In the archives of Things I've Written On the Internet, this blog originally appeared on my Tumblr account in 2010.
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Some might say that videogames do not teach you anything. I disagree.
I’ve been playing Role-Playing Games since I was 9. Here are a few big life lessons that I have learned from my time playing them.
1. Talk to Everybody – twice!
In RPGs and Life, if you don’t talk to everybody, you miss out. You miss that one relationship, that one funny saying, or even that one side quest where you learn all about the world. So, talk to everyone. Twice. You never know what you may learn.
2. Help People for No Reason
Karma always comes back. Sometimes you may not get back what you give right away, but you always get experience in the end. You learn about people, and yourself. Sure, you might go to the ends of the forest to slay all of those trolls and get nothing but a broken sword hilt, but, didn’t you have fun and learn something?
I know, I know. But just try it. The results are, more than often, amazing.
3. Explore Everywhere and Look at Everything
You never know what is over the next mountain. It might be just trees. There might be a town over there. Or a fairy fountain. There could be a monster in that treasure chest, or there could be treasure. Only one way to find out.
In a videogame, someone put that mountain there for you, specifically so that you could climb over it. What if this was true of life’s challenges as well?
Maybe every challenge is another opportunity. Even if it is not an opportunity, you still emerge from the challenge as a stronger person.
4. Your Team is Your Life
This doesn’t take any explaining. Your team matters. Your choices surrounding your team matter.
Whether your team in real life is your team at work, your friends, or your family, you must do your best to make sure the team is healthy, happy, and working efficiently to slay whatever monsters you might encounter.
Otherwise? Game over.
5. Save Early, Save Often
In Final Fantasy IX, in order to save, a moogle brings out a feather and begins to write in a giant tome. A similar thing happens in Pokemon Black or White. While saving, the main character begins to write in a diary.
So how does 'saving' translate into real life?
Saving in real life could be the equivalent of making bookmarks, recording, and remembering. Don’t forget what happens to you. Give yourself time and options. Take note of your surroundings.
In real life, we can’t go back in time and try again, but we can do a good job of understanding what is happening in the present.
