Leveling Up in Life: 3 life Lessons I learned from Gaming
19 Sept 2023
I've been a gamer for the majority of my life, especially during my student years.
Many would view the hours I've poured into games like RuneScape as time wasted as they don't directly lead to a jacked body, academic degree, or any other tangible outcome. However, I've come to realize that gaming imparted life lessons in many ways.
While I no longer immerse myself in virtual words, I've leveled up to play the game of life with RuneScapeOS and StoicOS on Notion.
Her are three key life lessons I drew from gaming:
Embracing the Grind
If there's a single takeaway from games, it's the crystal-clear relationship between effort and reward.
In games, there are direct actions you must undertake to achieve specific outcomes, such as completing a quest to get a reward or slaying monsters to level up a skill.
In real life, however, the path between hard work and success can be vague.
This is why it's so crucial to bring clarity to your life with well-defined objectives, strategies, and tactics.
Just as you persist through repetitive tasks in games, knowing the end reward, real-life goals demand sustained effort and focus.
Once you know where you're going, channel all your energy into it and embrace the grind, just like you would in a game.
2. The Status Game
RuneScape is full of players dedicating endless hours to tasks they don't particularly enjoy - all to obtain a virtual item, like a level 99 skillcape.
Why? These virtual badges of honour elevate a player's status within the game.
The harder it is to get a certain item or to reach a level, the more status that comes with it.
But when the journey isn't enjoyable, is the destination really worth it?
Consider this:
Someone works a demanding job he / she doesn't love, only to splurge on a luxury car.
The means = working their ass off with stress as added benefit
The end = buying the Porsche to drive to work
They don't fully realise the biggest driver for buying the car is to impress their co-workers and friends. They are playing the status game.
Always question: Is the end justifying the means? Or are you merely playing for external validation?
3. Gold Hoarding vs Skilling
Essentially, most activities in a game fall into two categories; earning gold and training your skills.
These two activities have a direct relationship: the more skills and knowledge you have, the more gold you can make.
How you get from a beginner level to an intermediate won't necessarily propel you from expert to master.
Continuous learning and sharpening your axe are key. Additionally, there's a reason why gamers invest in things that give them more experience per hour, so why wouldn't you do the same?
When you die in a game, you don't lose your skills, but you might lose your gold or items.
In the same way, if a financial crash wipes out your entire portfolio, you will still have your skills and knowledge.
First skills and knowledge, and then resources will follow.
As stated by Steven Bartlett in The Diary of a CEO:
"Those who hoard gold have riches for a moment. Those who hoard knowledge and skills have riches for a lifetime. True prosperity is what you know and what you can do."
I'm going to write the more RuneScape themed content like this soon, stay tuned! I'd love to hear your thoughts - tweet at me @Sandrerooo.
Fun Fact of the Week
Stress is a double-edged sword.
When you encounter stress, here's what happens:
Adrenaline Surge: This hormone primes your body for a sudden energy burst and increases your focus and alertness.
Memory Recall: Stress can enhance the brain's ability to recall information.
Blood Sugar Spikes: This allows you to tap into more energy.
Physical Boost: Stress can make you feel physically primed or ready.
Increased Resilience: Facing and managing stress regularly can train your body and mind to handle similar situations more effectively in the future.
While there are many more things happening in the body under stress - it's good to know that each of these responses are beneficial in short-term emergencies but can be harmful if repeatedly triggered by daily stressors.
Now you know this, you can leverage stress to your advantage.
When you feel jittery before a big moment like a keynote presentation, mentally remind yourself: 'thank you body for the extra energy and focus'.
From now on, harnessing stress can be your secret weapon.
Quote of the Week
"The smarter you are, the better equipped you should be to understand that well-being comes from faith, family, friendship, and work that serves others.
Your intelligence is more likely to bring you happiness if you put it to use by chasing better ways to love and serve others, rather than elbowing others aside and hoarding worldly rewards." - Arthur C. Brooks
Have a great week!
Sandrero