Saturday, December 13, 2008

A Story That Never Gets Old

I was reminded earlier today of Romeo And Juliet, and it occurred to me that the story is completely timeless. This story could very easily be rewritten beat for beat as a science fiction epic (imagine a stasis chamber instead of faking a death). It could be a fantasy story as well (use magic to fake death). I think this is why the story is so well received. Anyone in any setting can relate to it.

This gives me two ideas. The first would be to write the sci-fi version of Romeo And Juliet. I don't know if I'll actually do it, but it's a fun idea. The other is that stories, even in games, should be written to stand the test of time. I used to think that in order for a story to be special, it should be entirely original, but the more I study and the more I think about it, the more I see that for a story to really resonate with people, it should seem familiar. Take Star Wars for example. Everything in it is borrowed from something else. The story is the same story as every other hero's journey. And yet we love it, and it will be around for as long as Shakespeare.

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