Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

I think a part of the reason why I’m so captivated by story-telling, in whatever medium, is because I get to follow the created journey from beginning to end. In a video game, I get to lead the character on a quest to reach a goal, interact with colorful characters, and shifting environments that are constantly in flux and ever-changing. The challenges reward me as I overcome them, making the destination all the more sweeter.

I don’t think any game I’ve played encapsulates this better than thatgamecompany’s 2012 masterpiece Journey.

In case you’re not familiar with Journey, I highly recommend that you seek it out and try it for yourself – it’s a brief story, and can completed in about three hours or less. Oh, but what a glorious time it is! 

You take on the role of a nameless robed figure who sets out on a journey to cross the desert, and reach the peak of the mountain, where a mysterious light gleams brightly. The desert appears almost vast and never-ending; there are dunes to slide over as you approach the temple that will allows you to move forward on your quest.

One of the only mechanics you have in the game is movement; jumping with the ability to glide, so long as your mystic scarf remains powered up by glyphs found throughout the game. The longer your scarf is, the higher and farther you can go, which can help lead you to some hard-to-reach places and find more glyphs, allowing your scarf to grow even longer. There is also absolutely no dialogue throughout the entire game; the only way to communicate is by singing (or chirping) a single note, a visual pattern totally unique to yourself. In an innovative take of creating multiplayer engagement, players can interact and journey together with another player.

The lack of conventional dialogue and voice commands forces the players to cooperate and signal to one another using their chirps, but you quickly become fond of the fellow traveller moving alongside with you. Whenever your partner leaves the game, the robed figure sits cross-legged on the ground and quietly dissolves into dust, creating a somber kind of loneliness as you’re forced to move on again by yourself. Many times, though, the first traveller you come across can become your partner throughout the entire game. It’s incredibly heartwarming to be able to help guide each other through difficult dungeons in order to move on together, when it could be so much easier to leave them behind and continue the game on your own. Finishing the game with a partner and walking alongside them into the light together becomes even more satisfactory than it is when you complete it alone.

The story is told entirely through visuals and the body language of the characters. As your character progresses, you find a little bit more about the world you’re in, how it came to be deserted (as you travel nearly alone, completely isolated from any surrounding civilizations), and what lies at the peak of the mountain that you are ultimately trying to reach.

Playing Journey for the first time is an incredibly moving experience, especially for a video game as short as this one is. I fell in love with the bright colorful visuals, and the textures of the sand just seemed to pop out and come to life on my screen as I kept moving forward. The sunlight reflecting on the sand was heavenly to gaze upon, and the section of the game I fell in love with the most was the Road of Trials level, which is literally nothing but sand-surfing. I could feel my heart rise and my eyes widen near the end of the level, when you are sliding parallel to the mountain in the distance. I remember how bright the lighting was, almost to the point of blinding me – my room was enraptured in golden light as my character continued to surf on the chosen path, and the level soon came to an end. The music, brilliantly composed by Austin Wintory, helped bring the scene to life.

Just as there are wonders and treasures to behold, there are also mysteries to uncover, and trials and tribulations. Once the Road of Trials is completed, you are transported closer to the mountain, but the trade-off quickly becomes apparent as the sand quietly undergo a metamorphosis into snow. Beauty and warmth are traded for dark jagged corners, floating dungeons, and dangerous creatures that will attack you (and deplete your scarf length, making your journey all the more difficult), and cold blizzards.

The journey becomes just about impossible, and there comes a point late in the game where all appears to be lost, just as you are reaching the end. Somehow, though, a miracle occurs, and you are guided to the top of the mountain to complete your difficult, but rewarding journey.

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I find that my own journey in life parallels the one I experienced in the game, as I traversed through the desert to reach the mountaintop with my fellow traveller. I’m on my own unique journey that I’m still learning and discovering on with each and every passing day. Sometimes I experience joyful moments that I cannot wait to share with others. Other times though, my heart is crushed and all I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry as I slowly drift off to sleep.

This summer has been one of the most rewarding for me in a very long time. I made the decision from the beginning to be more proactive with my time, and be more in pursuit in my interests, rather than just remaining passive as I had been up to that point.

I began with a decision that helped set the tone of what was to come that summer, but I finally bought my very first, brand-new car with my own money that I had earned. I remember feeling very proud as I drove it out for the very first time, my family in tow – we were all marveling over my choice and how it was very well-suited for me. 

I didn’t stop there now that I had gotten my own wheels. I wanted to pursue enrichment for myself, and as an adult with a steady job, I finally had the means to do just that. I love music, as anyone does; I had taken piano lessons as a child, but like most children who are forced into things their parents make them do, I wasn’t happy when I kept making mistakes and was told that practice was the key to success. When I was twelve, I finally decided I had had enough, and finally stopped attending classes for good.

Fast forward a good ten-plus years later, and the idea popped into my head that I wanted to try out piano again. But wait, not just piano…but violin as well! Ooh, but why even stop there – we have a guitar at home that’s never been used…why can’t I learn guitar as well? So, determination caused me to sign up for not one, not two, but THREE music lessons. Several months in, and I’m enjoying the challenges each instrument bring; each are unique in their own way, but to my surprise, there’s a lot of overlap to what I’m learning between the three, even if the techniques differ. I find that learning music doesn’t frustrate me anymore; instead, I thrive on the challenges they bring. I find that the end of each lesson brings me joy as I see how I continue to learn and develop, and appreciate music on a deeper level than I ever had before.

I volunteered my time this summer, reaching out to young people, praying with them, and helping them grow in their relationship with God. I counseled them and gave them advice, and an ear to listen to, to the best of my capabilities. I found the entire experience enlightening, and though physically tired by its conclusion, my spirit was refreshed and felt light.

The one choice I was most proud of, however, was when I decided to create this place – Hope, Play, and Love. It’s important to me, because I finally took the courage to not only just go back to writing and creating, which is what I loved to do as a child, but to share my thoughts through my writing, about things I love, in hopes that they encourage others. I myself have been encouraged by the feedback I’ve gotten from friends and from guests who have visited this blog and shared their thoughts to me. I hope to continue to grow this blog, and that God may use it to reach others. 

I hope that this post helps encourage you to inspect your own life, and see how it very much is like a journey, with ups and downs – as every good journey must have. You may find yourself in a dark, cold rut, unable to move on, even with help…but remember this quote from your Guide, who makes this eternal promise to you:

Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”

Genesis 28:15 (GNT)

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