Unfinished “Boring” Business

I have unfinished business with an old game that teaches us more about life than we give credit for

I recently rekindled my love for video games as a side itch for the “busy Bhavin brain”. I’ve found that playing in precise moderation is a great exercise of flow, learning, and fun. I aim for 30 mins to an hour or so on weekdays and two to four hours on weekends (in total).

I have unfinished business with an old game that teaches us more about life than we give credit for, Pokémon. I played Pokémon Blue and Yellow, but never Red.

Pokémon Gameboy Boxes — Source: https://www.ign.com/wikis/pokemon-red-blue-yellow-version/Pokemon_Red,_Blue,_and_Yellow_Version_Differences

So, I decided to play Red but with the wisdom of my 33 year old self. There is a quote by FM Alexander that aptly describes my mindset for the game now:

“People do not decide their futures. They decide their habits, and their habits decide their future”

Pokémon Red Start Screen — Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwSyOp5f-4s

I’m playing the game slowly, spending more time training my Pokémon to a higher level so I always have my Pokémon around the same strength when I battle trainers. I’m not using online guides, no cheat codes, or rare candies to level up; this forces me to explore more paths and talk to game bots to help me navigate the game.

Playing Pokémon slowly feels realistic. In life, we have to spend more time building good habits, connections, and slowly making progress towards our goals.

Life is often a battle with the self — Source: https://eriktwice.com/en/2019/01/29/pokemon-battle-against-red/

While, I make way more mistakes, I rarely lose against trainers now.
Moreover, it’s fucking fun playing the boring way that I never really appreciated.

Word count: 241
Twitter: @bhavprajapati

Fiftytwo250, a collection of random, recurring, ruminations written with patience for depth and brevity. Each post is written over the course of a week in 250 words or less as a personal exercise of freedom and focus in a time of placid tumult and despair.