How Video Games Can Teach You To Be A Better Person
68This video talks about how years of gaming can teach us to live a better life. We are heavily shaped by the games we play. But what if we could take the skills we develop, and put them to use outside of games? I discuss several skills that gaming teaches you that can translate over into real life.
Games are so often seen as a waste of time - something you do to escape the real world, or otherwise a childish hobby. But what if games have more to offer? In this video, I explore how years of playing video games can teach you some surprisingly valuable life lessons about personal growth and change, and how you can take those lessons into every aspect of your life. Do you want to learn how to play life better?
When we start to look at games as tools for personal growth, we uncover the fact that we all have countless stories and techniques neurologically wired within us. As gamers, we have more power and skills, than we give ourselves credit for.
Here are some lessons I've learned.
*1 Characters:** We can analyze the challenges we face in life and see how other character classes could deal with them. Each character has a different approach to the challenges that the game creates. We've all been in a situation where we wished we were playing a different character - with a different skillset - to handle the problem more easily. Neuro-Linguistic Programming utilizes the "As-If" frame, that says, essentially, "fake it until you make it" - or as I like to say "play it until you're good at it" because experimenting with different approaches lights up new neural pathways, mirror neurons, and the key to all learning "curiosity". These are all important for shaping your actions. And, according to Robert Dilts' Logical Levels, the intentional actions you take will transform the environment you are in.
**2 Obstacles:** We can use games as a framework for the mindset that we bring to dealing with obstacles in life. The skills you have honed from years of playing games can be applied to your day-to-day engagements. Every action has consequences. And each obstacle presents a new challenge and, instead of looking at it from the Character's perspective of "how to solve this problem", look at it from the benefit or challenges that come from achieving the goal. So next time you're facing a big-bad in your life, think to yourself: What rewards, quest-lines, loot, or new skills will you learn from taking on, and overcoming, this challenge?
**3 Different ways of Leveling:** Leveling up is essentially about transitions and transformations. There are many different ways to level up and there's almost always another level. A lot of times we think that if we just do something long enough we'll unlock the next level. Like, "I've finally made it! I did it! I'm there!" — But the way I like to see it is that there's a a continuous growing and moving with no definite boarders. A new, emergent state that exists as a culmination of all the experiences we've gathered. A transformation that includes all the past and pre-existing quests, learnings, and skills - or *transcludes* as Entrepreneur and Thoughtleader, Eben Pagan, says.
Another way of looking at it is that what you're seeking at a higher level already exists where you are now. You don't unlock it. It's already there. And because it already exists and you have the ability to gain experience with it, you can easily improve your life (aka level up) if you continuously show up, do the work, and be ready and willing to take in the lessons. Do this long enough, clear all the requirements, and you emerge into a new understanding of yourself or the world around you - *ding*.
**Bonus Takeaway:** We learn our best lessons when we consistently take actions that push us outside our comfort zone to get new experiences AND THEN evaluate them.
Games can help us with that.
Games can teach us a lot if we're actually willing to use them as metaphors to glue our experiences together and gain the benefit of both in-game and real-life models of reality.
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Disclaimer: These are my opinions. If you have a serious issue, go see a doctor. I'm sharing these because I have a lot of experience and I want to do my best to help where I can and make an impact in the best way that I can.