Video games are a simulation of life, but really... we should be living more like our game characters. Think about it. In AdventureQuest 3D, you log in and assume the identity of a hero who grows, overcomes any problem or challenge thrown at them, and has fun doing it. There is a lot we could learn from our video game characters. Here is what I have been thinking about this late Sunday evening...
Our heroes are always going to new places and new adventures. Are you the type of person who enjoys eating the same foods, or at the same restaurant all of the time? Or do you feel the need to constantly switch it up? This weekend Zhoom, Titan, and I went to a new part to try out its' excercise station laced running trail. I never knew I needed a place to exist so badly until after I was taken there O_O.
"WHAT!? Artix, are you actually telling me to get excited when terrible problems suddenly hit my life?" Well, how has doing the opposite been working out? Our in-game selves dive into solving a problem immediately. They do not wait around worrying, being stressed, or hide in their room with the lights dim, chain binging shows from the '90s. (Um... a friend told me they did that <_<). Look, I know we all get hit by true horrible, gut wrenching problems. But imagine what we would be like, if every time a problem suddenly spawned, we went into hero mode and got excited with the knowledge that we KNEW we were ultimately going to beat it. (Do not say "Artix, be reasonable..." here. Victors of impossible situations are rarely "reasonable.")
Our Heroes are always leveling up. They slay foes and do quests to get EXP. What would it take to level up in real life? My guess is you are already working towards the next level of your real world work, school, skill, or fitness. In-game, we always try to min-max to get our hero the biggest increases in the shortest amount of time. What would happen if we put levels on the things we did... and figured out how much real-life EXP we needed to get to them. (Real-life EXP = the work)
Whether fighting vampires, dragons, or getting a haircut... our heroes are always having fun. You could literally give any hero in our game a paper clip, stick them in the corner and in the corresponding cut-scene they would be having a blast. Perhaps it is because we are actively and intentionally trying to have fun when we play (and make) video games. Is it possible to be actively seeking that fun everywhere we go in real life too? I know this is true-- because some of you already do it. I can tell because I stalk your twitter accounts O_O. Making everything you do fun and adventurous is probably the best thing we could spend energy on.
Unrelated, "Paper clip corner sitting quest" coming next week! (Kidding. I think.)
"Way to jump the shark, Artix!" No.... I mean the metaphorical respawn. Look, in real-life we all screw up, fail, quit, or lose. It happens. It happens to all of us. But we DO NOT have to stay down. Just like our heroes respawn and get back in the fight-- so should we. You know the old quote, "What does not kill me, only makes me... respawn and try again."
A year or so ago I took some heat from a player or two for "treating the AQ3D design notes like a personal blog". But it is Sunday night as I write this. I am pretty sure that gives me free reign to avalanche weird ideas in your direction. In terms of spiciness this one was pretty mild. If your mental taste buds approve, we will move on to medium, hot, weird-truck-stop-hotsauce-hot, and ultimately Ghost Pepper time.
Oh... one weird thing. You get name your video game character. But another player got to name you O_O.
P.S. Thank you to @HazirothGhost for today's design notes image. Apparently, Haziroth has and unfathomable quantity of killer screen shots from AdventureQuest 3D. There are a ton of other amazing images from Screenshot Sunday #1 that I am looking forward to featuring on the Design Notes this week. We have some legit "directors of photography" in our game community.
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Pun-slinging Paladin
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