A few decades ago the masses believed video games were a waste of time for lackadaisical youths to pacify themselves while ignoring their responsibilities as both kids and young adults. As more and more people started understanding the benefits of gaming so too did the perception of what a video game is and, most importantly, the benefits gaming can bestow on a person’s life changed.
Hi, my name is James Bullock and I am a gamer who has spent the better part of his existence testing the laws of physics, exploring the vastness of a world ruined, and been a champion inside various arenas courtesy of digitized worlds both driven by reality and created through pure unbelievable ingenuity unlike anything seen by human eyes. And as a gamer I’ve discovered something else video games provide: life lessons. Today I examine a story of revenge that spawns true freedom, “Max Payne”.
It’s Fear That Gives Men Wings
The story of “Max Payne” has been well documented. A former NYPD detective turned DEA agent with a hair trigger & a potential screw loose going through various areas of a blizzard bashed New York wasn’t necessarily unique even in the world of video games in 2001 when the initial game in the franchise was released. But certain gameplay elements made the original “Max Payne” different from almost every third-person shooter on the market including “bullet time” shooting to slow down time “Matrix” style and perform particularly precise headshots and game modes meant solely for the dedicated & hardcore. But the man behind a very twisted-up face had more pain running through his body & heart than being shot at on a constant basis and being injected with a very potent drug that would turn the sanest man into a homicidal maniac.
Players controlling Max discovered the reason for Payne’s need for revenge as a drug-induced robbery gone wrong saw the Payne family minus Max be slaughtered by dope fiends; leaving Max in a state of depression & rage. That need for revenge not only fueled Max’s violent spree through a blizzard across various mundane locales, it also gave Max true enlightenment as he would spew quotables throughout the game including one of the most profound things to come out of Max’s mouth about the relationship between fear & the indomitable spirit. Not Red Bull, but fear itself gives people wings. As Max proved running away from fear gives you nothing but regret & a lack of fulfillment. Throughout his journey Max has no choice but to face fear head-on including in his own subconscious; resulting in a cathartic experience for both himself & the player. Max not being afraid of fear gave him the confidence to fight through sure death & soar like an eagle … a gun-totting, time-halting eagle.
Have you learned any major life lessons from playing “Max Payne” or any video game for that matter? Leave them in the comments below and, as always, thanks for reading.