Articles

January 28, 2002

LIVING
ON THE EDGE: ADVENTURE GAMES VS. REAL LIFE

By Guest columnist Mark Ross

How, many times have you
sat back and wondered what it would be like if you could actually
step in, and take over the main character in an adventure game? I
know that I’ve wished for it more than once, especially when I know
everything’s going to turn out all right in the end. I doubt anyone
here will deny that adventure games are full of excitement, intrigue,
and… well, adventure. However, do adventure games really stack
up to real life adventures?? What do adventure games provide us with
that we can’t find out our front door? That’s what I intend to find
out.

Humans are explorers. We
are curious by nature. Take a look through our history, or better
yet, at a child, and you will see just how true this statement is.
Sadly, unless you have an advanced degree in biology, physics or mathematics,
the new frontiers of exploration are currently closed. Physically
hoping in a boat and sailing around will probably not land you in
a place that on one’s ever been to, or allow you to discover a culture
you can’t find out about on the Internet. This leaves a gap in part
of our very nature. What do the explorers do, when there is nothing
left to explore? (And unless you have faith in NASA sending random
people into space anytime soon, this is true.) Regardless, for your
average Joe, (or Jane), exploration of a new land just isn’t possible.
Adventure games fill this gap. With these little nuggets of gold,
we can explore places no one has ever seen, talk to people no one
has ever known, and do things no one has ever done. It’s not hard
to see the appeal.

Now I’ve had a few, “adventures”
in my life, (I went to Thailand sans parents, to visit a friend and
travel the country. I traveled to France, also without my parents,
to visit my sister, and travel the countryside. However, before you
ask, no, I’m not a wealthy party animal, just an ordinary working
stiff that saved up his cash), but never anything that quite satisfied
me. I mean, how many times do you get to be involved in government
conspiracies, ghost stories, murder mysteries, or magical battles
in unknown lands? If you answered, “all the time,” I’d like
to know where you live, ´cause I’ll be moving into your neighborhood
soon. Unless you are one of those lucky people working in Tech Support,
your life is probably a routine thing. Eat, work, sleep, eat, work,
sleep, day after day, year after year. Rarely do we have the chance
to hop on a plane, fly to Germany and investigate paranormal werewolf
killings. This is where games come in, and help add excitement to
a life devoid of mystery. (Except for when it comes to relationships,
which will forever by a mystery to me.) Even those lucky, exciting
tech support folks don’t get to investigate murders, (well, at least
not very often.). So, sometimes, to change examples, the debutante
just wants to sit back, take a break from the parties, and check out
that new Samna the Sorcerer game.

From the adventure games
that I have played, there have been two that have made me want to
fly away to exotic countries, and try new and exciting things. They
are two of the most famous adventure games, and part of one of the
most famous adventure series. Before you all explode with anticipation,
I’ll tell you which they are. Gabble Knight II and III.
(I have yet to play the first Knight game). Both games were not only
fantastic in themselves, but created a nagging little voice in the
back of mind that has never stopped saying, “Go to Germany….
Go to France… Do it, Do it!!!”. While it may sound like
I like I have severe mental problems, I assure you, I only have a
few. I doubt I will ever forget traveling to Neuschvanstein Castle,
in Gabriel Knight II, something I’ve always wanted to do in
real life. To be able to actually wander the castle, and see things
that I may not have a chance to actually see, was amazing, and thrilling.
Gabriel Knight III allowed me to wander the real life town
of Rennes-Le-Chateau. I have been to Paris, and traveled some of the
French countryside, but never have I been to that little town. I cannot
adequately express in words how much I now want to go. I have to admit,
I am jealous of Gabriel and Grace, who constantly are pulled into
mysterious, intriguing situations, in beautiful and exotic locations.
If you have ever wanted to travel, I recommend these games. If you
have never wanted to travel, I still recommend these games. They may
just change your opinion. My point is, that these are things that
I may never have the chance to do in my life. Without adventure games,
I would never have that interactive experience, nor the feel of actually
being there, without having left my living room.

Imagine yourself in this
situation. You are in a walled European cemetery, and the sun is setting.
You decide to leave before it gets too dark, and your imagination
is able to play tricks on you. The shadows creep across the graves
as you head towards the tall iron gates. When you arrive at the gates,
you are horror stricken. The gates are closed, and you have no way
out. There aren’t any phones, and no one knows where you are. How
do you feel? Nervous? Scared? Have you begun to wonder if those old
ghost stories were true? Sure, you may not believe in ghosts, but
somewhere, nagging in the back of your mind, don’t you wonder? Hasn’t
anything odd ever happened to you? Something you couldn’t explain?
And you began to look around, as the cemetery descends into darkness,
with only the flickering, twin lights at the gate allowing you to
see. You see mounds of dirt, crosses, ancient twisted trees, and statues
of the Virgin Mary which stand as menacing demons in the dark. You
begin to walk. To explore. You feel the light touch of a spiders web
on you cheek, and you wonder if it was a spider’s web, or something
more. And only one question of importance exists. What do you do?

I think a normal person,
in a situation as I described above, would be panic stricken, and
run aimlessly about yelling for help. I know an adventure gamer wouldn’t
do that… at least not much. They would look for a solution, and
get out. The above situation is the kind of puzzle that could be in
any adventure game. It may have been in one before, I’m not sure.
It’s the kind of situation that would add a little excitement to anyone’s
day. Now, I know a few of you are wondering how I know an adventure
gamer would be able to think calmly and rationally under such a circumstance.
The reason, if you haven’t already guessed, is that I, myself, was
in such a situation only a few short months ago. (shhh, don’t tell
my Mom!!). I found a ladder, which I used to climb over the 12 foot
walls, after which I jumped into a darkened Orchard, (only about an
8 foot drop to earth instead of a 12 foot drop to cement), climbed
a fence and dropped down to the street to freedom. And I did it all
with a broken toe. Was it enough adventure for me? Not even close.
At the time, I assure you, it was very exciting, and scary, but it
was like a one puzzle adventure game. It doesn’t matter how exciting
or wonderful the puzzle is, if there’s only one. This is what I’m
trying to get across. Generally, the greatest adventures in our modern
and mundane lives are one-shot puzzles, not long journeys through
Atlantis, if you can understand what I mean. Without adventure games,
we would be limited to only one shot adventures, not a continuing
series of puzzling situations over a fascinating plot-line.

So, what do adventure games
provide us with? They provide us with the opportunity to explore,
and do things we would never have the chance or ability to do. They
foster imagination, cool-headedness and logic: important skills for
anyone. Sure, probably a real life adventure in the style of Gabriel
Knight would be more exciting, but that really doesn’t happen to anyone
outside of the FBI.

Adventure Games. I can’t
imagine my life without them.