The New Storytellers

Okay, I admit it — I'm a book snob. I'm the guy who always argues that the novel was far better than the movie version, that the book series was infinitely superior to the TV miniseries; richer, more nuanced, deeper, and more intelligent. I prefer to read it long before I view it (if I ever do), and I'm likely to complain about all the background, context, and seminal scenes that got chopped out of the original story because of theatrical runtime constraints or film directors who thought the character development was "boring."

As much as I love the feel of paper in my hands (or the comfort of an eBook that I can read anywhere at any time), I have to concede that the newest generation of storytellers can do miraculous things with dedication, diligence, the right software, and unbridled imagination. I'm not a gamer, but my boys are (three of them between the ages of 10 and 19). I've caught glimpses of the games they love, and some of those story lines are epic. Recently, my oldest and a friend of his paid tribute to one of these games, the Dark Souls franchise. They entered a contest to create a trailer that portrayed the lore behind the game. In the process, they worked their butts off: composed original music, wrote an original script that was hauntingly poetic, and interwove those elements with video that quite simply stole my breath away. Yes, I'm biased. Still, I defy you to watch the end result of their labors and not bow to the creativity and power of what they've wrought.

Overcoming Death — My Dark Souls Story

I'll always be a book snob. It's a generational thing. I'll always favor the written story over the visual one, I suspect; will inevitably prize the elegant turn of phrase over the magical visualization. Still, I can appreciate the artistry of the new generation of visual storytellers, their craft inspired by video games and YouTube channels. It's not what I grew up with... but it has its own magic, and it's growing on me.

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