[Analysis/Interpretations] FlickerFadeGone by Carljoe Javier

by TeacherDel - February 03, 2019

A story of addiction and a longing for recognition.

ALL HOSTAGES SAVED. He smiled, put the pistol back in his holster and wiped his palms on his pants.

The story jump-started as we are introduced to our protagonist, a video game player, who has all the time he had in an arcade room. With the master key on his hand, he can be anyone he wanted to be - a hero, pilot, racer or an agent. He enjoys games that involves him being the hero and saving the day.

We are taken back to the time when he had his first game in an arcade with his father. The time, when he came to know a man with a key that controlled the entire arcade. He remembers everything, except for the face of the man with the key. "As if his presence was a flicker", he can't remember, though he has spent his days in the arcade for the next following years.

We were also made aware that he never liked being with the neighborhood kids, he did not fit in, but in the arcade he felt a sense of belonging, he can be the star - the mighty hero. His soul being taken away, diving inside the screen and everything around him fades as he plunge in deeper to his fantasies.

When faced of the reality of the world, he disregarded the idea of making something with himself. He was so immersed in already being someone in the different virtual worlds, where he already conquered, triumphed-- where he think he is REAL. The feeling of entitlement became even stronger when he was employed as a shopkeeper at an arcade, where he finally got hold of the MASTERKEY. "With it he was the master of his galaxy... It was all his, this was where he belonged."

He was slowly swallowed up by the arcade, treating it as his only world, until he met a girl.

The girl that he sees every Sunday with her family in the arcade. He fantasized about her being the lady in distress in all his favorite games. The lady that he is bound to rescue in Super Mario, in the House of the Dead; "she was every woman in the game who needed help".

He would think about her at night being with him flesh to flesh. In reality the girl does not need him, it is that HE NEEDED HER. He realized something that the game could not give-- something real, something he could feel.

Days pass and all he could think about is seeing the girl of his dreams every end of the week. Hoping that a day would come that her token would jam and call for his help. He waited...

A day came that he rescued his princess. Together with her classmates, she went to the arcade and played. He sees everything as if he was in a Super Mario game. He was Mario and she was Princess Toadstool. He saw the Princess holding another guy's arm, he sees him as King Koopa - the villain. The guy was irritated for losing his game and lashed out to the girl. That is when Mario came to rescue Princess Toadstool.

For the first time in his life, he felt her touch. He realized that he can be a hero outside of the game zone. He can't wait to see her again. Games no longer excite him.

Then came the day that she went with her brothers to play. Her token jammed and she called for his help. "She just gave him a blank smile and thanked him for fixing the machine." She did not remember him.

The realization came, thoughts rushed through his head. He is no one, nobody knows him, he is just someone that holds the key.

Feeling empty, he waited for everyone to disappear, and went back to his game. Gradually he felt himself once again getting filled up-- being someone. He can no longer see his face reflecting against the screen. He slowly fades as he get engulf with every gun fire he releases.

The next day came, and he mysteriously disappear.

The company and the guard just treated his disappearance as something not a big of a deal. Yet one thing is clear, they can't even remember how he looked like.

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The boy grew up in his neighborhood not being able to fit in-- not being recognize as someone worthy to be played with. His emptiness was filled with being alone facing the screen of an arcade game. He felt he is someone, a hero that is needed for people to be saved. He does not need to go outside to be recognized. He does not need to be someone with a higher ranking in the society or to become somebody else, because he is already somebody.

He was satisfied with his existence until he fell in love. He finally realized that there is more in the real world compared with what he had in the arcade. However, he tasted the bitterness of love and once again fell into a slump.

The FlickerFadeGone concept can be seen through out the story. It may be through his life as a gamer or as his role as a key master.

As a gamer, he faces the scene with a flicker, the excitement of light of entering his amazing adventures, his existence in the real world slowly fades a way as he take himself inside the game, where he felt himself take form. Gone are the feelings of emptiness in the real world as his heroism in fantasy slowly fills him in.

As a key master, his existence flickers when gamers are in need of his help, when he has done his job, a short gratitude shall be fine then his existence just fades away-- gamers don't remember his face, all that matters is the key. When he is not needed, gamers don't even notice his existence, it's as if he is--- gone.

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*This is all a personal interpretation. Readers may disagree. If you have any questions, just fill me up in the comments section below. 😊😊😊