He steps off the road into the remote village, shaking the dust off his cloak and peering around for the person he came to find. People eye his worn clothes with some suspicion, but mostly respect. He walks into the tavern, knowing he will find the person he seeks within. Sure enough, she is sharing an ale with her business partners, chatting about the day’s events. He solemnly walks over and announces ‘It’s done, those bandits won’t be bothering your supply caravans any longer.” They all look up with anticipation, she rummages in her cloak and tosses him a bag of coins, “I’ll have more work for you back in the city if your’e interested.” He nods his head and turns away, walking out of the village and back down the road, ready for his next adventure.
You’ve just read the basic structure of any quest given in a video game, you’ve also just read the structure of pretty much every transaction that occurs in our economy. Our lives are made of such transactions as this, from small to large. We find someone who has a problem we can solve, we solve it, and they compensate us. Whether the compensation be currency, opportunity, resources, knowledge or reputation, it matters little. Everything we do is a transaction for what we want in exchange for what the other person wants.
Some gamer’s love questing to amass experience and gold, welcome to the job market. Some gamer’s love to collect rare items, welcome to the marketplace. Some gamer’s just love the thrill of competition, sports maybe? Some gamer’s like to receive achievements and recognition for accomplishing difficult challenges, sound like something involving social media, maybe a Like button?
So if you have a job, you’re a gamer. If you post to social media, you’re a gamer. If you play sports, you’re a gamer. And if you are in business, you are especially a gamer.
The definition of a gamer is changing fast, but many people still have to misconception that gamer’s are overweight boys or men living in their parents basement even though over 40% of gamer’s are women. In reality, many gamer’s have become widely successful for something that could not even be imagined a decade ago and still to this day is viewed with skepticism. Twitch streamers are making 6 figures while people watch them play a video game. Professional E-sports players are competing in front of thousands of fans while their performance is broadcast to hundreds of thousand more. Some of these gamer’s are using their reputation to go on to create thriving business’s and brands or filling another role in the rapidly growing market of gaming.
Gamer’s is a term commonly applied to people who play video games, but the truth is, we have always been gamer’s, and still are. Instead of seeing it as a negative, that people are wasting their life away playing in a digital landscape, see it for what it is, a new industry that in 20–30 years will seem common place. Also realize that ‘gamer’s’ are no different than the rest of society, they are striving to solve challenges, collect resources, and build a reputation for themselves that will help them build the life they want. Isn’t that what each of us do every single day?
I would argue that adopting a gamer mentality would help many of us out drastically. Games are addictive for a reason. They give us clear cut rules to follow and we know exactly what reward we will be receiving for any given task. A great advantage over the real life where we live with uncertainty every day and are rarely confident that our choices are the correct ones. What if we were able to construct a life for ourselves that gave not only the security of knowing exactly what we are working towards, but also the satisfaction of regularly completing quests and receiving rewards.
This is not an easy process, especially when starting from a position that seems like nothing is in your control. However, through small and carefully constructed steps, you can turn your life into a game of your choosing, perusing the quests that excite you, receiving the rewards you want, and leveling up each and every day. Sound’s pretty good right?
Want to Become Mythic?
If you want to construct a life that allows you to know exactly what your goals are, how to achieve them, and what you will receive when your are successful, you better start thinking like a gamer. We are relentless when it comes to solving challenges and completing quests, sometimes bordering on obsession. Though it may surprise you, anyone in the history of mankind who has been successful, probably would have been a gamer, given the opportunity. It’s the mentality of relentless pursuit that makes us gamer’s, not a love of video games.
Want to start thinking like a gamer and construct a life that get’s you exactly what you want. Connect with me on FB or Twitter, I’d love to find out how I can help. Or if you simply want to join me in my quest to build a better world through inspiration, coaching, and technology, become a Patron!
