You won’t get very far in life scavenging nearby bushes for resources like in Zelda or pistol-whipping strangers while walking down the street like in Grand Theft Auto V, but you may find that life can be endlessly entertaining if you start to accept challenging missions and take action to complete them, just like in a video game.
Video games teach us much more than how to set goals. They teach how to manage resources, take care of our health, solve puzzles, overcome adversity, be okay with failure, and increase our fun factor by associating with other people. By thinking of your life like a video game, you can drastically improve your quality of life.
character selection
In immersive simulation games or open world games, it’s not uncommon for you to be able to select characters that align with your preferred playstyle, from silent assassin to medic to weaponized renegade. Certain types of characters will have access to different abilities, tools or weapons that will eventually influence the way you play.
Your life is no different. Of course, you are born with a genetically determined face shape and skin type, and the amount of customization you can do to your physical body may be limited, but other choices, such as the values ​​you determine are most important, can have a significant influence. in their life.
For example, if you decide that solving environmental problems is more important than playing sports, you might choose to become a scientist instead of an athlete. The life of a scientist will mean more time in labs and studying, while the life of an athlete will mean more time in the gym and training. In this way, by choosing some values ​​over others, you set the tone for the play style of your life.
level up your skills
There are many ways to make boring simulation games fun; However, in mission based games, the game is more fun when you can level up and then take on the next challenge, mission or boss battle. Skill development in video games is often represented in the form of a skill tree. You start in the trunk developing basic skills (eg walking fast while crouching) until you gain enough resources and experience to learn more advanced skills (eg triple combos).
The types of skills you choose to learn also depend on your character type: are you the type of player who prefers to hack into systems silently, or the type who likes to overwhelm enemies through brute force combat?
Your life is no different. If you want to become a plumber, you must learn how to install pipes. If you want to become the next President of the United States, you might want to learn the skills needed to be a reality show host (you’re fired!). Regardless of what you want to become, you should think of your life this way: You have a skill tree that needs to be developed, so start at the bottom and work your way up. Otherwise, you will never advance in your career, relationships, or life in general.
Use resources wisely
In video games, resources, whether it’s world currency or XP points, are needed to upgrade your skill set, buy new tools, or increase your cache of weapons.
Resources help prepare you for the next toughest mission, and at least some resource buildup is an absolute requirement to win any game. Resources are also scarce, so you have to make critical tradeoffs between buying a flashy character mod or a map that reveals the location of side quests that reward you with more resources.
Your life is no different. If you want to start a family, you’ll need a house, a vehicle, and definitely some diapers. If you want to live the lifestyle of a womanizing playboy (or playgirl) who goes out on Wednesdays, that’s fine too, but you’ll need some resources.
Figure out how to earn as many resources as possible, as quickly as possible, in a way that doesn’t make you want to stop playing the game of life altogether, and don’t waste your hard-earned resources on too many superficial items. that prevent you from getting more important items.
keep your health
Even if you’re playing a game where your “character” is a machine, like a spaceship or sports car, you have a limited amount of health. By saving your valuable bars, you’ll be prepared for the next challenge. Also, most players know that one of the best ways to increase your chances of success in difficult levels or against difficult bosses is to increase your total health, as well as your ability to recover from damage.
Your life is no different. Life will throw you all kinds of stressful situations. In fact, it’s guaranteed. So the better prepared you are to deal with emotional and physical difficulties, whether it be the death of a loved one or a personal illness, your mental and emotional health will become the most important factor in determining how well you will get through it. From physical exercise to meditation, if you’re not already building your health bar in real life, you might want to get started! Challenges are coming.
conquer missions
There are many amazing single player RPGs out there, each with their own story, quests, and quests that define how the game is played. The entire purpose of most of these games is to “beat” the game because there are a huge number of achievements that come from conquering an immersive title.
During these games, there are often main quests that help tell the main story, as well as side quests and other opportunities to help other characters, often resulting in some of the most fun gameplay and/or rewards.
Life is no different. When you’re going after big, hairy, bold goals, life missions, life just has more meaning. You are constantly working to achieve something, you have a purpose, and life is enjoyable.
Just like in the games, there will be unexpected side quests: your best friend is getting married in Thailand and you need to throw a bachelor party abroad, or your wife can’t have a child so you adopt one from Uganda.
When you have a mission and accept many side missions, you will never get bored or wonder what you should do with your life.
Start treating your life like a video game
The players are smart. They can strategize, think on their feet, and collaborate with others. They understand how to read the environment to unlock secrets and achieve new gameplay experiences.
So try to think of your life like a video game. If you fail, start over or change the game. Just don’t stop playing.