By now, the world should know that video games are not just a waste of time. They can improve people’s cognitive abilities and be even useful when treating mental disorders. Gaming can have plenty of benefits – not least in terms of teaching you some valuable life lessons. Here are the ten big life lessons you’ll learn by playing video games.
Lesson #1: Patience and hard work will lead to fun
Gaming can be time-consuming and often involves a lot of grinding. Diablo doesn’t just hand you the best loot – you need to work towards it patiently. The same applies to many things in life from getting your dream job to making enough money to travel around the world. You need to be patient and willing to work hard. In the end, you’ll enjoy the results of your labour.
Lesson #2: Failure isn’t the end of the world
Perhaps one of the most resonating life lesson games teach us is that failure isn’t the end of the world. If you can’t make that jump or solve that puzzle in time, you can just try again. If you get a rejection or things don’t work out, don’t give up. The world will still go on around you.
Lesson #3: There’s always something to learn from your mistakes
Not only does failure not mean the end of the world, you will always find something to learn from your mistakes. When you first start playing a game like Overwatch, you’re probably rather bad. But as you keep playing and making mistakes, you’ll quickly become better. You know the best sniper spots and the moves you simply can’t make.
Lesson #4: There are hidden gems to be found
Not everything in life is in plain sight. Sometimes the best secrets and rewards are hidden from view. Games are the same – you need to think outside the box and look beyond the obvious in order to find the hidden gems.
Lesson #5: Find the ‘one thing’
When it comes to winning in games or succeeding in life, you need to find the ‘one thing’. This is often the most efficient action that yields the best results. In your studies, it might be spending time going through the notes and in a game it might be knowing the best weapon to use in Counter Strike.
Lesson #6: Trust must be earned
You can’t trust people blindly. If someone tells you to just borrow them 1,000 gold in World of Warcraft, they might never actually pay it back. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever trust anyone or that good guys don’t exist in the gaming world. It just means that you need to earn trust – when people are good for you, you can be good to them.
Lesson #7: Learn to let go
What is one of the most frustrating things about most adventure or exploration games? The limited bag size. How does this relate to life lessons? Well, you need to learn to let go of things and stop hoarding. Life will throw many things your way, both material and non-material. It’s important you learn to separate the epics and functional items from those that won’t help. It might seem like a silly thing to learn but it is important – and you’ll probably end up throwing away something useful once or twice before you truly get it.
Lesson #8: Shortcuts and cheats exist
Not everything in life is about sunshine and rainbows. Cheating does exist and life is not always fair. However, the use of shortcuts and cheats might not always be such a bad idea and, essentially, it is up to you how you’ll deal with it. But the thing you need to understand is that shortcuts are available and not everyone is out there playing fair.
Lesson #9: Sometimes you need to hit the pause button
Life, just like games, can get rather hectic at times. Occasionally, the best course of action is to just hit the pause button and think what you’re doing. You can’t keep rushing through life either – if you want to avoid mistakes, then take a break and regroup.
Lesson #10: A good laugh with friends is worth the world
In the end, it’s not really about the winning or coming on top. It’s about having a laugh with or without friends – it’s about enjoying your time. Games and life are the same – what truly matters is how much of a good time you are having. If that Zelda game is not making you happy, then stop playing it. If your job is the worst in the world, then change it!
As the above shows, video games are fantastic. You can learn many valuable life lessons just by paying attention to your games. These valuable life lessons definitely justify why you need games in your life. Video games can also evolve you as person by bringing changes in your personal characteristics. Visit Techno Philes Blog to learn 7 ways video games can help you become a better person. When you find yourself wondering what to do with life or how to solve a problem, a quick game of something new might just be the answer. To help you take advantage of valuable life lessons, check out game retailers at OZCodes and you might even learn another valuable lesson – that opportunities to save money are everywhere and being frugal will make you richer.
