The immortal flow of time brings with it change, and with change, new methods of communication. Ancient cultures that had expressed their ideas through song and dance eventually had the option to set their stories to stone--or paper, bone, and whatever other materials were well suited for written record. The advent of filmmaking ushered in a completely new era of storytelling, blending the visual and aural experience of the oral tradition with the permanence of writing. Today, with humanity exploring the beginnings of a millennium still in its infancy, the possibility of yet another new storytelling medium looms on the horizon. What will it be? How will it work? What stories can it tell? These are the questions for a new kind of era, and a new kind of medium. But there's a catch:
The new mode of storytelling is already here.
It's been around since the latter part of the twentieth century, in fact. It has lay hidden, just on the periphery of the social conscious, for decades, seemingly biding its time. But the moment for its glorious revelation has come. It's a moment that's been building up energy for the past thirty years, gaining strength and speed with each tick of the clock, like a massive snowball careening down an icy slope, hungry for all in its path. And here, today, it's reached the end of the mountain and is ready to accept its place atop the podium with all the other things that have come before it--books, films, songs, art.
Indeed, video games have become the new storytelling canvas of the twenty-first century.
There is such an overwhelming variety, such a generous banquet of titles that it would take a website thrice this size to discuss them all and how they have become the new mode of expression for the times. So instead, the topic has been narrowed down to a more consumable portion. Rather than exploring the vast richness of video games and mythic influences in their entirety, I've chosen to focus on a particular topic: The influence of ancient Japanese mythology on modern video games--and there is quite an influence, indeed. To the left you will find a site map, split into three sections: Okami, Pokemon, and Katamari Damacy. These are three games (or in the case of Pokemon, a series) that contain a surprising number of ties to the old tales of Japan. Please explore the associated links to discover more about not only the respective games, but about Japanese myth and its influences on those games.
This wasn't compiled without some help, however--visit the References section to find out more information on the resources used to create this site.
Though video games are popular, they have yet to permeate the social psyche as much as books, movies, or art have. Therefore, discussion on things that may be confusing to the reader unfamiliar with the medium--such as terminology in regard to particular genres, or things like control schemes and whatnot--will be kept to a bare minimum, if mentioned at all. Rather, what's more important are the story or character elements within the games--things that should hopefully be familiar to all who love a good tale. And though I'm not expecting anyone to go out and start gaming right away, I hope this discussion will foster a basic understanding--or at least curiosity--of the industry. Games aren't just child's play anymore.
Myths have inspired humanity for ages, painting the imaginations of society with grand heroes, wicked monsters, and wondrous tales of peril and victory. Every nation has its own stories, passed down through generations and surviving in every imaginable medium. Oral history, written legend, and even filmed fables are just a sampling of the myriad of ways in which societies have communicated their beloved stories to each other and to those from other cultures. Hundreds--thousands, even--of books line the shelves of libraries across the world, jangling the keys to kingdoms far beyond the imagination; movies vie for space on screens in order to tickle the mind and the eye with their renditions of famous tales from every corner of the globe. Even bards and puppet shows have their place, traveling and entertaining and teaching people ancient stories and ancient ways of life, resurrecting memories and ideals from centuries ago.
