I've always been a fan of RPG's, The idea of taking charge of an avatar of myself in another context has always been exciting. There's a sort of escapism in any type of game people play, a way to break away from everyday life and launch into another world, as another person, perhaps not so different from yourself. In this life, I'm a broke college student, consistently on the brink of a nervous breakdown, but in "Choice of Robots", I'm a graduate student on the brink of a wonderful breakthrough, A.I intelligence, a robot named Sap, made of wood, capable of walking, talking, and thinking.
Choice of RobotsArt by: Jason Wiser
When one thinks of a choose-your-own-adventure, they think of the classic books one would flip through after each choice they make. "Go down the left corridor, turn to page 43". Gone are the days of flipping page to page frantically, we are now in the age of the smartphone and computer. Simply opening the app store can lead you to a wealth of different text-based adventures. A favorite of mine is Choice of Games, which publishes a new text-based story every Friday.
Some may be dissuaded due to the fact that most, if not all of these games, are entirely text-based. Have no fear video game lovers, most games come alongside extremely in-depth stats, measuring persuasion, empathy, selfishness, etc. Choices you make affect your outcomes within the game, changing the story significantly. As a wizard named Merlin in "Life of a Wizard", I buffed up my character's conjuration, and was able to summon the fiercest demon, but when it came time to heal myself, my stat was so low, I found myself in a tricky situation I won't list here for the sake of spoilers (Make sure you're well-balanced).
Life of a WizardArt by Vincent Cowley
The most important thing about these games, however, is how it reinvigorated my love of reading. Rather than riding a train on one-way, already-lain tracks, you find yourself to be the conductor, choosing where your story heads, with a myriad of choices and endings depending on these said choices. You find yourself entranced by a book for the first time in a while, clicking "Next" over and over, eager to see what each choice does to the story. It calls to mind the true reason why RPG lovers play and adore these very games. Stripped to its barest bones, they're captivating stories you can lose yourself in.
By playing these games, I found myself back in love with reading, back in love with the whole point of reading in the first place, losing yourself to a good story. We find ourselves in an age with overwhelming distractions, and things to occupy ourselves with that are significantly more stimulating than a book. Throw your preconceptions away, take a look at a choose-your-own-adventure, you may be surprised at how enticing a foray into a fantasy adventure can be when you lead the main character.
