Growing up, what I've learned most, and
this may sound silly to some, but I've learned to always choose to be
a hero. I learned this from playing many video games with stories
that surrounded the idea of heroism, and I thank my brother in the
first place for introducing me to games, for every character I've
played, I've learned their morals and lived virtually through their
experiences. Sounds absolutely bonkers, I know. But trust me, if you
really think deeply about it, it really isn't so far-fetched to learn
ideals from games. Everyone learns from something and depending on
the circumstances, if it were a good or bad situation, doesn't
necessarily mean you copy someone or something's actions, but rather
you learn from experiences and consequences from the choices you make
through your avatar.
Here's a few examples of some of the
greatest video games I've played. First one being, The Legend of
Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, this truly was a magnificent game which
the plot was about a hero who had to face many obstacles in the face
of evil. Now, the memories I've had of having the pleasure of being
able to play this game as part of my childhood, besides the fact it
was such a fun, stress free game, was that the game was so enticing,
it pulled me into the hero's shoes, and every heroic choice made in
the game was an exhilarating and rewarding feeling of being on the
“good side” which made me feel happy to be a hero. 
Another great
video game that I remember learning the ideas of heroism is from
Super Metroid. A science fiction game about a heroic female bounty
hunter who could beat up any foe no matter how big it may be. Through
this character's shoes, I've learned to want to be a fierce,
independent heroine in any adversity I may come across, especially
the feeling, I remember, of the excitement in anticipation when my
character had to take on a huge, evil, alien life-form called, “The
Motherbrain.” This was a simply heroic battle, and right after its
slaying, a timer went off and you had to escape in the nick of time
before the area you were in would explode. During this, if you were
willing to sacrifice some seconds off the timer, the game throws you
the choice of saving a group of animals you came across earlier. Of
course, I chose to save the animals and the feeling of being a hero
towards the end of the game made me feel more accomplished.
Lastly, a video
game called Fable II was among my very favorites. This game had to do
with choosing between good and evil. You started out as a child, and
from the very beginning of the game, you were given choices to make
that would alter the morality of your character all the way to
adulthood and depending on whether you made morally good choices or
bad ones, it altered, not only your character's appearance, but the
storyline. Now, I recall, when I had first played through the
storyline, that I had chose only the morally heroic options presented
to me. I loved and enjoyed the outcome of the storyline for my
character, but then, once, I had completed it, I decided to try a
darker path that I'm not usually inclined to playing in video games;
“the bad guy.” I was very curious of the different possible
outcomes if I chose to do evil in the game. I replayed the game a
second time from the beginning and made my character evil, and in the
end, it didn't feel as fulfilling or fun as playing “the good guy.”
I didn't feel pulled into the characters shoes as much, nor, did I
feel the satisfaction of finally conquering my character's struggles.
It just wasn't as “fun” to be bad. So this actually helped me
in learning to always choose to be a hero, because it is not only the
right thing to do, but it is also more fulfilling to do so.
So take my
learning perspective as you will, and as I stated earlier, if you
think deeply about it, it's really not so far-fetched to learn your
ideals from video games, and this sure can make a whole lot of sense
when you're a geek like me, whose memories have instilled the
learning experiences of all of these heroes I've played in video
games. After all, from the beginning of time, we've learned of the
rewards and consequences of heroes and villains from books. What
makes learning the moral tales in video games any different from those we've taken from storybooks? Well, one thing's for sure, I will certainly never forget
what I've learned from these stories because of being able to
actually play through them. The satisfaction in the choosing to be a
hero, has made me think twice in walking by someone who is in need of
help in real life, and by helping someone, I could be a hero for that
moment, no matter how small or grand a deed may be, so long as it
helps to make someone's day.
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