Tag: Pokémon

[Media Meandry] Meditative, Competitive, Narrative

This entry in my playthrough of Pokémon LeafGreen will be less directly related to character building/discovery and more metaphorical, exploring what interests me about Pokémon and other media along with their relation to what I want to create. The way I see it, all media are tools to teach or entertain, but it’s a matter of finding that which teaches or entertains what is relevant to you. You can do that with defining and refining.

Novel Spoilers?: Minor [Interests directing novel’s path]
Game Spoilers? None

WANNA CONSIDER THAT ONCE YOU DEFINE AND REFINE THE ELEMENTS OF MEDIA YOU LIKE, YOU CAN THEN EITHER FIND OR BUILD YOUR OWN MEDIA THAT SPEAKS TO THOSE ELEMENTS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Downsizing Zeal] When To Save?

Does the hoarding mindset allow clutter to reside within the space it’s allowed to have, unchecked? Yesterday, before going out, I saw a note on the door to my apartment-mansion stating that management would be touring apartments. I’ve already cleared out all the unchecked clutter so I felt confident to let them be. I can invite people over now, whereas in my old place, I could not. I’ve learned to keep my open space saved.

WANNA NOTE WHEN YOU SHOULD SAVE OR SAVE OVER YOUR FILES? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Generic Character List

While I haven’t done the degree of character design I had brainstormed out in “Incidents Build Characters,” during this play session of Pokémon LeafGreen, I realized that I was overthinking things. I can start simply then build out the characters that need building out. When I came across the need to name three new characters around a central theme, I decided to build out a Generic Character List for Novel 02 based on material from Novel 01.

Novel Spoilers?: Minor [Planning out new/old characters]
Game Spoilers? None

WANNA CONSIDER HOW BUILDING FOUNDATIONAL CHARACTER MATERIALS CAN HELP BUILD CHARACTERS MORE THOROUGHLY? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Incidents Build Characters

As I continue along toward completing my playthrough of Pokémon LeafGreen, I’ve wondered about the benefits of playing this game from not just a relaxation/escapist perspective, but from a narrative perspective. In “Inconsequentially Building Characters,” I have wondered whether having the names alone would be enough to help me brainstorm character ideas? I decided no, overall. Organic, non-contrived storytelling is usually better, in my opinion.

Novel Spoilers?: Minor [Are characters created? Discovered?]
Game Spoilers? None

WANNA CONSIDER HOW CRAMMING UNRELATED THINGS INTO YOUR WORKS CAN FEEL WEIRD FOR MYRIAD REASONS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Inconsequentially Building Characters

When I introduce new characters into my fiction, as I did with characters in my first novel, I started off with a batch of characters that the main character, Sammohini, would interact with throughout the novel. I’ve been using my playthrough of Pokémon LeafGreen to brainstorm character attributes. While I decided on one new character during this session, I don’t think anymore that tangental character naming is an effective tool of deciding on new characters.

Novel Spoilers?: Minor [just naming names, processes]
Game Spoilers? None

WANNA CONSIDER HOW YOU CAN BRAINSTORM NEW CHARACTERS BY BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS INTO NEW WORLDS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[The Story] Playing Videogames Together

John and Trishna in “The Story” bond online over their shared interests in videogames, so once they have the opportunity to meet in person, videogames will be a hobby they share. I’ve imagined they primarily play long-form RPGs or other less competitive games, but what kinds specifically, and why? Would they be realistically based on real-world games or would they be imaginarily based on anything? Would they create their own small, amateur games as well?

Spoilers?: Minor [background character development]
WANNA CONSIDER HOW VIDEOGAMES REPRESENT A VALID STORYTELLING MEDIA? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Recatching Escapist Tendencies

What is it about a videogame aimed primarily at children that appeals to me so deeply? Answering that question in detail will require going through specific experiences, so let’s summarize Pokémon, and specifically LeafGreen as the culmination of everything I had wanted from other videogames as a kid from a pure gameplay perspective. 150+ playable characters with individual strengths and weaknesses? In a saccharine, idyllic world? The games appeal to me most when I’m feeling unwell.

WANNA CONSIDER THE COMPULSIONS FOR COMFORT AND ESCAPE? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Sober Living] Leveling Up Sobriety

How can I level up my sobriety? Let’s look at how I’ve done so since I started writing about sobriety over two years ago. My biggest positive change was learning to recognize when I’m experiencing stress. That’s my main trigger for moments that might encourage me to indulge in insobriety. If life is going well, and not just from some outward appearances but if I feel like my life is going well, why risk that?

WANNA WANNA CONSIDER HOW I’VE LEVELED UP MY SOBRIETY? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Catching What’s Next

Throughout these essays where I’ve brainstormed while playing Pokémon LeafGreen, I’ve discovered realizations about videogame mechanics/stories I like and my motivations in life. I might not have realized half these were it not for this challenge of figuring out why I like or dislike certain things while playing. How will I apply these realizations? Besides playing more videogames with the leveling up mechanics I like and positioning myself toward a lifestyle that’s more predictably satiating?

WANNA DECIDE WHEN TO CATCH EM… AND WHEN TO MOVE ON? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Media Meandry] Videogames Aren’t Ambiguous

Videogames like Pokémon LeafGreen aren’t ambiguous because you have to understand what you’re doing in order to play. Mostly… I hated the SpeedRunners demo I tried recently because the game drops you in without warning into its tutorial. Without the ability to change settings, get my barrings, or anything to reduce the ambiguity, I was left frustrated. Pokémon won’t let you play until you’ve covered the basics. If only life were less ambiguous like that..

WANNA CONSIDER ONE REASON WHY VIDEOGAMES ARE MORE FUN THAN INFINTELY-COMPLEX THOUGHTS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!