Gamer’s self-awareness

Flowerbutt
Nov 5 · 3 min read
Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash

Do you ever find yourself just working on auto-pilot? Like a spectator watching from a distance as decisions are made for you or making them and feeling as if you’re doing this for someone else, perhaps a character? It just all doesn’t seem real enough, does it? It’s not really the same feeling that you get on a roller-coaster or when you take a cold shower. Wouldn’t you want to be present more? There’s a trick for that.

Photo by Lucas Ortiz on Unsplash

Just become the character you’re controlling.

Doesn’t sound easy, does it? Take a seat on the floor, in a corner of a room. Become smaller. Now, just imagine you’re trapped in a video game. Look at the furniture, it’s shape and texture… How the hell did they manage such graphics? How is it possible that I can touch and feel everything? How can I move around? How many details did they implement, oh, I can pick up things so easily, rotate them, destroy them, even… How the hell, indeed.

Now look at your hands. How much less restricting is this game that you’re trapped in. You can move each and every finger on your hand and do it with grace. You can choose to close your eyes and see nothing or you can go and explore! Discover new biomes and creatures, their weird nature, their unexpected behavior. Talk to other players, what do they struggle with, maybe you can help them in their quest or just come along?

Realize your stats. Maybe you can improve on something, maybe you’re putting too much points into one stat? Do you need better equipment? Maybe you just need better team members?

Even if one would like to explain introverts and extroverts to people, it can be summed up like this:

Boss: Human interaction

Extrovert’s mana:

Before:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

After:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Introvert’s mana:

Before:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

After:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

An introvert will charge up their mana when there are no other players or only accepted guild members around, while the extrovert will charge up while fighting but might lose mana if they’re away from other players for too long.

Well that’s up to discussion probably since I’m an introvert :)

Of course there’s more depth to this than that but it’s just the simplified concept. You’ll find more similarities between games and life than you think. Games can be a beautiful thing but don’t forget that they’re still mini compared to what you’re living in. Look how real it all is. Look at your needs as well and fulfill them if you can, because no one will play this game for you and your actions affect your choices.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade