The Story

I was sitting down with some of my old friends a few years ago.  We somehow started discussing movies.  I, being an avid Star Wars fan, was obligated to bring up said movies.  There is something I should have realized about the particular group I was hanging with: they were the "theater crowd" portion of my friends (don't get me wrong, I love theater, it is a pastime I wish I had been able to continue in college).  Immediately I was beset with accusations of poor acting, writing, and directing.

Quite taken aback at how critical they were of my favorite movies, I decided to go home and watch the original trilogy.  Upon inspection of the movies, I realized that yes, some qualities of the films were a bit less than spectacular.  But why had I not noticed this the five billion other times I had watched the movies?

The answer came to me in about all of two seconds.

The story.

I like the movies for the story. Not the writing, not the directing, not the acting, not the prop orientation, and not the frickin lighting.  The story.  The story drug me in, pulled me along for every moment.  As a kid, I dreamed of carrying a lightsaber at my side, using Force powers, and flying my own X-wing.

Thinking about this, I started evaluating the importance of story. Technical details have their place, but the true mark of any good film, book, video game, or other story-telling method should be the way it's told (For a good look at the video game side of things, take a look at the blog of a good friend of mine).

Think about the books or movies you like. Why do you like them? Is it because of the way the words are aligned on the page or the way a specific prop in a movie is set? I'm guessing that most of you say it's because of something to do with the story.

I just finished reading the Harry Potter series for the first time (the reason for that is another thought for another time). They were quite enjoyable, despite the slight "easy" reading style.  The story was good enough for me to see past the flaws, such as writing style, I might have otherwise put at the forefront of my thinking.

The next time you sit down and play your favorite video game or watch your favorite movie, just think about it for a bit; think about how its universe draws you in, how you relate to the characters, how it entertains you.

Of course, you may be more comfortable criticizing every aspect of a movie, book, or video game.  I hope you're having fun with that.

But every time I like see, read, or play something I like, I'll be doing it for the story.

Disclaimer: these are my thoughts, you don't have to listen to them.

Life changing? Probably not.

Interesting? Perhaps.

Do with them what you will. They are my thoughts.

Just thoughts.