Things I've Learned About Myself Through Gaming

Over the years I've played many different types of video games it wasn't until recently that I began to notice similarities between how I played certain games and how I handled various aspects of my life. I seem to be drawn primarily to city/empire building types games and also roleplaying games. I have played other types of games but these two categories seem to be my preferred game types. I played text based online games called MUDs or Multi-User Dungeons this type of game is more or less a cross between a text based chat room and the text based games that came before them. I've played most of the Sim City series of games, and have played other similar games such as Caesar III, Pharoah, Age of Empire these games are in the city/empire building class sometimes they were referred to as god simulators because the player held the balance of the city or nation they were building in their hands and could make or destroy a city by making choices either good or bad. In the roleplaying category I'm currently playing Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft.

Through my gaming experiences I'm noticing similarities though in the way I play these various games and the way I approach real life. I find that with city building games I struggle with trying to balance resources, population and expansion without causing one aspect to suffer. I have been playing a browser based city builder called Evony which includes interaction with other players and I find I am doing better at keeping things balanced as I get guidance from more seasoned players. My biggest struggle with city builders seems to also be a problem in real life and that is that I seem to have a tendency to be impulsive in both spending and general decision making. I decide I want/need something and I will do everything I can to get that item even if it means shorting myself in another area. This happens in my gaming and while not quite as much in real life it is something I feel I need to be aware of at all times and do what I can to keep the impulsive nature in check.

In World of Warcraft, I find that I get caughtup in things that other players might find insignificant things like the atmosphere of my character's surroundings or simply I will get stuck in a mode where I organize and sort my gear almost obsessively until I feel like it is perfectly arranged. In real life I find that this obsessive sorting seems to also show up with things like how my groceries are arranged in the cupboards, or if I clean out a closet things like the way that any boxes that get returned to the closet not only stack, but also I guess you could describe it as a sort of visual flow that is created by the way the shapes of the boxes appear visually. Books on bookshelves have to be arranged from tallest to shortest with regards to the height of each book in relation to the book next to it. Yet at the same time this almost obsessive organizing is all but non-existent in other areas of my life ... my computer desk is a good example it is pretty much normal to have the surface of my desk buried under a mound of stuff but amazingly I can reach into the pile and pull out what I need with relative ease.

I have also noticed a similarity between my gaming and real life in that with multi-player games I tend to prefer to be a follower and almost hate to be in leadership roles. In real life I will do everything I can to avoid being put into a leadership role and prefer to be a behind the scenes kind of person. The type where the result of their efforts are visible but realizing who did it might not be apparent at first glance.

I've learned that I need to work on balancing tasks so that no one task overpowers the ability to complete other tasks. I also have learned that stopping to think about what I'm doing instead of just jumping at the first shiny thing that catches my attention can be a good thing and that my comfort zone is as a follower but that maybe I should try to be a leader in something I am comfortable doing. Gaming has taught me that patience can make a situation better or worse depending on if I rush things or just go with the flow.

So while playing games in the eyes of some is a waste of time, I've found that I'm able to learn a little about myself while I play them if I give myself a chance and keep an open mind. The trick now that I'm aware of these things is to work on applying them in an appropriate manner to my day to day life aiming for balance minimizing impulsiveness, and working on not getting so caught up in the unimportant that I forget to take care of things of greater importance.