3 ideas from video games that will improve your life 🎮
1) Think of everything as a resource.
Money is a resource, but so is time.
Consider how valuable your time is.
When your time becomes valuable, spend money to save time.
2) Don't grind just to avoid failure.
When I played Pokemon as a kid, I'd spend hours fighting weak Pokemon (level 3-5) just to ensure I wouldn't lose to the first gym leader.
Later, I learned that I'd get experience WAY faster just fighting him - even if I lost a couple times.
In games and in life, you grow the fastest when you take on challenges that are just outside your comfort zone.
Sometimes, you'll fail (but you'll be close).
Sometimes you'll succeed by the skin of your teeth.
Either way, your skills and knowledge grow fastest this way.
3) Rewards define your habits.
Game designers put a ton of work into crafting habit-forming gameplay "loops" that keep you playing.
Every loop has at least 1 reward:
- Gaining levels in Pokemon
- Unlocking new characters in Apex Legends
- Unlocking permanent buffs in Hades
Think of the gameplay loop as a habit.
Play the game, get the reward, repeat.
The strength of your real-life habits depend on the rewards as well.
If you're struggling to stick to a new habit, think about how you could tweak the rewards you get from it:
- Make the process more fun by doing it with a friend (process itself becomes the reward)
- Try a habit tracker – watching your streak increase becomes a mini-reward
You can also commit to something big in the near future.
In Pokemon, part of the motivation to train is the anticipation of beating gym leaders.
Want to run every day? Sign up for a 5K or an obstacle race.
The anticipation of performing well in the event becomes a motivator.
Now you have a response you can use when your parents tell you games will rot your brain 😉