Literature is usually defined as a body of written works, like novels, plays, and poems. In this newsletter, I expand the definition to include storytelling that is not written, i.e. pictures or petroglyphs on prehistoric cave walls, theatrical performances, oral stories, and later, movies.
Storytelling is a tool used for:
Education: Giving just the facts, narrating a concept. Nonfiction becomes more impactful if it includes an anecdote about the topic.
Selling: Inspiring the reader to believe something, and agree with the story-teller, or follow a call-to-action. A TV ad packs more punch if, instead of just extolling a product, it tells a story of a spill in the kitchen that gets wiped away or instantly cleaned up.
Entertainment: Having no agenda, telling stories just for enjoyment.
The entertainment type of storytelling I present today is in video games. The inception of video games was in the early 1970s. The technology at the time did not support intricate storytelling. It limited the plots, character development, and settings. Pong was like a simple tennis game between two people. Space Invaders had a very simple plot; the player had to defend the world from an alien attack.
In the 1980s and 1990s, gaming became more popular, technology improved, and developers were able to add narratives. They also introduced interactivity, where the player can make choices that influence the plot. As the genre further evolved, the games had multiple story paths with different outcomes, based on players’ choices.
Later, developments of wonderful 3-D graphics, sound, and mechanics allowed world-building and very sophisticated settings. Role-playing games became popular. In Chrono Trigger, players could jump between several eras, and Final Fantasy’s characters, while fighting evil, are dealing with their own internal conflicts and love relationships.
What is your favorite video game? My 10-year-old granddaughter is teaching me a game where I get to design, with a hairdo and clothes, my own protagonist, to represent me. In many plot twists, I have fallen off countless cliffs, run into a myriad of brick walls, and engaged in a few sword fights with zombies. I DO love a good adventure story!
My love of stories makes me an avid fan of the Desert Foothills Book Festival, being held on October 18, 2025 at the Holland Center, 34250 N 60th Street Scottsdale, AZ . See their website: https://desertfoothillsbookfestival.com for more details. I’ll be wandering through memoirs, romance, inspirational books, science fiction, children’s books, mysteries (my favorite), fantasy, “how-to” books, and historic novels. I hope you’ll join me!
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