The 5 Real-World Lessons I Learnt From Gaming

Games: where adventures are undertaken, battles are fought, and victories and losses come and go.

However, it is also, surprisingly, where life lessons can be learnt.

Growing up as a gaming girl, my parents often frowned upon my gaming as it was too screen-based; yet, it is from many of those games that I learnt some very important lessons.

Here are the five best that I picked up along the way.

1. In team situations, you actually need to work as a team.

Due to my vast experience in Minecraft playing Nexus - a game where you have to destroy the enemy’s HQ - it quite quickly became clear that singular players running into the opposing team’s base was highly ineffective. Things always seemed to work better when the team had a shared goal… and that goes for real life as well.

2. Sometimes you need to push yourself further.

In the multitude of times I raced around the Mario Kart track as Yoshi, on an easy level where I usually won, I realised I had to go a level higher to challenge myself. Life is the same: if things are becoming too repetitive or stale, we should look to take a further step to challenge ourselves more.

3. Playing with a friend is always better than playing alone.

It can even be through mutual games that new friends can be found. Often when you spend a lot of time with someone and share similar interests, you can become closer. Games showed me just how strong friendships can become even if you don’t actually know the person beforehand. It also showed how you have to be open to talking to someone and discovering their likes before you can understand them.

4. Don’t cheat.

A cliché but important nonetheless: cheating doesn’t always make things better, as it often takes away the reward from truly completing the task. In The Sims there were multiple ways to score bonus money; however, my favorite character was always the one that I refused to cheat with, because I was able to see how the effort I put in was truly paying off. In life this can apply to tests or sports or whatever: the victory isn’t as sweet when it isn’t real. Eventually, you can be found out. Lance Armstrong discovered that in his own real-world gaming scenario.

5. Sometimes you just need to take a break.

In the heat of some games, like League of Legends, people can start raging. This rage can often be specifically targeted or more generalised to the team; either way, this has been shown to reduce a team’s chance of winning. When in a team you need to stay positive and not instantly insult colleagues on what they have done. In times of anger and frustration it is often beneficial to take a moment and relax before continuing.

These are the things I have learnt over time whilst playing games that has enabled me to be more confident and also challenge myself to new levels.

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