About This Blog

In April 2011, after playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood for the umpteenth time, I wrote down some of the ideas that came to mind while playing the game. These became an article on my Evil Thoughts of a Decadent  Mind page. This proved to be my most popular piece accounting for over half the hits on the page at about 54,000 views. Naturally when looking for an economically viable writing project the topic of Assassin's Creed seemed the most potentially successful. I wrote about five chapters and got stuck.

The creed itself -- Nothing is true, everything is permitted -- proved to be, as Frederick Nietzsche described it, “labyrinthine”.   The more I contemplated the Creed, the deeper I found myself in the labyrinth.  So I decided to focus my work on the Assassin’s Creed instead of Assassin’s Creed the game franchise.  However, I still wanted an outlet to write about the series, hence this blog.  It offers me the opportunity to write articles as I see fit, and besides, with a new game being released each year, an Assassin’s Creed book could never be finished until the series ends.

This blog is a series of articles inspired by the ideas and themes presented in Assassin’s Creed and its lore.  You will not find articles on gameplay, so no hints, no guides, and no discussion of combat mechanics.  Some folks love jumping off buildings and stabbing randoms in the face but there is also the world or mythology of Assassin's Creed -- meaning the vast lore of the series. That plays a part, but you won't find the life story of Ezio Auditore or Edward Kenway here.

What I am looking to do here is explore the themes found in Assassin’s Creed.  In a story there are characters, settings, and plots, but also themes. The themes presented in narrative fiction dramatize the philosophy the creator is conveying, either with or without conscious intent. So if the theme is war, for example, then the audience should ask what the story is saying about war? Do the characters and events contrived by the storyteller depict war as heroic or tragic? Do you agree with the storyteller’s views?  If so, then do you apply them to your life?  Do you join the army or the peace march?

What you will find here are the themes in the Assassin's Creed series and how these connect with real philosophical ideas for living in the real world.  You can call it the deeper or hidden meanings of Assassin’s Creed if you want to be dramatic, but the truth is that it is just what I see in the games. They are my interpretations, which can be completely different from those laid out by the creative team in the offices of Ubisoft during late night meetings.

The word inspired means “touched by God”.  It was believed that the divine inspired the artist’s creation in the world of fiction who in turn inspired his audience to act in the world of fact.  These artciles are inspired by Assassin’s Creed and I hope they inspire those who read them.  Hence  the title -- Assassin's  Creed: Inspirations.