Like it or not, video games can be a valuable source of learning at times. Whether it’s from an interesting video game story or learning to never give up, there are a lot of different things that we can learn from playing video games. In fact, some might argue that video games can give us the best life lessons, especially if you’re willing to give them a chance.
So here are a couple of the most interesting life lessons that we can learn from playing video games.
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If there’s no challenge, there’s no reward
Going through life is a struggle. There are no easy paths and if something is worth doing, it’s going to take time and effort. When you play a video game and you take a path with no challenges, you usually won’t be progressing through the game. Take a game like Mario for example. Every level gets more difficult and by simply moving right across the screen, you advance closer towards your goal. However, that path is filled with different obstacles and challenges for you to face and overcome. In fact, you can’t even move to the left to retrace your steps. Mario forces you to continuously forge ahead and tackle the challenges in front of you in order to get to the princess.
Life is filled with many unique challenges, but if you don’t brave these difficulties then you’ll never progress and you’ll never learn. Part of the reward is succeeding and overcoming those obstacles, but there are also times where you might feel unsatisfied despite beating something difficult. Unfortunately, that’s just a part of life and not something you can really change.
It’s not over until it’s over
There’s always a chance to make a comeback both in life and video games. If you’re stuck in a seemingly impossible situation and are unable to make it out, don’t just give up and throw in the towel. One of the best life lessons to learn is that there’s always a way out and it’s never too late to clutch a win. You always have an opportunity to win if you don’t give up. Even if the odds are stacked against you and the enemy is too powerful, it’s not over until it’s over. Always fight to the end and give it 100% regardless of the circumstances. If you always believe that there’s a way to win, you’ll encourage yourself to keep trying.
Failure is a natural part of life that helps you learn
Failure teaches us everything we need to know about life. We learn through experiences both good and bad. Life isn’t filled with positive things. Eventually, you’re going to experience a few embarrassing or depressing moments. By taking these moments on and embracing them as learning experiences, you can learn new things, progress through life and tackle life with a new set of skills. Gaming is no different. When you reach a challenge, you might fail the first few times or you could even be stuck for an entire day. But as you fail, you learn what the issues are, you figure out how to beat the challenge you’re stuck on, and you might even ask for help from friends and family members.
Being in a team is both a blessing and a curse
If you’ve ever played a team-based online game such as an MMORPG or a MOBA, then you’ll probably know that having a team can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, working as a team is necessary if you want to win. Learning to communicate with random people and getting along with them is essential for your victory. However, it’s also extremely difficult to work with certain types of disagreeable people. Some people simply hate it when you try to give them orders and they’ll run off and do their own thing.
This is similar to dealing with people in the workplace or even in your family. You need to try your best to keep things calm and to do your best to communicate with others in a professional manner because you need them as much as they need you. But whatever you do, always focus on your own actions because it’s the thing that you can change. You can’t change how other people feel or how they do their jobs. The only thing you can do to change the outcome of a team-based job is to perfect your role.
