Level up the real way

» How to gamify your life

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
© opinions
@theotherpress.ca

 

y do we love video games?
I personally don't. I find
them stressful and frustrating.
More often than not, I drop the
controller and tune it out. I love
listening to people talk about
video games with enthusiasm,
though. But, because of my
ineptitude, I choose to pursue
more achievable goals in my life.
Hence, I reframe my
question: why do they love video
games? Well, I guess other people
love video games because there
are these little achievable goals.
You go from one stage to the
next collecting coins, building
infrastructures, defeating bad
guys, saving the princesses, and
heroically winning. That doesn’t
always happen in life. The game of
life lacks the instant gratification
felt in a video game. Life’s little
achievable goals take years and
years to accomplish.
Moreover, life’s little defeats
aren't as miniscule as video games

either. If you lose in life—get fired, :
: often consider the paycheque.

Why not? That’s the whole reason
: for work. But if that’s the case,

: then you are always going to be

: disappointed. After all, you don't

fail an exam, get dumped by your
partner—you cannot restart; you
have to live with it day after day
after day. We love video games
because a game is an escape. It’s

: our second life, where failure can
: be chocked up as a few minutes
: wasted.

Although video games are

: great escapes from the real world,
: the same way sports are for some,
: the same way television shows are
: for others, we need to understand
: that life is the ultimate game. Life
: is the only game that matters.

: But why then are we so content

: with being idle with our lives

: and putting all of our efforts and

: energy into a video game, where

: accomplishments seldom matter?

The reason is because we

: often make our goals in life too

: grand to accomplish; we set the

: bars and our sights too high.

: That is not how a video game

: works. Ina game, you don‘ start

: at the hardest level; you start at

: the beginning. You have little,

: surmountable tasks to accomplish
: first, they get incrementally

: harder, and then you fight the

: boss. That is how you should

: consider life. That’s how you :
: gamify life. You do it by visualizing :
: it not as a monotonous day-after-
: day grind, but reframe it as little

: surmountable tasks, which will

: ultimately lead to achievements.

When you think of work, you

  

: play Mario just to collect the
: coins, right? Your job should be an :
: avenue for your self-improvement. :
: You should be growing with

: each day’s task. You should be

: becoming a better manager and a
: more skilled worker.

At school, we often dream

: about graduation, but what about

 

: the actual process of learning?

Is homework just a means to an
end? If it is, then it’s obviously not
: agame, it’s just a chore. Strive for

: improvement, yearn to beat the

: task and excel. If you are willing

: to waste five hours trying to level

: up on your iPhone game, you can

: very well spend that five hours

Image credit Ed Appleby

: beating your previous score for

: your homework assignment and

: retaining the information.

: We love games because they’re an
: escape from reality, but we have to
: remember that we deserve to win

: in life too. So don’t waste all your

: efforts in front of the screen, save

: some for the real world.

 

Challenging your anxieties

» How facing your fears can be immensely rewarding

Yelin Gemma Lee
The Peak

Wi can be more frustrating
than realizing your

whole life has been caged by

a compilation of fears? As an
anxiety-ridden human being,
close friends and relatives have
always known me for my “scaredy

out of fear; frightening “what-if”
scenarios are on my mind’s most-
played list. Although I told myself
I could never be too careful, it was
a lie—you can be too careful if it’s

living anymore.

During the break between
semesters, my Toronto friend
and I decided to meet up in New
York City for a fun reunion. Now,
you might be thinking all sorts of
positive things about the idea of
spending five days in New York
City with a close friend. I was
excited too, but I was also more or
less panicking.

The trip promised everything
l avoided in everyday life: all
things involved with being on an
airplane, large crowds of people,
navigating myself through that

: same crowd by myself, a slightly

: questionable place of residence,

: and of course, the ever-present

: “unknown.” In summary, I was

: having an existential panic attack
: on the five-hour plane ride to this
: wonderful city. :
: The moment I stepped off the :
: plane, I vowed to make the most
: out of my trip. Although there
cat” tendencies. I construct myself : were things that went wrong,

: more things went right. I came

: home with the realization that I

: had conquered many fears, talked
: to many strangers, and actually

: had a lot of fun. Looking back, the
to the point where you aren't really : Most memorable moments of my

: trip weren't the times I played it by
: my tacky, seamless schedule, but

: the chaotic spontaneity of existing
: inthe unknown.

Everybody is afraid of

: something, and fear will always

: exist within us, only to be

: triggered by certain situations.

: That said, I believe that constantly
: living in anticipation of fear

: is paralyzing. Living this way

: hinders you from achieving

: your fullest potential, and from

: taking advantage of the great

: Opportunities and adventures

within your reach.

If you are a scaredy cat like

: me, I suggest you wake up and do
: what I should have done a long

: time ago. Vow to make the most

: out of your life by letting go of

: your fears, especially the fear of

: oblivion.

Some fears J can’t actually

> overcome at this present

: moment—for example, horror

: movies and bugs still scare me

: to the core—but when it comes

: to challenging other frightening
? activities such as ziplining,

: camping in a suspended spherical
: tent in the woods (an actual

: activity on Vancouver Island}),

: learning to drive, and travelling,

: l almost feel excited now that I

: know how rewarding it can be.

: Fear is not worth cutting

: yourself short, or diminishing

: life-enriching activities.

: Fear is especially not worth

: compromising the moments

: that take your breath away, make
: your head spin or your heart race.
: Before you doubt yourself, try to
: push past your usual boundaries;
: you may find that youre

: braverthan you think.

 

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Image via thinkstock