I have always been interested in how video games can be more than just entertainment, such as way to tell stories and convey culture. I am especially curious about how modern developers find inspiration in folk tales and legends to create something new and original. What examples do you have of games that help to better understand a culture or tradition? Maybe someone has encountered games that are not just a game, but a real cultural experience?
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I think the important thing here is precisely the preservation and development of culture through interactivity. After all, games are not just passive viewing, but an active involvement of the player in the world of history. I like the idea that in such games you can participate in the preparation of holidays like Holi or Diwali, not just throwing paint, but interacting with a virtual community, which conveys the spirit of real traditions.
Yes, you are absolutely right - games are now becoming a powerful tool for cultural storytelling. It is especially interesting how young developers from India are increasingly turning to local folklore stories that rarely made it into the media before. They are exploring not only well-known epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but also lesser-known legends from different regions of the country, for example, from Assam or Jharkhand. Here's a great article detailing how exactly these kinds of stories are inspiring the next generation of game developers - you can read it here: https://www.mumbaikarsperspective.com/entertainment/indian-folklore-inspires-next-generation-of-game-developers/cid16798327.htm . What I especially like is that many of these games don't just offer a standard hero plot, but use ideas that are rarely seen in Western games, such as the idea of reincarnation, where decisions in one life affect the next. They also try to show difficult moral choices through the prism of karma and dharma. And it's also cool that games are starting to reveal strong female characters in new ways, rethinking traditional plots. This is a huge change in our perception and makes us think about how technology and tradition can combine to create new forms of art.