What Inspired Me to Write

As a writer, I’m often asked if I enjoyed reading and writing as a youth. The answer may surprise you–I did not. I listened to a few books on CD growing up, and read a handful of required material for highschool, but I neither read or wrote much beyond the boundaries of school. I’ve given a great deal of thought to that fact. How is it that someone so far removed from the literary world fell in love with writing?

Until recently, I didn’t have an answer. I thought back to my writing experience. The only other time I actively wrote took place while I was a missionary in Thailand for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For those unfamiliar with this missionary practice, you need to understand that the church has a lot of rules for its missionaries. While I served, one of those rules stated that I couldn’t speak with my family except for once a week through e-mail, and two video calls a year on Mother’s Day and Christmas.

For a while, I thought my inspiration for writing came from those weekly emails I wrote. I never felt particularly good at it, but I occasionally had people respond to tell me that I had a knack for it. Still, this explanation didn’t sit right with me. There had to be a deeper reason. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out, but I eventually cracked the case. My inspiration for becoming a writer goes back to some of my earliest memories.

See, as a child I played a lot of video games. There’s a stigma around that, I know. Video games can have a lot of negative side effects on people. I know that first hand, but there are also several cases to be made for how they help you. In my case, video games taught me how to think critically and solve problems, but they also inspired me to be a writer. Here’s how:

In my opinion, every good game has a good story with rich story building. Since I liked those kinds of games, I played them a lot. (Arguably more than I should have) They inspired me and taught me good values from bad ones. Even more so, they taught me what makes a good story.

That said, allow me to show you what I mean. Below is a list of games that I fell in love with because of their well-crafted stories:

1. Halo

My first video game love was Halo. As a child, I’d play a mission or two every couple of nights with my dad. In the progressing years, more and more Halo games came out, and I grew up with them. Halo is a combat game, but its world is incredible. At its core, the game explores a universe set in the future after mankind has moved beyond Earth. They come across various aliens and a massive organization bent on destroying or “resetting” all life. Through the franchise, you play as various selfless heroes, but mostly follow the story of a man with the title “Spartan 117” A.K.A. “Master Chief.”

The Halo world has built such a large following that you can now purchase Halo literature in popular bookstores like Barnes and Noble. I’ve never read any of it, but I’m thinking it might be time to dive in.

2. Uncharted

One of my favorite stories through any medium comes from the Uncharted franchise. I know I’m not the only one that thinks this, because there’s been a whole movie made about it. The story of these games are so compelling that I’ve even gone on youtube just to watch all the cutscenes. As for the story itself, it follows an intrepid explorer with absurd amounts of luck, wit, and skill. Think of Indiana Jones, but on steroids. There’s action, romance, and a wonderful amount of mystery. Overall, the game offers an extremely satisfying story that leaves me fulfilled in every way.

3. Speed Round

Finally, I want to touch on several other games. As much as I’d love to give them their own places on this list, I don’t want this blog to run much longer than it already has. Think of this as “the speed round,” ready? Go!

• Portal: A mysterious incredibly humorous world where a woman has to complete a series of tests to escape a super intelligent robot with some twisted code. (both games are phenomenal)

• Medal of Honor: These games are all about war, but not as brutal as games like “Call of Duty.” The games often use real world events for their missions, allowing the player to see the true destruction and sacrifice war comes with. It doesn’t so much glorify fighting and killing as it glorifies the brave people that sacrificed so much for freedom. (Plus it has some awesome soundtracks)

• Skyrim: Skyrim is different from the other games on this list. It has a solid story line and then some. As an open world experience, the player gets to write their own story. While there are many games that do this, Skyrim stands as one of the best. With its complex world building and captivating narratives, the stories easily enthrall the player.

• Horizon Zero Dawn: Easily one of the most interesting stories of any game I’ve played. I don’t want to spoil too much, but trust me, it is a joy to watch this story unfold.

Conclusion

There are many other games that influenced me over the years, but I don’t want to get too far away from the main point. Video games are more than blasting guns and running around. They’re products of collaboration and great thought. I owe much of my ability as a writer to the amazing stories that people wrote for those games. It’s strange to me that it took so long to figure out where my inspiration came from. Looking back now, it’s obvious. I love stories because I got exposed to great ones as I grew up.