One of the best presents I received as a child was a video games console. When my brother and I opened that present on Christmas day of 1989 we had sparkles in our eyes, little did I know it would shape my life and define my mindset for the years to follow. Video games introduced me to a whole new technological world which has gripped me to this day, yes more than 25 years of gaming, and what has it taught me?
My parents, like most, were very wary of not letting us play for too long or get distracted from completing our school work. However, with hindsight, I believe playing video games with my brother and my friends has done more for me than school or higher education. So, here are 5 life lessons I have learnt through gaming.
1. Failure is an opportunity to learn - GoldenEye 007
According to professor Vivek Wadhwa, a professor at the Pratt School of Engineering of Duke University, there is no link between the nature of our studies and our subsequent success in life. “What makes people successful,” he said, “are their motivation, drive, and ability to learn from mistakes and how hard they work.” School has taught me basic knowledge and skills but it also told me failure was awful, especially at my school, where they boasted 100% pass rate at the baccalaureate. On the other hand, video games such as GoldenEye 007 taught me that if I fail I can get back up again, that if I do not do well enough I could start over. Indeed, in order to become skilled at a game you need to immerse in its universe and to do this, you need to fail miserably, fail a lot, die many times and even sometimes restart from the beginning. But, once you get into this mindset that failure is just a teaching tool you’ll start using the patience and focus you have developed in gaming to other aspects of your life.
2. Hack your way through - Super Mario Bros
Video games have always had secret passages, time warps or cheats to get around quicker. For instance, the world record for finishing Super Mario Bros is under 5mins, this is only possible by using shortcuts as completing all the level would taking considerably more time. In addition, games follow certain rules and patterns, so if you can observe and understand the underlying system, identify the glitches and the bugs then you can make the most of them you will be more efficient. This is particularly true in sports games where you can often score shooting from a specific position on the field or by using a given combination. This might not be the most morally correct lesson and has sparked endless debate in the community but in video games as well as in life, time is of the essence and hacking your way through will save you time and show you are smart.
3. Strategy is key - Command & Conquer
Strategy forms an essential part of certain video games such as the famous Command & Conquer series which required the player to construct a base, acquire resources, in order to fund the ongoing production of various types of forces with which to assault and conquer the opponent’s base. Needless to say, it is always better to have a plan than no plan, as a plan will allow you to test and measure, what is working and what isn’t. This is even more important when you play in multiplayer mode as everyone needs to know their role to execute the plan accordingly. If you have a clear strategy your chances of success will be dramatically increase, you can even refine your strategy over time to make it more effective. The parallel with real life is obvious and striking here, and so are the takeaways from playing such games.
4. Problem-solving is a valuable skill - Baldur’s Gate
Many a time, playing video games such as Zelda, Final Fantasy or Baldur’s Gate, I would come to a point where I would find myself stuck. Sometimes you can get stuck in a rut for hours before you ultimately complete an objective or move on to another area. In those cases, there is no point going round in circles and getting irritated. It is better, to take a break, to do something else, come back with a fresh mind. Most of the time those insurmountable problems will then vanish as you identify a workaround you had not seen before. When you eventually find the solution, you will feel such a big kick, it is just the best feeling of accomplishment. Being resourceful is fundamental for both tackling bosses in games or solving problems in your personal and professional life and sometimes you need to grind through a lot of frustrating work to get that reward you were seeking.
5. Master your art - Mario Kart N64
I was never a great gamer, some of my friends were better than me, but finding the games I enjoyed, the ones I was naturally good at and putting in the hours definitely improved my skills to the point of finishing many games. To develop mastery there is no shortcut and it all comes down to grit and determination, there is no elevator to success you have to take the stairs. In life, as in video games strive to become a master at what you do, it helps if you are passionate about it because it is so damn hard to make it!
So, ultimately considering the lessons learnt, video games have taught me the essential skills to become the modern entrepreneur and co-founder of Uriji Jami that I am today. It wasn’t a waste of time after all and I had a bloody good time as well!