Video games are awesome. I've always loved them and where I'm not your super gamer, I definitely dabble. So today, while riding through an episode of game paralysis and watching Ellen videos for far too long. I got to this one. Those guys sound amazing but also said the reason they started playing is because they got gifted a Beatles version of BAND HERO, and after they got gud they decided to learn the real life instruments so they could really learn to play those sweet Beatles tunes. 

After thinking about it more I realised that a lot of the games that I enjoy aren't just an escape from the real world, but rather a place for me to experiment with real world ideas that I may one day want to make a reality. From Cooking Mama and Nintendogs to Guitar Hero and Horizon Zero Dawn, I know I'm not the only one out there who decided to give a real life skill a shot because I became an in-game master. So I took to Discord and asked my lil' game squad what games made them go out into the big wide world and try something out. 

George on Morality

Horizon Zero Dawn is a game at it's very base level is about shooting arrows into robot dinosaurs BUT the moral of its story, well one of it's morals because there are many, technology should always be used for good. Because there is so much power in technology that we can use for terrible, terrible things - but... what do we gain from that? And that's what the story of the game tends to teach you. And that's made me realise that I wanna use what I know not just to have fun or mess about but to actually make the world a better place. Even if it's just for a few people.

Pierre on Classical History, Maths, and Problem Solving

I learned both history and maths from video games personally, or at least classical history thanks Rome: Total War and Age of Empires. It's more like you see [things] in video games and learn to be able to copy them. So playing games is more of a way to get interested in things you wouldn't otherwise be into. Also problem solving... that's a massive thing I learned and also resourcefulness.

Rob (courage) and Cam (power) on Conflict Resolution

Cam on Tent Pitching

Call of Duty taught me to how to correctly set up a tent.

Ryan on Go Karting and Problem Solving

Motor racing games got me into go karting. Also, Portal 2 was a really good game for problem solving.. cos the problems in that got fucking complex.

Me, on cooking, puppy training, and problem solving

I think the guys summed up all of the profound things that you can learn from years of gaming and I totally agree with them all. From a slightly more pragmatic view, gaming taught me small, but useful real life skills like how to separate eggs (thanks Cooking Mama) and that when training dogs, they respond better to movement rather than sound (snaps for Nintendogs). It also taught me to hustle hard and never give up, from putting in the constant effort to slay your first dragon to just giving that damn Portal puzzle one last go. 

And Jake with some very profound final words, which sum it up better than I could.

I've played gun games and war strategy games my whole life, even non computerised games like chess teaches a lot about that sort of thing and I've always been into it, but perhaps we choose games not just because we can learn or be motivated by them but because the nature of the game suits our personalities well.

Like what you read? Pin it!