Into the Myst

This post is long, long overdue, but it is worth making regardless. Those who have been reading my blog know that I am attracted to a variety of things outside of Pokémon, and I should note one more. I'm also a fan of the Myst series of games, which are bestsellers in their own right and have appeared (the first one, at least) on Nintendo consoles, making them almost "next-door neighbors" to some Pokémon games. And like Pokémon games, the games of the series are major successes in their own right, being best-sellers for a number of years.

I was introduced to the first game of the series, incidentally, at about the same time I was introduced to Pokémon, and this led into interest in the other games of the series. As a result, I take some inspiration from them as well. Through the Myst series, I become interested to consider wholesome principles in many things that I deal with, including that which I deal with the most, which is Pokémon. The games are adventure games, and while some of the sense of adventure is different from all things Pokémon, sometimes there are parallels, especially in a cinematic sense - some feelings evoked in the games may also be perceived in the Pokémon anime, for example. It's something deep and demands further explanation and illustration than the general overview in this post. 

A good number of my old posts actually make references to the games in the Myst series. Four months ago, I detailed three rules for an adventure; those three rules were specifically designed for Myst, and I made them become related to Pokémon. Some years ago, I discussed the (possible) use of journals, specifically with regard to Pokémon; journals are in fact key to many Myst games for the reasons described there. A more blatant reference (at least, in the title) was made for a post on the three principles for a civilization, and these were embodied in one of the games in the series. Those who played the games as well may or should have recognized the reference. And there are more that have even escaped my memory as of this post.

One last reference I'll mention here is actually with a post about the possibility of conventions in a Pokémon sense. This alludes to the annual Mysterium convention held for fans of the Myst games, which obviously includes me. This year, due to current conditions, everything is held online and virtually, and I heartily took up the offer to "attend"; it is actually ongoing, and today is its last day. It's actually the first time in 15 years I've been able to "attend" - I last attended in 2005, and incidentally enough, I also became a presenter and showed a crossover spin with Pokémon at that time. This last bit also needs to be explained in great depth later on when appropriate. I do, however, also want to point out that during one of the online conferences, a participant indicated that the person was also playing Pokémon Cafe Mix on a phone to pass the time, which made me rather pleased.

I still think of myself being primarily a Pokémon fan rather than a fan of any other game, but I'm also relatively open to other games. Those of the Myst series would be some of those other games. Considering the above, it might be taken as a secondary great interest other than Pokémon, and I'm apt to try finding instances to link them together. Overall, I'm happy to be a Myst fan, but I'm happier still to be a Pokémon fan, and I have no qualms in letting the two mingle from time to time.

One year ago: Raid Stories
Two years ago: Evolution Is a Change
Three years ago: Historical Pokémon