Video Game Hero

It may seem funny and extremely nerdy or even loser-ish, but a major contributor to the “story” of my life is video games.  When I was a young lad, I had always found great comfort in video games; especially in particular, RPG’s or role playing games.  A role playing game typically had a hero, a villain and a quest to defeat the villain.  Along the way the player would learn the story of the hero, their values, attributes and virtues.  Afterschool I would rush to get my homework done so that I could re-enter the world of video games.  I loved indulging myself in these games.

One game in particular that I played was “Final Fantasy VII”.  This game is a staple in role playing video games. “Final Fantasy VII” follows hero Cloud Strife, who joins the rebel organization AVALANCHE in their quest to go against Shinra, a major world dominating Corporation, which is taking the world’s resources and using it for their energy.  As you play through the game Cloud and his companions become involved in a larger world-threatening conflict and face Sephiroth, the game's main villain. 

This game conveyed to me that life is hard and that even though things may be bleak, (like world destruction bleak), you always have your friends and family by your side.  Most role playing games follow this type of moral story focal point and as I got older, playing many different types of RPG’s, I realize that I have molded my life into my view of the heroes of these RPG’s.  The heroes or protagonists are strong characters, mentally and physically, they fight for others and live their life not for themselves but for the greater good, ultimately reaching the end or my goal.  I take all of this and convert it into the real world, literally.  I work out a lot and try to keep improving my education.  I take care of my friends and family and live a moral and ethical life so that I am not a nuisance to the people close to me.  I go all-out to get what I want and know that I have to work hard for it.   

These games, to a certain extent, educated me about life.  They expanded my vocabulary, showed me what love might look like, how good people and bad people behave and conveyed what it means to keep striving and going through hardships to reach your goals.  I try to be like a video game hero, not in the context of defeating monsters and rescuing beautiful women, but a hero to my friends and family in life.  So in an extremely nerdy sense, this is how I believe video games contribute to who I am.