Storytelling Sparks with Sonic

Daryl talks about it like it was yesterday. Getting the Megadrive and Sonic the Hedgehog game for Christmas. But it wasn't just the fast action running, rolling and jumping that caught his young imagination.

The third game in the series developed the story and included short cartoon-like cutscenes. From a young age, these narratives caught Daryl's attention and set in motion an interest in story that grew as he continued to play other games.

Experience

A Love Of Story

TRANSFORMATION

Daryl realised that he was someone who connected strongly with stories and narrative. He enjoyed the cut-scenes as much as the action.

From Bond to Croft

A few years later Daryl had grown fond of the James Bond and Indiana Jones films. He tried a demo of Tomb Raider and instantly loved how these adventures were mirrored in a world he could explore, complete with voice acting and narratives.

"It was the wonder of what might come next and where the story would go. It felt like anything was possible. Underwater, lava and what characters might you fight or control."

Daryl was a sponge for these sorts of adventure stories. Not just films and games but reading as well. Having completed all his reading stickers for school he could choose a book from the library and chose The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. He was instantly engrossed by this magical world the children could enter as he did with Tomb Raider.

"They had a cupboard and I had a Playstation. I remember reading the book in an English lesson and imagining what Laura might do in these worlds. What would happen next”.

Disposition

The Joy Of Other Worlds

TRANSFORMATION

Daryl connected strongly to the worlds that Tomb Raider could take him to, where he could be an unexpected hero.

Activities: Daryl found that the following related activities worked alongside playing Tomb Raider:

James Bond

FILMS AND SERIES

Daryl enjoyed watching old James Bond films, that played into the lone adventure spirit of Tomb Raider.
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The Narnia Series

READING

Daryl loved The Narnia books, starting with The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. They mirrored the experience of visiting other worlds in his games.

Breaking The Wall

Daryl was drawn from Tomb Raider's straightforward adventures to the more restrictive and unexpected experience of Metal Gear Solid. The early games in this series were viewed from overhead and restricted you to one area. You couldn't charge in guns blazing like Lara but had to use stealth and planning with help from your superiors.

This was a new kind of storytelling Daryl found fascinating. Not only how the restrictive experience worked to create a sense of unease in the story, but how the game would trick and double-bluff the player. There were moments when it read your memory card for saves of other games or pretended it was going to wipe your progress.

This wasn't only an unexpected hero, but an unexpected way to tell a story. Daryl found himself unexpectedly engaged in topics like war, prisoners, and nuclear disarmament. Even at a young age, he appreciated how this shone a light on the reality that these things are real-world issues.

It was an experience that only a game like this could offer. "It showed me what a simple plot could deliver in nuanced and deep issues. But it was the power of tangents and side-tracks that stayed with me in a way that the books I was reading weren't able to."

Knowledge

Subversive Story Telling

TRANSFORMATION

Daryl learned about new ways to tell stories. The game restricted so much of what you could do but then broke the rules about how it interacted with the player. The result was a powerful narrative, unlike other media.

David and Goliath

It was a number of years later that Daryl found another game that connected with a similar power. Shadow of the Colossus was "a boy and his horse battling these dark powers," as he put it. A game where you take on out-sized monsters that fill the screen and you have no rights facing off with.

But this was more than a lesson in the narrative potential of video games for Daryl. This game was something more personal. Being granted space in a story to stand up against an overpowered foe, helped Daryl revisit times in secondary school when he was badly bullied. "The memories of loneliness stayed with me. It was powerful for me to revisit this with the game."

It reminded him of stories like David and Goliath or Rocky. "A boy, his sword and a horse taking on these monsters. Taking on an insurmountable challenge. You are the underdog suddenly confronted by unexpected monsters. The movement from exploration to combat was seamless."

These things combined to offer an important moment for Daryl. Not only a chance for reflection but a way to move through those memories as he progressed through the game. Some find the killing of the Colossi in the game a moment of sadness, but for Daryl, it was a chance to find help from unexpected places.

Identity

Vanquishing Monsters

TRANSFORMATION

Daryl relished the chance to slay these monsters in the game, and in this found a metaphorical catharsis for the real monstrous bullying he'd suffered in real life.

Activities: Daryl found that the following related activities worked alongside playing Shadow Of The Colossus:

Back to the Future

FILMS AND SERIES

Daryl felt spurred on by the game, and the Back to the Future movie. "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything," said Marty in the film.
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Rocky

FILMS AND SERIES

Daryl enjoyed watching the Rocky films, where an underdog trained hard to take on a giant.
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