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Videogames are easily one of the most popular forms of entertainment today, for people of pretty much all ages. Where, once, these games were mostly limited to hardcore fanatics who were willing to delve into the hours and hours of lore underlying the world of Baldur’s Gate, or who were up for grinding for hours straight each evening in the early online realms of Ultima Online or Everquest, things today are markedly different.
With incredibly well-received games in recent years such as Skyrim, The Witcher 3, or the Call of Duty series, for example, everyone and their mother spends at least some of their time playing videogames.
But are videogames just a form of idle distraction from day-to-day life, or could they be more? Could a videogame give you the inspiration and energy you need to transform your life for the better, to get out more, visit an escape room challenge, get a better job, or improve your physique?
Sure. Here are some tips for making it happen.
Take notes on what impresses you about the hero
Every story-driven game will have a hero, or at least a protagonist. If the game is successful (and you actually enjoy playing it), that protagonist will have certain traits that you find cool, impressive, admirable. Even if the protagonist is a villain or anti-hero, you’ll generally be able to identify some good traits within him or her that you wish you could take on-board yourself.
The first step to using games as inspiration for positive transformation, is to identify and note down what impresses you about the hero of the story. You can then begin to consider how these traits might be missing from your life, and how you can work to adopt them.
Realise that you’re the hero of your own life, then act like it
“Each man is the bard of his own existence”, once said the acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy. There’s a profound truth in this line. We are each the author of our own destiny — the hero of our own story. We choose how to act, and we choose how to react to the things that happen to us.
One of the most compelling things about gaming, is that it allows us to step into the shoes of a hero and change the world, through that hero.
But we already the main characters of our own lives — and we can be the heroes of our own lives too. To do this, we just need to act in a way that gains us our own self-respect, from day to day.
Create your own real-life, RPG-style quest and objectives lists
There aren’t many things more satisfying in a game than ticking off the different objectives and sub-objectives of the task or quest list, and enjoying the sense of fulfilment that comes from getting things done and feeling like we’re progressing in a positive direction.
In fact, in many cases, these objective and mission lists are specifically constructed to be psychologically rewarding so that we keep wanting to play.
We can achieve the same feelings of fulfilment by constructing and ticking off our own personal quest lists, using apps like Nozbe, or the more “gamified” Habitica.
Another option can be seen here where people can be introduced to RPG games.
