For the Mass Effect Trilogy, that is when you know a game has you by its claw. When you want to read everything and know everything about that game, it's a wonderful feeling.

Shadow of the Colossus is one that comes to my mind right away. I knew it was something special after defeating the first colossi. The art direction, the music, and the sense of scale all blend together perfectly to create a powerful sense of isolation in a beautiful world. I was especially inspired by the various colossi in the game; such incredible creatures.

t3mporary_126 said: Zelda games taught me that pure power alone, although terribly great, is not a justified end to a means (hope i worded that right!). And courage is a trait that one shouldn't take for granted. Oh and to be nice towards living things or they'll call their kind to ambush you. In fact, I once saw two kids pick on a a crow outside of my front yard. They then carried the crow and walked away from my point of view, so I couldn't see what happened next. But I heard a dozen other crows suddenly cawing and the kids shouting in fright soon afterwards.

I love hearing stuff like this. Although videogames haven't taught people how to get into Harvard, they can teach you great morals. Zelda is a strong one in particular. It is so symbolic. I feel like a professor reading papers or something.

Let's just hope those kids didn't learn that it's okay to jump off a roof with a chicken...which sadly happened some time ago. :(

roadkillers said: I'll take this one on. Pokemon: There was something to it when you would inevitably lose, you would have to pick yourself back up and train harder. You kept training until you understood your foes weakness or you were powerful enough to just bypass the weaknesses. This generalizes life in a lot of ways, the estetic of getting knocked down only to pull yourself back up. The people that send you on your adventure whether family or friends you have to leave behind just to come back in the end and celebrate. Other aesthetics are realized and taught, I haven't followed the recent games, but up to Gold/Silver it was not always easy. Sometimes you would encounter a Pokemon that you wanted, but could not get because of whatever reason. The game taught to go back when you are ready or find different means to get what you need (I received Mew not through the competitions, but through a very lucrative trade). You get what you need at that point in life, you do not sit around and wait. I'm kind of pumping out traits, but Pokemon is the most wanted MMO (along with GTA) game that is not currently a MMO for a reason. It is relative to life, the way we live. Pokemon trainers are people waking up everyday to go to work, they just put a fancy coat of paint over it and make it look pretty. There are lots of games that can be shown working in a fully functional way. The way us Americans love football is the way that the Pokemon universe loves Pokemon Battles. It is a sport, Pokemon is a sport. With virtual reality on its way I am very excited what Nintendo could possibly do with this franchise and the fun that can be had in future iterations.

Pokemon is a good one. The way you interpret it is very interesting as I never thought of it that way. "Going back and training until you are ready", that's a life lesson that not nearly enough people try to recall. Really cool. The comparison of Battling being a sport is very profound as well. I think that's what connects players all around the world no matter what their walk of life is. Great find.

USF4. There's something about when you see a high ranked fighter and you're just a guy with a Sumo Wrestler trying to get better. And beating them. It always reminds me that no one is invincible and even I can win with training.

No games have ever inspired me as a person, but as a game designer, there are a handful.

Earthbound. Pokemon Platinum. Wind Waker. Journey. PT. Super Metroid.

It's the strange qualities of pokemon to me that make it a joy to play which can leave a mark on your mind. The Last of Us was a good one too because it lets players know that it's okay to get lost in the story, just as long as you don't forget how to play the game in the process. Games like that have always been really inspirational.

That's fine. I understand the design aspects as well. Earthbound taught me a lot as well design wise. I really should get back to playing Pokemon Platinum. It's the only mainstream Pokemon game that I have yet to fully play.

You should. It's the best one, aside from running slowly.

Awesome thread!

Most Zelda games inspire me in some way, not necessarily to DO or BE anything, but just the creativity and adventure and heart of the story and characters always inspires me.

Illusion of Gaia on SNES is the same way. The first time I played that game, I was blown away. The game deals with things like reincarnation, love, death, spirituality, and all these complex issues that I appreciated way more as an adult. The ending was pretty tearful for me and the music throughout the game is so beautiful, it always fills me with this sense of hope or beauty or something. It's good, that's for sure. lol

Games like Metroid Prime, Bioshock, The Last of Us usually inspire me, creatively. I'm always in awe of how developers create these lush, beautiful worlds and combine them with amazing music to make you feel......well, inspired. lol

I'm probably not expressing myself very well. Most of these games just give me the "feels" and the experiences or sensations so it's hard to put into words. All very inspiring to me, though.