Vanakkam everyone !
Well, I'm about to start a very unusual topic. Maybe it will absolutely not interest you but hey, it's worth trying, everything is good to share !
My studies are mainly artistic...As I am a graphist ! But my studies are about videogames too ! So, I'm going to talk about videogames....
"Hey look at me, I don't play, I'm too old, and I don't care !"
Well, no need to play or to know very well videogames, because in this topic I will try to explain and explore the meaning of some games I have played, that inspired me greatly in my life and in the path of Sanatana Dharma...Wait, Games and Sanatana Dharma ?! You'll see, you'll see !
You still don't care ? I don't mind, you can stop reading here ~
" Seriously, videogames make people dumb, it's all about violence and shooting"
I got this one pretty daily ! Well if videogames makes people dumb, I must be the dumbest woman on earth since I started playing at 6 years old and never stopped since then ! (Well of course I stopped playing, I never stopped videogames xD)
This is another debate we can open if you want to discuss about.
About violence and shooting...Yes many games, and the most advertised ones are like this. And yes, this is quite sad. But not ALL games are like this, and I'm about to prove it !
"Still, games are pointless. Period"
This is your opinion, I respect it...But just keep in mind that playing is not something "artificial" to the human being. Even animals play to learn, little childrens play to learn things, videogames are a part of this playing for learning. Of course I'm not talking about letting your child play shooting games all day, this is not gonna learn him something great I think...But this is again another debate that does not belong here, and wait, what are you still doing here if you're not interested ? XD
....Hey ? You are still there ? Waow, thanks ! Let's get this started then !
The game I wish to talk about tonight is...Elite Beat Agents !
...Hey hey come back ! Don't mind the name, come baaack ! D: I'll explain everything !
"EBA" is a game that came out some years ago, in the Nintendo DS. This handheld console have two screens: one that is a regular screen, the other is tactile. You use a little stylus to interact direclty on the game by pressing, dragging, touching things in this second screen.
So, what is EBA about ? Well, it doesn't have a fixed scenario. But basically, you have a small earth like planet, and you can see big "HEEELP" on it. These HEELP are the people on the planet that have problems... You target one of them, and get immersed into a mini-story that explain the problem to you...
When bad emotions or too much attachement to things make people suffer, there is a moment when certain persons crack down. They are at the bottom, and from the deep part of their soul, they let a single cry roar: HEEEEELLLLLP !!!
And suddenly, from nowhere, you see on the second screen three funny guys in black suits coming. Everything become colorful, music comes from nowhere, and....They dance.
Yes, they just...dance.
Little bubbles appear on the screen and you have to touch them according to the rythm of the song. When you do everything good, you can see the story of the person you help improving on the other screen !
But if you are not into the rythm and fail to touch the bubbles at the right times...The agents get knocked down by all the bad emotions taking over the person, and you see the story on the other screen becoming worse.
You see, this is very simple !
Here is an exemple with a screenshot:
You see: the story is happening on the first screen, and you have to touch the bubbles in rythm to help the agents dancing in the second screen.
"Uh yeah, so what, a rythm game ? Are you kidding me, I'm out"
Nononono stay here I'm not done with you !
Yes, this seems to be a stupid humoristic rythm game. But the game creators wanted really to make more than a game, they wanted to tell a message to each player playing the game. In fact, it's more than happy and entertaining, those funny guys dancing have a lesson to tell to us.
Those "agents" are never directly involved in the story, they are not into the world where the story is happening. They are into the soul of the desperate persons, they are a flame that burn and dance with the sound to transform and trenscend emotions, to bring the individual on a higher state of thinking, of consciousness.
...Hey, does that ring a bell in your head ? =)
The emotions depicted in the game are devotion, despair, love, attachement to riches, loss of a family member, desperate fight...Those emotions flood the individual, making mess in his soul, in his head and in his life.
Then then individual turn to the sky, and shout for help, for something or someone to help him.
Slowly, the sound is the first thing to come. The songs are always choosen according to the story going on: village people, 80' rock, rock and roll or love song... The sound is the first thing to answer to the prayer of the individual. The atmosphere change, colors pop up.
Then the agents come (each time in some unexpected and funny manner) and raise arms in the air: the distressed person do the same, often crying. The power of the sound, and the cheering presence of the agents begin to transform this dispair, attachement, sadness into hope, courage, devotion and love.
What is sound, what is music ? Music is the very heart, the very feeling of the ones writing and playing it. Everyone have a favorite song that cheer him up, that make him remember that everything is worth fighting for in life. Should this be a bhajan or a pop song, everyone in the world listen to music. Sound have an effect on the soul of each people, sound have the power to create infinite emotions and to bring people to tears of emotion.
Sound, music are charged with power and feelings. What else can the voice of the soul can be ?
The agents in the game are the ones that can "hear" the souls, bring this music hidden in the deepest part of the human soul to light.
They dance on the music of the soul, amplifying it, burning the emotions. And by the fire, they purify it and transform it into something else. They are not only characters, they don't even have a story. They are just here, into everyone's heart, dancing to the endless music of the soul.
They dance to the rythm of life, to beginnings and endings.
Each story is different. A lost puppy wanting to get home, a sick athlete that can't attend to his competition, a girl that don't know how to tell her friend that she loves him, a rich man ending very poor, A mother trying to fulfill her son's wish, a fallen superstar redemption...
Each story learn to us not to be too much attached to temporary things. The agents learned me that I always have to give everything I have in my work, regarding the difficulties. They learned to me that from nothing, we have the power to get everything. They learned to me that we always have to believe in that flame into us, to never let go.
They made me laugh so much too !
Then, thanks to this game, I understand more easily the neverending dance of Lord Shiva. He is into each of us, dancing and burning, the dance that transform everything...And once you become aware of this dance into you, the sound never stop.
But there is something else: when facing too much dispair, too much negativity by too much people, the agents cannot help everyone individually...When a mass disaster fall on earth, they cannot manage to control the flame that slowly die, with the music...They cannot help, they are knocked down, their power without effect.
Then, driven by love and devotion, people suddenly begin to stick together and overcome fear and distress.
The agents cannot help each soul...But when people unite together, driven by the same goal, the same emotions, they realize that all those souls are just one and the same.
They feed this soul, and their power come from this soul...In fact, the agents and the music are one and the same, like God is not different than the soul.
What make the agents dance, and move, is action from the player. Shakti is action: the player cannot, by action alone, resolve the problem. But the agents, without action, are staying still. The association between the player (Action) and the agents (Potential, control) create everything.
As a conclusion, here is an exemple of a little story in the game: the story of a little girl that lost her father...From sadness, with devotion, she comes to love and hope.
This is a very touching story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26i8Qkj4BSc
Here is a less serious story, but that learn us courage, kindness and that travels can learn many things to us...Through the story of a lost little dog !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Myb...eature=related
Everyone have his point of view: a game's first aim is to entertain and make people feel emotions. But their creators, artists, writer and dreamers at the same time, always want to talk about something deeper. Something that touch our feelings, make us think and understand better about ourselves and others.
If you have read everything...Well, thank you from the deep of my heart ! If you have anything to say, any question to ask, just feel free to do. If it interest you to know more, I will talk about another game based on the principles of Jung philosophy, and very inspiring about some subjects like Ego, Ishta and Brahman...
I do not know everything. Like a child. I try to understand and learn, like a child. And I do it like every child do it: playing.
Thank you very much !
Aum Namah Shivaya
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