Contrast in Media: Emotions other than Fun

 

My favorite Video Game is Super Mario Galaxy. You might be able to guess that based on it being mentioned in the majority of my blog posts. It's a fun game filled with interesting mechanics and unique platforming challenges. There's a bright new galaxy right around the corner for you to jump around in and explore. Yet, that's not entirely why it's my favorite game.

There's a moment in Super Mario Galaxy that sticks out to me. I just got to the second dome of the observatory, the fountain. After so many fun levels I decided to go to Space Junk Galaxy. I blast off and the music swells as I go to select the mission in the galaxy. I pick the star and then, a soft synth starts to play in the background. You fly in to the level and see the vast expanse of space surrounded by random objects. Vast emptiness cloaked in a blanket of stars. It's calm, a breather after the constant stream of energy that preceded it. When I got there I decided to stop moving and take it in. It's beautiful.

Even then, that's not the most standout moment to me. Throughout the game you keep on getting messages that you have unlocked more of Rosalina's storybook. This is a part of the game that Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto was strictly against. You walk into a library to see a bunch of Lumas gathered around Rosalina as you stop playing for a little bit to hear a story. You don't jump through the pages or find a new galaxy by listening, you get a heartbreaking tale of a girl who misses her mom. A moment of quiet sadness.

There's an idea when talking about the media we enjoy that fun and entertainment is the most valuable thing. That video games, especially Mario, should be solely focused on fun. That anime, movies, or Tv shows should do one thing really well or at least stay within the realm of pleasant. But those things aren't the sole reason why I love them.

Fun is not all video games or even media in general can be.  There is value in the media that makes us feel something other than good. There is a whole world out there that is begging to be explored and messages from different people with different views to find within our favorite media. There is value in feeling emotions that don't feel explicitly good in moment.

I love the contrast in Galaxy since it gives me a moment to breathe after action packed platforming and acrobatics. A moment to collect my thoughts. A moment to glimpse into the mind of Rosalina, to give purpose to why you want to restore the Comet Observatory, her home. 

A lot of my favorite moments come from contrast. These moments highlight each other to become greater than the sum of their parts. Both sides feed into each other, compliment each other, and can't exist without each other. 

One of my favorite examples of contrast and emotions is in Avengers Infinity War and Endgame. In the three different climaxes in infinity war centered around Captain America, Iron man, and Thor, we have hope that the Avengers will succeed and the movie reflects this. It's almost like the movie itself wants them to win. But then that gets contrast with a beatdown, only Iron Man gets close to succeeding. That optimism gets crushed and leads into the beginning of endgame. There they contrast the dire mood with victory in the end. Infinity war starts with optimism and crushes it, while Endgame starts bleak and builds back up to triumph. The triumph cannot exist without the despair.

Similarly in Attack on Titan you get a series filled with tragedy. Humanity gets in increasingly dangerous situations over the course of the series. It similarly uses contrast all the time. For every moment of triumph, there is a moment of tragedy. Each moment is allowed to emphasize each other. Every step closer to freeing humanity brings a bigger foe. Every new discovery brings both freedom and dread.

Feeling despair, defeat, anger, dread, and so many more emotions all have value and purpose just as much as happiness, triumph, discovery, and fun. I think expressing contrasting emotions elevates a piece of media. Avengers contrast the defeat with victory. AOT contrast despair with discovery. Galaxy contrast energy with quiet.

and I think that is beautiful