Using personal experiences to discuss the potential influence of video games.
The game that started it all.
When I got a bit older I did get my own computer and I finally had an opportunity to play a Tex Murphy game myself. This time it was the sequel to Under a Killing Moon, the Pandora Directive. I was “oohing and aahing” around a computer store in my local mall when I noticed this blue box with a familiar detective logo on it. I got very excited as soon as I realized what it was. I remember my hands shaking as I am paying the man for the game. I was maybe 15 at the time. The dude at the cash register must have thought I was crazy. But this was my chance to finally get in front of this game.
The play through did not disappoint at all and really only served to bring back a lot of the memories I had of looking at my brother playing UAKM before. All the little things gave me so much happiness. First, it’s the haggling with Nilo, the owner of the building that Tex’s office was in. Then it’s flirting with Chelsee Bando, the lady that sells the newspapers across the street. Finally, it’s the rummaging through the apartment of Tex’s investigation target, Thomas Malloy. All of this was tons of fun. It wasn’t the gaming I was used to up until that point. I wasn’t jumping on mushrooms, blasting robots, or slashing at goblins. I was doing something real, or at least it felt like that at the time. Believe me when I say that there is nothing more rewarding at the age of 15 than being able to search through trash for a torn up note and putting it back together to reveal its secrets.
It’s this very sense of active story telling that I feel gives games a unique opportunity to influence and engage their audience. Reading books has done wonders for imagination and inspiration all around the world. Just hearing about the adventures of our favorite characters has given us a glimpse into what their lives are like. Through video games, though in a not totally authentic way, you get a chance to know what it feels like to do what they do. That sense of victory when YOU actually solve that puzzle or kill that boss is instant positive “feels” associated with that very action.
