Comments on: Thoughts on Gaming #3 – The Next Level

By: Thoughts on Gaming #4 – Adventure « This is Not a Test

Thoughts on Gaming #4 – Adventure « This is Not a Test — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:17:21 +0000

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By: Darren Chapman

Darren Chapman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:37:26 +0000

So true. In Mafia Wars (facebook), I’m always checking back because I want to get to the next level! Addictive plus!

By: Darren Chapman

Darren Chapman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:36:45 +0000

Some good thoughts there Michael. Goal setting and reaching really is our tangible way of reaching intangible goals. Unfortunately spiritual growth is difficult to measure as is our relationship with God and others. But I guess we still notice marked increases/decreases in both.

By: Darren Chapman

Darren Chapman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:35:23 +0000

LOL

By: T Thorpe

T Thorpe — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:31:36 +0000

Surely game developers have spent countless hours on establishing the most addictive leveling systems in modern games… So maybe like Mike has said we need to implement our own..? Setting goals for every area of our lives and then make up a star chart? At lease that’s what my lvl 77 Night Elf would do!

By: Michael S

Michael S — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:39:14 +0000

I agree with Josiah in a way, in games your progress is tangible, your levels/stats/resources are right in front of you, so you get the gratification instantly and you get caught in a feedback loop of sorts as it encourages you to progress further.
It’s the kind of momentum I wish I had a better grip of in the real world, where the reward isn’t always immediate. You have to wait for the best harvests, and it isn’t always enough to know that the end justifies the means.

“how do we remove ourselves from the draw of the game and focus on levelling up (or flourishing/prospering) in life a little more?”
That’s the problem here. If reality was more like an RPG, every positive action would have some gauge with which to measure it. Fortunately I think we have something pretty close, and that’s goal setting. After all, that’s all that you’re acting on in a game, the goals set for you. In this case, you get to dictate your own, and record your progress and accomplishments in a way that reflects the work you are putting in – in real time.

By: Josiah Walker

Josiah Walker — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:02:02 +0000

Maybe the addictiveness of games is that we can see the numbers change when we “level up”, where it’s very easy to get disappointed about not seeing concrete changes in life even if we’re growing (it’s all so subjective!)…

In that way, games are sort of an “easy way out” to the real self improvement we need to do sometimes.