Gamifying your life could be the key to your success.
Could it be that there is something more going on hacking the very psyche that gets people addicted and even obsessed when playing video games that we can learn from?
Come on… let’s go for a walk
I’m sure we have all witnessed or maybe we… ourselves whether when we were younger or older have spent countless hours glued to the screen obsessing over beating a video game.
Well what if we can take something that we learned from video games and bring it to our real everyday lives?
Micro mini voice: Hell Naw. In video games you die motherfucker and in real life there ain’t no take backs or redos.
Okay. Okay, obviously we can’t live our real life like it’s some sort of grand theft auto. Or spend our afternoon chasing pikachu or something. But there are definitely things that make video games addictive and fun that we can bring into our real life to spice it up and achieve more success.
In video games people get addicted to acquiring points that unlock prizes which make our character more of a bad ass then they were when we started the game. As we continue to acquire these badges of achievement we unlock new levels. Each new level brings with it excitement because it’s new. We kind of know what to expect but not really. We know it will be more difficult but we like it. It may take us longer to win the next level than it did the first but we look forward to the challenge. If only we can tap into this momentum and motivation in real life 🤔. Today we are going to discuss how. Let’s head back home.
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Okay so I know you can begin to see why and how games are addictive but with all the badges, levels, skins and bragging rights we accumulate throughout the game. The time you spent working on your craft and building the video game character up to an unstoppable beast was all made possible because of your efforts. So if we can, then we should look at our life through a gamified lens.
We need to shake off looking for the easy way out. We need to shake off the laziness and the habit of complaining about our starting point. In gaming we know we are starting from level 1 and we are okay with this because we know everyone is starting from the same place so it makes us feel better. But step back for a second and ask yourself, is everyone really starting from the same place? Some people are gifted gamers. Some have gained experience from other games that will help them in this game. Some people are surrounded by gifted hardcore gamer friends. In real life we all are born and that’s more or less where the level playing field ends. We are born to random parents, in a random hospital or home, in a random place on the globe.
So one could reasonably say that our starting point is more or less the same. You may say well in games we know the end goal so we are motivated to finish the game. In real life, the goal of the game is unclear and therefore unwinable. In games, we usually know the end but that in itself isn’t what keeps you going, especially on longer more complex games. So we must ask ourselves what keeps the gamer perceiving through the levels? I think there are several things that are at play that keep a gamer not only motivated but interested. There are tons of small tasks that lead to unlocking small items or unlocking different features that add to the player’s accolades and skill level. These accomplishments and progress build onto the player’s character in the game but also add to the gamer’s commitment to winning and beating the level they are on to take on the next. Think skins, clothing, weapons, and skill level improvements for both the character and gamer that are accomplished along the journey. Again all these things, skills, both tangible and intangible items are getting the gamer more and more committed to seeing it through until the next level. They begin to think… How good can I get? How far can I go?
To replicate these same feelings in real life one must be committed and willing to self reflect and not take their life so seriously. Without a process for self reflecting your incremental achievements that are preparing you for the next level may go unnoticed leaving you with the feeling that you aren’t making progress. In real life you may very well be one idea away from massive success. You may be one person away from finding true love. You may be one decision away from unlocking the next phase of your life.
Phew, I got chills going through my body. Something that I don’t hear many gamers talk about is the feeling they sometimes have after a long session of gaming. It’s the feeling that you just wasted a lot of time. It’s a feeling of emptiness and loss. Loss knowing you can never get that time back no matter how often or how hard you hit the undo button. You don’t even need to be a gamer to be familiar with that feeling.
In real life all the little things you accomplished, all the little lessons you learned, all the pain and struggles become badges and achievement awards. The trick is how can we see these things for what they are in the real world?
A good place to start is to stop taking life so seriously. We all are born and we all die, so live. But I bet you want a step by step guide so here is mine. The first step is to start off by defining the game. What does winning look like? You don’t necessarily need one sentence that covers every single faucet of your life but you should know about the ones you really, really care about. You can break it up like I do into these categories: Lifestyle, Wealth, Traveling & Community. Lifestyle means to me Health, Habits & Mindset. Wealth to me means living a life with no Bad Debt hanging over my head & increasing my standard of living by only living off of the investment income. Traveling opens my eyes and mind which feeds my curiosity and creativity. Finally, community. Community to me means that I’m growing my social circle with quality people who make me better in one or more of the areas I just shared.
In games, they break down goals into small tasks. They do this in creative ways that lead you down a path to accomplish the game. In real life, you have to do this for yourself. Don’t feel like you have to create your master plan right now. Or draw out every single step. Life is much too exciting filled with obstacles and curve balls that will challenge you that you will have to overcome. It took me time to get to where I’m at. But you better believe this Freedom Chasing movement is your cheat code.
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***Below has been added on February 15th, 2023***
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