Catalysts

[Eltu]

Recently I had the pleasure of playing through Life Is Strange, a story-driven adventure game that stood out hugely in terms of tone and atmosphere compared to most games out there and even in the same genre. Now, I enjoyed the game a great deal - I can easily recommend it to anyone who might enjoy those kind of experiences. Nonetheless, after playing it through, I felt fairly 'done' with the experience as I do most books, movies and games (with one obvious exception ).

What I did do, however, was have a look at the game's community, as I do with a fair amount of games I ended up enjoying. And here's where things stood out. Here are a few quotes that I came across:

Like (probably) most of us it hit me really, really hard. I've never thought i would be able to experience such feelings towards fictional characters [...] Some days after finishing it - i stopped consuming LPs / reading about LiS. I even couldn't listen to the soundtrack - simply because it gave me shivers to be reminded at the scenes where each title has been played. It simply hurt.

One or two weeks ago i came back here, read various posts, posted various little thoughts, started (first time ever) reading some fanfic - and i started again watching Lets Plays. [...] And all those emotional heartbreaking scenes crush / hit me like it was the very first time i played LiS by myself. And thats very unique to me. I don't think i've ever felt "the same way" again - whilst replaying or rewatching - rereading anything - especially not if i consumed it only ~2 month ago - and i still remember most of it...

I found this game astoundingly beautiful. And it depresses me to know that I may never play a game like this ever again. [...] I could go on, honestly... there were so many parts of this game that spoke to my own life. My experiences as an artist, a student, a friend, a person just trying to work hard to fit in and help others. I can't even explain how I feel right now. I feel a bit empty. I loved every second of this game.

i'm a perfectly normal 21 year old male, i like violent FPS games, i look and act normal, etc. but ever since playing life is strange i am beyond obsessed with everything that has to do with the game and its characters

i have over 300 games on steam and have played dozens and dozens of single player masterpieces that have dragged me into their storylines and completely immersed me. but after i finish them, i'm done. just like watching a movie or finishing a tv series: i enjoyed it but it doesn't envelop my entire life

life is strange though... almost two months after finishing it and i still lose sleep over it. i can't go on 2 hours without either listening to some of the soundtrack, watching a trailer, looking at screenshots or browsing related pages. i am ****ing obsessed. [...]

how do you guys deal with this? i might sound a little melodramatic but i feel like my obsession with this game has impacted my life/mood in a negative way. i'm just a way more depressed person than i normally am. there is no way i'm replaying the game, i'm not putting myself through that again

[...] I can say this with conviction, in all my years of gaming, no other game hit me in the feels as hard as Life is Strange. The game was a beautiful emotional masterpiece through and through and by the end, it'll leave you, me and most everyone else who played it in a state of hollow depressed self (In a good way). By the end, we'd be so emotionally drained, we'd feel like we're suffering from actual depression. (I know I did after.)

The first step to coping with these feelings is by sharing your feelings with others, which you already did. [...] But the most important part is to know that you're not alone in this. We all were an emotional wreck after finishing the game and we're all here to support each other and go through these feelings. So feel free to share/ask anything you like of or related to the game.

I could go on, but the parallels are pretty clear. These are not experiences that I personally shared playing this game - but they are experiences I did feel back in 2010, waking up after seeing Avatar for the first time in my life.

Of course, this game is not unique in this regard, and hardly the first piece of art to cause strong emotional reactions in people - it was merely one I happened to stumble upon. But it did get me thinking about Avatar, about our community and all the people who were touched by the film.

It is easy to think that the Avatar community is unique in how our lives changed, how many of us were fundamentally touched by the film... but in a way, it's an even more beautiful thought that in the world, to different people, there are a million catalysts, a million life-changing experiences. Catalysts of introspection, and of growth.

And in a way, this says more about ourselves than anything else. When I woke up that evening in January 2010, it was as if the world had changed overnight. But more so than the immediate effect Avatar had on me, what is truly amazing is how this changed over the next few months. Depression turned into appreciation, and from my point of view, my eyes were opened. Gradually, the amazement of the movie started manifesting itself as an appreciation for the life I lived, and while to this day I'd do anything to live on Pandora, I feel that I appreciate my life on Earth more than I ever did before Avatar changed me.

In the end, to me and perhaps to others, Avatar isn't really about Pandora. The immersion, the window into another world... I think that to some of us, it all had an amazing effect on us because of the life we lived, the values we had, and how we felt about our role in the world. And in the same way, to others, there will be other catalysts. Ever since 2010 I've been seeking the answer to this question... Why didn't Avatar affect others? But not everyone is in the same position as we were, not everyone found themselves needing this one experience.

Maybe instead the question should be, What catalysts are in store for everyone else?

[CyanRachel]

Beautiful! Irayo for sharing this, Eltu! Very true words indeed.