niko from oneshot is pretty cool

niko (and the game itself, in a sense) is kind of an example of how we, as humans, breathe life into the lifeless, aren't they? oneshot is a story, just like many others; niko isn't real, at least materially speaking. likewise, they can't truly converse with us. again, it's a story- words and pixels on a screen.

but... that's not all it is, is it? consciously or not, we ascribe a humanity to them. perhaps it's because it's innate to do so (especially given niko is portrayed as an unattended child), or maybe it's just the nature of how we engross ourselves in narrative; but we still humanize them.

so when the curtain closes, what we're left with isn't an Epic Gaming Experience(tm), or some disposable non-story that forever feels incomplete- but a memory. a memory of someone we actually care about. like a dead loved one or a long-lost friend...

we only have a memory of a story. and that's okay, i think.



so to niko, i hope you're safe, you little bunch of pixels. wherever you are.

- ☘ ❄