*I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to put this thread in this section.
Earlier this year, in February, our school took some mandatory tests and essays for the district and state, and now we received our scores. My teacher had read and graded my essay according to standards (1 being crappy; 2, passable; 3, good; 4, touching perfection). The prompt was, "Write a composition about a shocking moment that happened in your life." My topic I chose happened to be when Aeris died in Final Fantasy VII. Now, mind you, these teachers probably haven't played video games before. And I only had an hour or so to make an essay (after the multiple choice section). The judges had given me a 3, 2, and 3. My teacher didn't know if to grade it a 3 or a 4 because she never read a topic on video games. Give your opinion of it, and add any suggestions. Also note, the essay was aimed at a broader audience, people who did and didn't play FFVII, so most of this stuff you probably know already.
Tapping into knowledge of a world unknown, I had the urge to find her, the only person able to save the world from total annihaliation. Why does she run away? I caught up to her and found a desolate, empty village, her homeland. Walking down the steps toward an ethereal place, I saw her kneeling, praying. I said to myself, “Aeris,” only to see a man swoop down in one of the finest, exciting, and most shocking moments in not only my history, but to the entire video gaming world.
Final Fantasy VII, as it was called, was a mega-blockbuster hit across the world, but why? Why is it so great? The man swooping down, Sephiroth, stabs Aeris through the chest with a six-foot long blade, with Cloud, the main character, standing helpless. Calling Sephiroth a “man” is pretty modest, especially when he went through genetic and radioactive mutations before his birth. And Aeris is a last surviving member of her race, the ancients, the only one able to counter Sephiroth’s evil intentions. That explains the vacancy of her hometown. But all of this doesn’t explain how this event is so significant. Death occurs often: in plays, novels, and movies. So how does the game reach the pinnacle of success? Go ask the obsessive fans.
A classic from 1997, the Playstation hit from SquareSoft (now SquareEnix, after a merger) had a multimillion dollar budget and an unprecedented three CDs of video game. That’s 60+ hours of playing time! With ground-breaking graphics, musical score, and storyline, the game was set to become a success. Without the public raving about the said moment, though, the game would have diminished of its fame. I read stories and letters in today’s gaming magazines that still have fans trying to find to revive or save Aeris from death. After over eight years, crazed people still ask the inevitable question. One parent sent a letter of their child playing FFVII. She said her son burst into tears when meeting this part of the game. Dying in the first CD of the game doesn’t help the cause against evil, but it sure does rack up lots of profit.
“Cloud, I know how you feel.” My childhood friend comforts me on the back. “She has gone to a better place.” I realize now I must complete my task, my fate. I must avenge Aeris’s death; I see a hope, and a will to push on to save the Planet. Two more CDs to go, an adventure awaits me.
I'm trying to make a revised copy of it already so it would be much more fluid and make more sense for my teacher. I'll post it up later when I get it done.
Earlier this year, in February, our school took some mandatory tests and essays for the district and state, and now we received our scores. My teacher had read and graded my essay according to standards (1 being crappy; 2, passable; 3, good; 4, touching perfection). The prompt was, "Write a composition about a shocking moment that happened in your life." My topic I chose happened to be when Aeris died in Final Fantasy VII. Now, mind you, these teachers probably haven't played video games before. And I only had an hour or so to make an essay (after the multiple choice section). The judges had given me a 3, 2, and 3. My teacher didn't know if to grade it a 3 or a 4 because she never read a topic on video games. Give your opinion of it, and add any suggestions. Also note, the essay was aimed at a broader audience, people who did and didn't play FFVII, so most of this stuff you probably know already.
Tapping into knowledge of a world unknown, I had the urge to find her, the only person able to save the world from total annihaliation. Why does she run away? I caught up to her and found a desolate, empty village, her homeland. Walking down the steps toward an ethereal place, I saw her kneeling, praying. I said to myself, “Aeris,” only to see a man swoop down in one of the finest, exciting, and most shocking moments in not only my history, but to the entire video gaming world.
Final Fantasy VII, as it was called, was a mega-blockbuster hit across the world, but why? Why is it so great? The man swooping down, Sephiroth, stabs Aeris through the chest with a six-foot long blade, with Cloud, the main character, standing helpless. Calling Sephiroth a “man” is pretty modest, especially when he went through genetic and radioactive mutations before his birth. And Aeris is a last surviving member of her race, the ancients, the only one able to counter Sephiroth’s evil intentions. That explains the vacancy of her hometown. But all of this doesn’t explain how this event is so significant. Death occurs often: in plays, novels, and movies. So how does the game reach the pinnacle of success? Go ask the obsessive fans.
A classic from 1997, the Playstation hit from SquareSoft (now SquareEnix, after a merger) had a multimillion dollar budget and an unprecedented three CDs of video game. That’s 60+ hours of playing time! With ground-breaking graphics, musical score, and storyline, the game was set to become a success. Without the public raving about the said moment, though, the game would have diminished of its fame. I read stories and letters in today’s gaming magazines that still have fans trying to find to revive or save Aeris from death. After over eight years, crazed people still ask the inevitable question. One parent sent a letter of their child playing FFVII. She said her son burst into tears when meeting this part of the game. Dying in the first CD of the game doesn’t help the cause against evil, but it sure does rack up lots of profit.
“Cloud, I know how you feel.” My childhood friend comforts me on the back. “She has gone to a better place.” I realize now I must complete my task, my fate. I must avenge Aeris’s death; I see a hope, and a will to push on to save the Planet. Two more CDs to go, an adventure awaits me.
I'm trying to make a revised copy of it already so it would be much more fluid and make more sense for my teacher. I'll post it up later when I get it done.
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