst really is unlike any other video game. Cyan built a story and then the game to tell that story. They built a game that shows that people are more fun (and important) than video games. (It’s great to hear they’re working on a new project.)

My favorite video games (Myst, Half-Life 2, Splinter Cell 3) are my favorites because I play them with people. The only exception to this is Psychonauts, but that is because it is the first game that I really cared about the characters.

I used to complain that video games needed to focus more on stories and characters. Now I’m growing out of video games, just like I grew out of watching television. I no longer need to complain, because I’ve found something better.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2005 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Myst, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.