Amazing Life Lessons that I Learnt by playing Video Games

I collected some wisdom while collecting coins

When I was young I used to play video games on cheap Chinese consoles. The game characters were pixellated images and everything was very basic. There were limited controls and gameplay was at that time in the Jurassic Age.

We still loved it as the second-best option. The first was playing cricket on the streets. At that time in India, those were the only options available to a kid of middle-class parents.

We would literally beg our parents to give us some money to buy the game cartridges. There was also an informal black market among kids for those cartridges.

Now people have Xboxes and Playstations and complex games with elaborate game play. I have played that too. But nothing can replace the sheer simple joy of playing with those primitive gaming consoles.

We used to get so hooked into the game that hours would fly by without us noticing it. With sore thumbs and droopy eyes, we would play into the wee hours of the night during our vacations.We and our parents did not know at that time that too much screen time is not good for kids.

Now as I play on Apple Arcade with my kid and some of the games are a nostalgic rip-off of that era. It makes me feel I am back in my childhood where game characters would save princesses and eat mushrooms. Those were simpler games for simpler times.

As I reflect back, I think I subconsciously absorbed many life lessons while playing those games. Sharing some of them with you.

Start Again

Just like a video-game character you have multiple lives. Video game characters die all the time but they can start again on their quest.

We all have only one life (I think) but each day is like a new start on our quest.

I think people would have a very different mindset if they thought the next day was a fresh chance to achieve their goals.

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

― Meister Eckhart

I start each day by saying these words “ Today is going to be a great day”. It has a magical effect on my day. Even if it does not go great, starting with this mindset makes me feel lighter and calmer.

If I fail, just like the previous day, I start my quest again in the hope that today I will get to reach another level.

Level Up

In gaming parlance levelling up means reaching the next stage. When we level up it becomes a whole new ball game. The risks increase and we fail miserably initially.

In real life to each small success leads you to the realisation that you have a lot to learn. As Darren Hardy says in his book “The Compound Effect”

“Nothing fails like success” — Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

What this means is that when you reach a level of success you can become less alert and lazy. You feel you have earned it.

But then you want to go further and that takes more effort and alertness. If you have to level up you need to keep trying and be humble.

Every time I have succeeded marginally in something in life, I have reminded myself that there are many more levels that I need to cross before I can call it game over.

Collecting Coins

In video-games we keep collecting coins, badges and other stuff. What we forget is sometimes in our greed we may lose our life and become dead. It is sometimes better to leave a coin and move ahead.

In real life, we keep collecting coins, trophies, fame and recognition. We forget how much of it becomes part of our identity. And what happens when we have achieved them and lost our identity?

In life, as in the video game, don’t lose sight of your ultimate quest for mere trifles.

Often our greed for more causes us to forget the primary reason why we want these material things. Because they can help us be happier. It does not make sense to keep collecting these shiny objects for their own value.

They have no inherent value, and beyond a certain point, they are useless in helping us be happier.

Multiplayer

I used to love playing games where two people could team up to beat whatever monsters the game threw at them.

I liked competing too, but the games which required collaboration were much more enjoyable to me.

In life too you would benefit much more from a collaborative mindset rather than only a competitive mindset.

You have to be competitive in your desire to improve you skills. But you have to be collaborative in your desire to help others with those very skills.

I used to ask my friends if they made a move in the game that I could not replicate. I would learn from them without ego and ask a lot of questions.

A collaborative mindset can help you become a better person. You shed your ego and accept that you need help.

Just a Game

Sometimes you play long and hard yet still are unable to reach the next level. It is at that time you stop playing and say to yourself

“ Leave it. It is just a game”.

You do something else for a while and come back later to try again. It actually works better as you will never cross a level if you get burnt out playing it. Starting afresh, sometimes helps you cross it easily.

Life is also like that. Sometimes if you try too hard, life may not hand you success. Hard work is not a sure path to success. Luck and time play a huge part in getting you to the next level.

Sometimes it is a wise thing to quit. It is just a game after all. You can’t become too serious. It would not help.

Success is an elusive mistress. It showers its affection to those who seem to least care for it.

If you inculcate the “Just a Game” mindset you will always focus on the process and not the end result. You will also gain patience to bide your time and not become obsessed with results.

These five life principles that I learnt video games have helped me immensely in my life. Start again every day in your attempt to level up, not just to collect coins but for the joy of playing with others in this game of life.

And lastly, don’t get too serious. It’s just a game after all.