GAMIFY YOUR LIFE5 Reasons Why You Should Model Your Life After Your Favorite Video Game Character

BY STEVE KAMB

Believe it or not, hidden within our favorite video games are the secrets to our happiness.

From Zelda to Mario, Call of Duty to World of Warcraft, video games have discovered the fundamental principles that can teach us how to live better, happier lives.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been in love with the idea of leveling up.

In our own lives we can become characters from these games, capable of leveling up, too.

Here are 5 reason why we should all be using video games as a model for leveling up and leading happier lives!

REASON #1GAMES AND STORIES ALLOW US TO LIVE OUT EPIC EXISTENCES

Whether we are saving the princess, traveling to Mordor to destroy the One Ring, or exploring far-off locales like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, these games and stories give us a chance to escape boring lives and instead imagine life as the hero.

REASON #1 GAMES AND STORIES ALLOW US TO LIVE OUT EPIC EXISTENCES

Games show you exactly how to live a life we can be proud of,

how to have adventures that will inspire our friends, and how to finally start doing all the things we said you would do eventually but never seem to find the time for—whether it’s traveling more, losing weight, running a marathon, starting a website, or anything in between.

REASON #2

GAMES HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC LEVELING SYSTEM

When you are Level 1 and killing spiders, you know that when you kill enough spiders, you get to level up eventually and get to start attacking rats. Once you advance to a high enough level, you know you get to start slaying FREAKING DRAGONS

REASON #2 GAMES HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC LEVELING SYSTEM

Because there is a very clearly defined path for us to follow,

it’s easy to know what we have to do next or what we get to do next, and thus it’s as simple as killing enough bad guys, or completing enough quests, and so on. The path from Zero to Hero is clearly defined.

REASON #3

GAMES HAVE A REWARD SYSTEM

When we reach Level 5 in EverQuest or World of Warcraft, we might earn a new sword that will make getting to Level 6 easier, which then gets us a better spell that allows us to kill bad guys even faster. This system of dangling that carrot in front of you is a powerful force in pushing gamers.

REASON #3 GAMES HAVE A REWARD SYSTEM

Reward systems are instant, gratifying, and incredibly satisfying.

We should build a reward system around "quest" we’re currently working on, see if there’s a way we can reward ourselves with a treasure chest that has lasting impact on our game of life.

REASON #4

GAMES ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION

In most RPGs there’s always something new to explore or accomplish that keeps you guessing and looking forward to whatever’s next. You might wonder what’s over that mountain range, or at the bottom of that lake, or in that cave, or what the next zone will be. This one element alone is enough for me to stay up far too late playing a game and exploring.

REASON #4 GAMES ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION

Life can be amazing once we step out of our hobbit-holes,

push ourselves to go places we’ve never been, meet people we’ve never encountered, and give ourselves experiences we never imagined. In order for us to do that, we need to channel our inner adventurer and go see what’s out there.

REASON #5

GAMES GIVE US A CHANCE TO ACHIEVE “FLOW” AND MASTERY

Ever heard of video game speed runs? Or seen the documentary The King of Kong? Watched somebody just dominate a game of Tetris? Games are an opportunity for us to get lost in the flow of a game, to zone out while perfecting our skills and seeing if we can complete a particular section or level faster, more efficiently, and/or with more points.

REASON #5 GAMES GIVE US A CHANCE TO ACHIEVE “FLOW” AND MASTERY

There’s actually a scientific term for what happens when we enter this trancelike state while playing a game, flow.

Zoning out, connecting with friends, challenging increasingly more difficult bad guys, collecting new armor and leveling up our character are all things we can do those in real life once we achieve flow.

We are happy when we are making progress. Just like in games, if we can find a way to make small improvements and recognize those small improvements in our day-to-day lives, it's likely to increase our overall happiness.

It's dangerous to go alone! Take this. — THE OLD MAN, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE:HOW TO UNLOCK ADVENTURE AND HAPPINESS BY BECOMING THE HERO OF YOUR OWN STORY

BY STEVE KAMB

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