A Film + A Novel + A Narrative Game
In my favorite novel, "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway, I was entriged by the characters within the novel. The characters are so complex and lifelike that I was drawn to them from the first time I read the book. Their emotions and personalities are described through conversation, rather than only by descriptions. Every time I read the book, I learn something new about the characters. Knowing the characters within the book helps me to understand my own thoughts and feelings, and many times I can relate to the characters in the book better than actual people. My other favorite book is "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling, because it's a fun book to read. It's much different from "The Sun Also Rises" and that's one of the things that I like about it. I am able to get lost within the book and become a child again by reading it. It's very hard for me to pick just one or two movies that are my favorite, because many of my favorite movies each hold something different from all other movies that I have seen. Each movie hits me in a different way, either making me laugh, or cry, or smile. But if I had to pick, my favorite movie would be "American Beauty" and "Dumb and Dumber." These two movies are complete opposites of each other. "American Beauty" is very much a drama, and is very heavy and deep with a moral running throughout the movie. "Dumb and Dumber" has no intelligence within it at all, but is composed of stupid jokes and even stupider characters. But I love both these movies because "American Beauty" makes me think and "look closer" to all that's around me, where "Dumb and Dumber" just keeps me laughing. My favorite narrative game would have to be "The Sims" because I am able to create and control a family through their everyday lives. I am in control of how they act and what they do. They have responbilites that you have to make them perform. It is a game where you create a couple, or a family, and then you are completely in control of their lives.
In "The Sun Also Rises," I can relate to the characters in the book very intimately. Many of their emotions and thoughts I have also experienced and felt at one point in my life. The book intices me and brings me into it's words. I lose myself within this book. The "Harry Potter" books also allow me to lose myself within its story. Reading the book makes me feel like I am standing right there next to the characters and that I am there witnessing everything that is happening. I smile when the main character defeats the evil wizard, and I get nervous at watching him battle a huge troll. The characters bring fantasy and imagination to my life. In "American Beauty," the characters are so complex that everytime I watch the movie, I learn something new about the characters. This in turn, helps me to understand and read people better in my own life, and see things within people that may not be obvious at first. The characters within "Dumb and Dumber" are so stupid that I never stop laughing at them. Their jokes, comments, and actions always keep me laughing. I love the characters in "The Sims" because they are created by me. I am able to create any characters that I want. I could make a family similar to my own family, or I could make a family the complete opposite of my own. I love all the different options I am able to have with the characters. I can change their look, their responsiblites, their actions, and sometimes their thoughts. I am able to create a family which is completely abstract and fictional.
From "The Sun Also Rises" I learned that love is not what we see in romantic movies. I learned that love and has many different shapes, but that true love, takes a lot of work, and commitment and is not all fun and games. The two characters are constantly battling their love for each other, and in the end, they still can't seem to make it work. I also learned that love isn't always meant to work. Sometimes, two people can love each other, but just can't seem to make it work between them. Harry Potter taught me not to neglect my inner child. That sometimes, it's ok to pretend to be a kid again, and loose yourself within magic and mystery. From American Beauty, I learned not to judge people by outward appearances. That sometimes, there is much more going on inside a person that what you might think at first glance. That an appearance is not always reality. Dumb and Dumber hasn't really taught me anything. It has shown me that's it's ok to laugh and be silly, and that sometimes that is just what you need on a hard day. The Sims have given me a greater insight into technology and all that is possible with computers. The game is so advance and well thought-out and shows me, with every new version of "The Sims" that people think up, that technology is always changing.
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