Lessons in Compassion
What one special game character taught me
Over the years I have played many games, and while I fondly remember a lot of them there were certain ones that actually gave me more than their peers- some games gave me a sense for important things in life. I already talked a bit about titles that accompanied me through my teenage years and gave me comfort in rough times, sometimes even helping me with hard decisions, or to find myself. But to understand where my fascination with deeply emotional stories and their characters started we need to go back even further.
To the year 2005 to be precise, when the game in question was released. Or maybe to 2006 or 2007 when I first got my Nintendo DS and was soon able to play it after acquiring a used copy of Another Code: Two Memories. At the young age of just ten years it was a very special experience; the touch controls were still new and intriguing at that time and the game itself was really challenging with its numerous puzzles. But although I have kept them in good memory, those elements are almost certainly not the reason the game stuck with me in the first place.
When I think back to the time I first played Another Code, I get an image of a sunny garden with an small but cozy shed, bathed in sunlight. It was one of the locations of the game, one that holds a very special emotional value. The game is about a young girl of barely 14 years, Ashley Mizuki Robbins, who receives a mysterious message by her father who disappeared when her mother died eleven years ago. He reveals that he was hiding on an island, and together with her aunt who took care of her ever since, Ashley takes off to find him.
However, upon arriving on the island there is not a clue of him to be found and when her aunt suddenly disappears, Ashley decides to look for them all by herself. Managing to enter the abandoned Edward mansion that resides on the island she passes through the garden with said shed, and that is where she finds the first personal note left behind by her dad. He describes how he hid away on the island, continuing the work he started working on with his wife years ago, and how he often thinks of her. It is an emotionally impactful moment; I could feel the bond of distant love between a father and his daughter and all the pain in not being able to see her.
I could also feel all the emotions Ashley was going through: a mixture of surprise, happiness, excitement and the deep wish to finally see her father again. It is the game’s accomplishment that it is able to convey this many feelings in just one simple scene and a big part of the reason why I still think back to that moment with a certain warmth in my heart. This feeling, however, is not exclusive to the one scene I just described; it just happens to be the first one that came to my mind. In fact, in nearly every aspect of the game it is key that the player is constantly touched by Ashley’s genuine emotions.
Be it her childlike excitement when she sees through yet another puzzle or her even sweeter joy about candy. She is a character that shows empathy, compassion and a strong sense for what is right. I wanted to be like her. Even in sad or upsetting situations she constantly gave me the example of a gentle soul. She tries to help the mysterious ghost “D” and she struggles in confrontations with the villainous Bill, and she shows unconditional love for her family. Ashley seems to be made of nothing but goodness and positive traits while still staying human and relatable; this works because the presentation of her childlike innocence and genuineness always feels authentic and believable.
This strong combination of believability and likeability makes her one of my favourite female characters I was ever allowed to play as. Much like Max from Life Is Strange I wanted to be like her, even though I did not realize that back then at all. I admire her strengths and I relate to her weaknesses; she gets angry or scared just like I would. As far as fictional characters go she was probably one of the biggest crushes I ever had. And she embodied one quality more than any other: compassion.
I was probably a rather difficult child. I went through a lot of my teenage years that shaped and changed me to various degrees; experiences which I discuss a lot in my other stories. Before that however, I used to get jealous or angry a lot and very easily. You might probably want to call me a brat, spoiled and entitled to a certain degree and not considerate at all. However, this changed over the years into pretty much the exact opposite. I ended up as a person that could hold up to my own standards to a certain degree, as someone who values empathy and caring for others over being “stronger” or “better” than others.
Obviously back then nothing of this happened consciously, but I am sure I adapted a lot of the qualities of my role models, qualities I deemed good and important- qualities that were displayed by Ashley Mizuki Robbins. I will not claim this one game single-handedly determined my morality, but looking back I firmly believe that it at least greatly influenced the kind of person I looked up to and kind of person I wanted to be. Another Code taught me all of that through its story and characters and the emotional impressions it left on me.
While I learned about my goals in life, self-fulfillment and happiness in later stages, this was the time when I learned about compassion, and for this Another Code: Two Memories will always hold a special place in my heart.
This article was originally created by Super Jump guest contributor, Marie Arts. Please check out her work and follow her on Medium.
