A dose of mythology…from Pokemon.
I’m at the point in gaming where I should seriously take a break from it.
After beating:
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Uncharted
Uncharted 2
Asura’s Wrath
and Mass Effect 2
all within a month, I noticed that my social life has become quite…limited. Not saying that I didn’t have a good time- In fact… everything that happened within all of these games was truly inspirational towards my writing and I feel that it really broadened my horizons. I find myself looking into alot of mythology and legends that typically lead me to uncountable hours of Wikipedia knowledge about several religions but mostly Buddhism. You’ll be surprised to see how much Buddhist and Japanese mythology is prevalent in video games.
This one is a personal favorite:
Do you guys remember the Pokemon, Magikarp to Gyrados Evolution?
Magikarp who represents the Carp fish or more commonly known as Coi (Nishikigoi) represents the seasonal fish who swim against the current of the Yellow River. Following the river to its source lies a waterfall nicknamed the Dragon Gate. Legend says that when these fish swim in abundance, the River looks like it’s full of gold - thus comes the name the Yellow River. As the demons of folklore laugh as they spectate these stubborn fish continue to swim upstream and even up the waterfall, they laugh and make the waterfall even higher.
However, after a hundred years these fish still manage to reach their goal- and the Gods smiled upon them approvingly and transformed the fish into a powerful dragon. The story represents overcoming adversity and fulfilling one’s destiny/goals. Also one of the main reasons why Koi and Dragons are tattooed so often.
