I Have a New Story that You’ve Read Before

March 29th, 2010 by The Polski Samurai, under Why are you reading this?. No Comments. 278 views

A couple weeks ago I took a very rare vacation to Florida and during this time I made sure not to be in a twenty foot radius of a computer or television.  It was fantastic. However, I missed some current events during my leave: the death of Peter Graves, selection Sunday for the March Madness Tournament, and the release of the video game, God of War 3. I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of God of War 3 after being a fan of the previous two games so this was the only torture I had to endure. As soon as I came back to the real world, I instantly purchased the game and beat it in about a week or two. Unfortunately, after finishing the game I didn’t have that taste of bliss I was anticipating over the past couple years. Then I started thinking, I’ve been feeling a lot like this lately. A feeling of being let down after an abundance of built up anticipation. Not just with video games but with all forms of entertainment. Then it hit me. Too many stories in today’s media word are predictable, redundant, or sometimes too risky.

Many scholars have come to accept that there are only seven different plot types that every story has been told or will be told. There are several different interpretations of each category, but seven plots are a common assessment:

1. [wo]man vs. nature
2. [wo]man vs. man
3. [wo]man vs. the environment
4. [wo]man vs. machines/technology
5. [wo]man vs. the supernatural
6. [wo]man vs. self
7. [wo]man vs. god/religion

A hero saves the day, a woman falls into tragedy, or a comedic friendship all have been told throughout history. For the most part, people know this whether they realize it or not. So when we blast our opinions on the internet or tell our peers to not see the new summer blockbuster, what do we really want? Take your pick: another book about a child who was destined to save the world or a standard action flick with over-the-top violence? Sometimes people just want to be entertained even if they know what they’re getting themselves into.

Going back to God of War 3, the series is comprised of multiple action adventure games based off of Greek mythology. When the first God of War (GOW) game arrived in 2005, reviewers and gamers were blown away with state of the art graphics, new control schemes, and above all, a captivating story that combined Greek tragedy with a modern tone. The series follows the “protagonist,” Kratos, through his trials and tribulations while seeking revenge on the Greek gods. Throughout his journeys, Kratos suffers from sins from the past, love, betrayal, and anger. This theme really brought all the small pieces together to create somewhat of an interactive movie. Jumping forward two years, GOW 2 was released and received similar reception from its predecessor. Again, GOW 2 pushed graphical interface limits and drew the players in with a solid, yet not has breathtaking story.  Now in 2010, GOW 3 hit the shelves after years of high expectations for the trilogy’s conclusion. But did the game live up to the hype?

Of course it did. However, the reviews were more in favor of how the game looked and played as opposed to an overall achievement in gaming. In fact the main criticism was that the story was lackluster and didn’t have any standout revelations. Even Kratos, the character gamers loved and admired, started off in the first game as a vengeful warrior then transformed into more of a, well, asshole.  After beating the game I was a little dumbfounded yet confused at the same time. Sure I enjoyed the overall experience but I felt something was wrong. This wasn’t the story I wanted. A one dimensional character that kills everything in his path was the complete opposite from where this tale began. Yes, the overall theme of the game was unique but the series started as a Greek tragedy to a predictable action flick.

When Avatar came to theatres late last year, I had a similar feeling of partial dissatisfaction. Everyone and their mom have seen Avatar. You couldn’t walk ten steps without hearing about Avatar or 3D or James Cameron. Even before the movie was released the publicity was unprecedented. People ran to the theatres and created box office records. With amazing visuals and delivering what it had promised, Avatar lived up to the expectations. But the reactions were very similar to God of War 3. The film lacked the main ingredient to combine all the acting, special effects, and cinematography into an Oscar winning picture.  A story that not only has been told before but also with several different versions, Avatar followed this formula to a tee.

Mechanical plots in film weren’t the only cause of my discontented purchases. The comic book crossover “One More Day” was supposed to change the future of Spider-Man for generations to come. After the four-part miniseries concluded, one of its biggest reviews stated that the comics had beautiful art but the plot fell under a classic case of deus ex machina.  In addition, several bestselling books of the decade, The Da Vinci Code, The Secret, and Twilight, have received monstrous reviews regarding story structure or unoriginality. I am sad to say I have read two out of three of these and would not recommend them.

It just seems that no one is happy. But with a book selling 80 million copies or a movie earning 2.7 billion dollars worldwide at the box office, the numbers prove that consumers still yearn to be taken away from their everyday lives. When looking back at God of War 3, Avatar, and other recent works, I definitely had fun and that was the main goal. However, no matter what special effects, graphical engine, or suburb artwork a piece of media may have, people still focus on the story as the centerpiece of imagination. Whether it has been done before or not, a plot may produce sales but also ruin its status as an influential creation.