Astronomy / Space Why space?

Raumfahrer Spiff

Raumfahrer Spiff
I was just having a think, and thought about why I'm so drawn to space as an idea, since I was a kid. Life often felt limited and disappointing to me as a kid because things weren't as perfect as everyone always seemed to be pretending they were, and I noticed early and often--it made me obsessed with the concept of what could be way more than what is, and when I looked up at the night sky my mind would just drown in what-ifs. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of a starry night or a hubble capture of a nebula, I think it has a lot to do with the size and scale of it all for me. Just endless room for opportunity. As I grew up I started to always seek out space and its related concepts anywhere it could show up--in art, books, classes in school, tv shows, movies, music--it became a genuine staple of my identity. I've always looked up at the stars like so many others before me and felt like I could see into forever. Sci-fi as a genre was also always a favorite genre of mine, but almost more of a byproduct. Sci-fi is a platform that allows us to cast thought experiments about the philosophical what-ifs of human nature and it's march into the future. Space, on the other hand, is a topic within sci-fi that always shines a spotlight on the extremes of endless possibility much more generally--of course there can be space fantasy and fairytale as well.

I was just wondering why you all find yourselves here. In games, we could be pilots, warriors, traders, saviours, or murderers anywhere, but we are all drawn here together. Why space, for you?
 

Firebeard

Firebeard
For me, quite simply two words. Star Wars.

I was 1 when the first film was released and my parents took me to see empire at the cinema, I was hooked on sci-fi and space ever since. I then found Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and (despite being a bit young) my dad let me watch it. From there Elite arrived in 84 and computer games and Space for forever enmeshed.

I liked the Wing Commander series where you may have only been a grunt but you had a purpose but Elite has and always will be the first game that really had no end. I played it on BBC (Model B no less) then my friends and I played Elite Gold on the Risc PC. Dreaming one day of finding a true online version of Elite - then in 2014 it came. My only real gripe with the game is that even in open you don't see many commanders and the chat system is so archaic that by the time ive remembered how to send a message theyve normally left :/

I think space these days attracts the imagination because its the last real "unknown".
 

Commander Biscuit

Commander Biscuit
For me, I was gotten into Elite through a friend that had FE2, and play it now purely because it's a great game. I guess I'm an outlying case since I have no real interest in sci-fi videogames, movies or television, but I do have an abiding wanderlust to get off this rock and see everything out there. There's just so many questions, and our current level of understanding and development, and also lack of public interest is really frustrating to me.
 

Zieman

Zieman
Early exposition & resulting fascination.
Space themed colouring book gotten as a birthday gift.
Comics adaptation of movie Black Hole and some Flash Gordon comics at barber shop while waiting for my turn.
Battlestar Galactica (TOS) in TV.
 

Ripskar

Ripskar
Demascus said:
My interest in space is only for the most noble of goals. Hot alien space babes of course.
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Jezzah

Jezzah
Its exploration or the theme of it that attracts me. Space is the ultimate in this.

Having said that I'm equally happy exploring in an RPG or FPS. I'll play and probably enjoy anything with an exploration element to it.
 

Patrick_68000

Patrick_68000
I had watched the pictures of an book of Carl Sagan when I was an teenager but very distractedly.

What triggered my interest about the space is without doubt FE2 which made me read more and watch TV shows about the things of the space.

Thanks David !
 

insanephoton

insanephoton
As a child of the 70's I grew up in all of the optimism of the space race. I was too young to remember the moon landings though I am of the generation that was alive when people walked on the moon. Having older brothers that were into Sci Fi also helped. There were the books confidently predicting lunar bases by 1980 and Mars landings by 2000. Early reruns of the original series of Star Trek were an influence as was Dr Who and later Star Wars
 

lysan

lysan
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!
 

WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
My interest goes way back, but it solidified one clear dark night, when I saw the giant swan (Cygnus) spread it's wings across the magnificent Milky Way. We mostly look towards the horizon, but bend your head backwards on a good night, and you'll be lost forever.
 

Siobhan

Siobhan
Because for me, when I was 1... well slightly before, my parents woke me up to watch a live broadcast of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Granted I didn't remember much of it, but you know... There was also a mission transcript a few years later and recordings... I guess it got me hooked.
 
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