On the first day of class, I remember one student volunteering "life" as an example of a game. Although this got brushed off, I don't think it's entirely implausible. In fact, some might find it useful to think of their lives from this angle in order to give it more structure. There's an interesting
book on Amazon that reflects some common themes in this course. Entitled
The Ultimate Game Guide To Your Life; Or, The Video Game As Existential Metaphor, the book gives basic life lessons to gamers who are developing into adults.
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| The book. |
For example, common chores such as laundry, taking out the trash, doing the dishes are painted as "daily quests." Filing a tax return and making loan payments are more like major quest objectives. There is also a section on "life hacks" in which the author shares several cool tricks he's discovered in his own life, such as how to fold a shirt in 3 seconds and how to get in front of most lines. Even though the "gamer" only has one "life," the author suggests he has many health points and can recover or lose them based on his decisions (alcoholism, exercise, diet, etc.).
I think this concept is very interesting. Many hardcore gamers were never taught essential life lessons by their family and feel more and more lost as they transition into adulthood. This book talks in a language familiar to gamers and psychologically reframes many often boring tasks, which I believe is a very effective technique if you want to get anyone to do anything.
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| Funny, no? |
I took a screenshot of one] page from the index. As you can see, not only is it funny, with challenges like "Destroying Your Virginity," but also reflective at the same time. Significant chapters in your life are painted as levels. One review on Amazon entitled Fabulously Funny and Fabulously Familiar goes:
"This book is for anyone who has a sense of humor. Monks guides you through each life milestone and helps you avoid each life misstep--with both great laughs and great insight. Reading this book, I had the odd feeling that the author based certain chapters on my own life. I'm a big fan of Monks and look forward to his future work."
I don't know about you guys, but I'd certainly be willing to give this a read.
I personally think that life is a game because like in most games you have the ability to control the outcome based on the decision you make. There are also cheats that can be used to advance yourself, like on another blog I was reading with the use of Adderall with exams and homeworks. But I think the example you gave with that book also shows that life as well as games can and are meant to be fun, and suppose to enjoy life. So to anyone that think life is not a game...I totally disagree!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that life can be seen as a game. As the book shows, you can "level up" as you grow up and complete various challenges. Life is meant to be fun, and the screen shot of the book reinforces that. Life is also a challenge at times, but rewards come when challenges are completed. I think this book is a good basis for the idea that life is a game. Great find!
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