The greatness of telling stories through media

I love telling and experiencing stories. For a long time, this could only be done through speech, until the written word was invented.

Nowadays, there are many different platforms through which to tell stories, each platform bringing something new to the table.

Through film and television, a story can be told through visual images. It gives us a look into another persons life, or a great cataclysmic event. It’s as if we are there, living in that story, watching events unfold.

There are books, which have the freedom to create a much more detailed world and isn’t limited to a certain timeframe, such as 2 hours, or chapters being x minutes long. They describe the mental state of characters unlike anything a film can produce, the internal struggles that make a character likable, relatable and flawed.

There are games, which give a much more interactive spin on the visual story. Giving someone a sense of control over a story instead of just watching it, making them feel like the story is, in a way, their own, can summon emotions beyond compare. The feeling of dread within a proper horror game far surpasses that of a film, because now the player has to find his own courage to continue, now the person is IN the story. Now the person can save the world himself. Now the person has to make the ultimate sacrifice himself. Or herself.

Then there is the internet, which created stories on a much smaller scale. Real stories of real people who otherwise couldn’t be heard. Suddenly, everyone has a voice, although some stories tend to be more interesting than others (I don’t care about your last COOKING ADVENTURE MOM, NOW GET OFF FACEBOOK). On the other hand, important stories throughout the world can become much more apparent. Real issues can now be seen, making us much more aware of how the world is, rather than we’d only perceive it to be.

Lastly, I will say that speech is a medium upon itself, and creates yet another niche within the storytelling world. Because stories transform when passed on, different versions arise, until one day, you get great stories, not capable of being created by one man, yet ascended into greatness by the imagination of all people.

All different kinds of media transform the telling of a story into something of greatness. That is why I love my media, because through it I get to experience it all, I get to have so many options when it comes to creating it all. Because without media, there are no stories. And without stories, the world would be a much more boring place.

– David Kingma

Published by deuzemedialife

Mediastudies, University of Amsterdam

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