Most of you know I've been taking some time off (which is the norm for me). I haven't written a single word in over three weeks. Feels great for once.
You may or may not know that I'm a GINORMOUS World of Warcraft fan. It's pretty much my life (because living in a small town sucks). I look forward to getting home every day just so I can enter this different world. And all that time spent with elves and dwarves put a new perspective on my ever-growing imagination.
(By now I know you're like WTF THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WRITING. Sit tight for a sec. I'm getting there.)
Think about it--the creators of video games/RPG's have to have some sort of imagination; otherwise, they couldn't design such vast empires or deadly mobs or the fact that some other player could gank you. And believe it or not, there is a lot of writing involved. I know in WoW there are WELL OVER 5,000 quests in the game. Each quest is different. And each has a long text to accompany it. Think about how many words that is. Think of all the actors they hired to record voices for the scripted boss sequences, or the fact that if you click on an NPC he/she will say something different each time.
There are moments when I sit back and I'm in awe of the world Blizzard has created and how beautiful it is, even if it is just graphics. But writing is the same, right? You want everyone to see the gorgeous world you created, even though it's not real. *insert grin here*
When I read, I want to feel like I'm right there with the MC. I want to explore and touch and taste and smell everything. There have been times (with very few books, I might add) where I can literally smell and taste whatever is described. I want to visualize everything. From mountains to deserts to weathered neighborhoods. Details are important to the reader. They need to be in the world you created. If I don't have an idea where anything is at, how am I supposed to follow along? That's an automatic I'mreturningthisbooktotheshelfsoitcangatherdust.
In closing, my blog minions, I want to leave you with some great screenshots from the game. Not only are they stunning, but they get the gears turning, don't they?
And yes, these are in-game pics. Not taken from a promo.
These are from a video game? *hits head*
ReplyDeleteThis is why I could never start up with World of Warcraft. I know I would become an addict LOL.
ReplyDeleteThey do have gorgeous gorgeous graphics.
You had me at video game :) (I write for platformnation.com)
ReplyDeleteThose pics are lovely. I can't recall playing such a vivid video game.
ReplyDeleteGood post. I, myself, am a Myst fan. I could live there.
ReplyDeleteI never really though about how RPG could be used as an inspirational tool but now that you mention it I think that it could be a great inspirational tool for writing. I haven’t played any RPG for years because of time constraints and the fact that I spend so much time in the vast inner world I have created. This inner world is really my home away from home an introvert sanctuary if you will. I was telling Elli one of my girlfriends awhile back about some of my inner world constructs and she was completely amazed at the detail and complexity of the characters, story lines and the sheer number of alternate realities I created and to the extent that I participate in them. I think I am going to begin to write more about these realities because most of the material is already there I just have to write it down. I don’t know if it would make for good reading but it’s worth a shot. At the moment I’m writing a story called Dr. Monroe and all the characters are based on personalities in my subjective reality that oftened overlap into the objective reality. Their not fictional characters in the worlds I have created but actually personalities that make themselves known to various degrees. It’s sort of like I’m schizophrenic but I know I’m schizophrenic and am able to write about my multiple personalities if that makes any sense, hopefully it will make for good reading.
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