What Final Fantasy means to me

[Hero without a Name]

13 years....13 years ago I picked up a ps1 controller and I started playing FF7 for the first time in my life, and I fell in love with the game. Was it because of the storyline? The music? The characters? Maybe because despite their struggles and everything they go through, they manage to save the world. In some games, such as IV and X they are recognized for their accomplishment and are praised by their world, but in other games such as VII, no one gets a trophy, but everyone knows they did their part to save the world.

I'm 25 now and I have played almost every single game, with the exception of I and II on the ps1, I have played every single FF and although I have yet to beat them all, each time I play them I get lost into the game. Is it because the game is so good? Or is it because we want to be heroes?

The truth is, we live in a big world and although we do a lot of good in our lives, we still want to one day save everyone or save the actual world, I think that's the hook with FF, because despite each characters personal journeys they all manage to do the job and end their journey.

Sure it'd be nice to use phoenix downs and save our friends from death, or avenge people, etc, etc but if we try that in the real world, you get the chair! All I'm saying is, this game is more than a game to me. It reminds me that you might not carry a huge sword, you might not a huge rack (Tifa), you might not be able to wield magic, and you not have any cool weapons, cool cars, or gadgets, you can still be a hero, it's just the matter of finding something to save. That's my opinion anyway.

[Judge Magistrate]

I know how you feel man. FF was an outlet of escape from the real world when I was in middle school. I actually used FF to make me stronger for when I got to high school, it helped to. I'm going to buy some replicas of swords eventually as a reminder of the good ole days.

[The_Dream_Recluse]

Final Fantasy will always hold a special place in my heart as being one of my inspirations for writing. Growing up with VII, then later X, X-2, XII, XIII and now I through to VI, every game has managed to create a new and interesting world that has taken me out of the realm of normalcy and boredom and into a fictional land where i can become a hero and gain that sense of accomplishment and pride that is sadly lacking in the real world.

Plus, in some of the games, the drama and emotion compels these characters to become something more than just characters - they become real. Traveling with these characters through a 30 + hour journey, we become privy to their adventures and their spiritual, mental, physical and philosophical development - almost like we have an exclusive look behind the curtain of their personal lives.