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1.Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom is also a contender for this of course, but I have to go with the first game because as the original its atmosphere of true, unique exploration of places completely new to you (and to the character!) was really special to me in my playthrough. No game embodies the joy of "Hey, what's that over there? Let's go find out!" gameplay better than Breath of the Wild. And of course it ties into my fictotype. I'm a wanderer. Link is a wanderer. In Breath of the Wild I (Swift, Link) am not tied down to anything; I can find myself on any road I like, and importantly, nobody knows who I am. I am simply the nameless traveler who caught them dragonflies, or came upon them being attacked and ran over the monster on my horse. I have no home; my home is the raft on the ocean, the horse I ride from one end of the kingdom to the other, the wind carrying me on my paraglider. There is a quote from an NPC in this game -- as all random NPCs, easy to miss: "I get the feeling going home isn't an option for you, so take care of yourself out there." It felt like the game was reaching out of the screen and speaking directly to me in this world, and the fact that something so poignantly relevant to Link was relevant to me in the exact same way made me feel... emotions.
2. Everything. I can think of no more obvious game to represent the full truth of what it means to be a shapeshifter archetype, what it means to really change. Many games will have you changing your body, maybe even turning into other species. But you always remain the same individual throughout. Your body might became that of a wolf's or a bird's, but your mind remains human... Everything does away with that. The body will always change, and so will the spirit. I am not permanent. I become. I have a quote for this one too: “As you experience all of the Universe’s things, each thing also experiences you. Things leave their mark on you as you leave your mark on things, and somewhere inside you is an impression of everything you’ve been.” I always think of the swift fox when I remember this quote. I am not a swift fox. But when it was my theriotype, I was a swift fox. I will always change, and the things I have been will stay with me, even if they aren't me anymore. I mean... just look at my name. The only thing that will never change about me is that I will always change. There's another quote, from my past self. Clearly she was right.
3. Spore. I mean, what else would it be, to represent the concept of adaptation, opportunism? The game is about evolution, the literal natural process. Unlike the other two this is a childhood game for me. (I mean of course, the other two are only seven years old. This came out in 2008.) I don't have as much to say about this one. It really speaks for itself. But I will say this. This game was formative for me for a reason. In a way, it helps to materialize how my archetypes tie together. The game is about changing yourself and wandering, both in the name of evolution. To wander is to change for no purpose. To adapt is to change for a purpose.
2. Everything. I can think of no more obvious game to represent the full truth of what it means to be a shapeshifter archetype, what it means to really change. Many games will have you changing your body, maybe even turning into other species. But you always remain the same individual throughout. Your body might became that of a wolf's or a bird's, but your mind remains human... Everything does away with that. The body will always change, and so will the spirit. I am not permanent. I become. I have a quote for this one too: “As you experience all of the Universe’s things, each thing also experiences you. Things leave their mark on you as you leave your mark on things, and somewhere inside you is an impression of everything you’ve been.” I always think of the swift fox when I remember this quote. I am not a swift fox. But when it was my theriotype, I was a swift fox. I will always change, and the things I have been will stay with me, even if they aren't me anymore. I mean... just look at my name. The only thing that will never change about me is that I will always change. There's another quote, from my past self. Clearly she was right.
3. Spore. I mean, what else would it be, to represent the concept of adaptation, opportunism? The game is about evolution, the literal natural process. Unlike the other two this is a childhood game for me. (I mean of course, the other two are only seven years old. This came out in 2008.) I don't have as much to say about this one. It really speaks for itself. But I will say this. This game was formative for me for a reason. In a way, it helps to materialize how my archetypes tie together. The game is about changing yourself and wandering, both in the name of evolution. To wander is to change for no purpose. To adapt is to change for a purpose.
