200-300 Words Favorite Game Write Up

I was honored to be asked by EDGE magazine to participate in a game maker's favorite game write up for celebrating the 200th issue of the magazine.

It took me quite a while to trim it below 300 words with everything I wanted to say included. I'm very curious in terms of who are the other game makers on this list and what's their favorite games.

Well, here is mine...

Peter Jackson once mentioned how watching King Kong at age 9 became the drive behind his movie career. Likewise, I would never forget the impact from the very first video game that touched me in a deep emotional level. The desire of creating something equally powerful came across my mind when I was 14.

The game is called The Legend of Sword and Fairy aka 仙剑奇侠传. It's the equivalent of Final Fantasy VII in the Chinese RPG history. It has deeply affected a whole generation of Chinese. The game is best characterized as a very memorable tragedy. Its plot, especially the ending, has moved many players to tears. I remember myself crying in front of the computer. The sorrow lasted for days after finishing the game. The catharsis somehow purified my heart, and let me question the meaning of my life. Along with many other games, my life was deeply transformed through the experiences I gain from video games.

Today, looking back at this childhood classic, I find the game shallow and cliché. The once moving story falls short comparing to the great literatures and many Hollywood classics. If my parents hadn't limited my access to fiction novels and TVs when I was a teenager, I would probably not be moved as much. But it was that very first impact a medium delivered made me fall in love with it.

Many creators grew up trying to recreate their very first deep experience. Thanks to their more matured taste and standard, they managed to lift the quality of their creations, thus, push the boundary of their mediums forward.

Wall Street Journal Article about thatgamecompany and Flower

Joysticks and Easy Riders
The indie game movement echoes the personal cinema of the 1970s
by JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN