Things Games Taught Me

     Some people say games are a waste of time. But I've learned some valuable things. I share them with you today.


Go for a Walk

     I'm not just talking about Wii Fit. Though that is a great workout - and I'm gonna get the high score on that penguin game any day now.

     I'm talking about RPGs. You walk around, you encounter rabid monsters and gain experience. In real life, you walk around, you encounter people (who you should most definitely not put down like a rabid monster) and experience life.

     The best part is that it can be taken literally to actually improve health. I...could take this advice more often.


Keep Learning

     How do you beat the villain in any RPG? You learn new abilities and unleash them. How do you do this in real life? Take a class, even a free one. Get curious and research how to do something, or how to do what you already do better.


Invest Wisely

     This lesson comes courtesy of the entire strategy genre - Civilization, Age of Empires, Bloons TD. In any strategy game, you have to figure out what the currency is. What needs to be spent to get things done? How do you ensure you have enough of it? In most games, it's gold or energy. You usually have to choose between increasing your income to buy things later, or spending it now on things you need. You have to find that special balance.

     With some games you have to balance multiple currencies. Settlers of Cataan, looking at the board game here, has five separate resources. The trick is finding the right balance and using them wisely. There are a couple of strategies to achieve this. The two most successful I've seen are to build cities or buy cards to perform tricks with. Both of them also increase your score, though the tricks are chancier. Both also increase resource production.

     Sometimes you need to invest your currency, sometimes you need to spend it. Sometimes you need to build cities, sometimes farms. Sometimes, you need to cultivate relationships with people. Sometimes you need to spend time developing skills or muscles now, because you're going to need them down the line. And sometimes you just need to build a mana producing tower.


There's a Way to Do It 

     There are ways to handle any situation. Sometimes, it's taking action early. Sometimes, it's riding it through and dealing with the aftermath. Sometimes, it's just trying the problem again and again until you get the solution.


Learn How to Treat People

     In video games, being polite to NPCs can have massive benefits. You may open the next stage of your quest, or learn the skill that saves your life. You might even expand your understanding of the world of the game.

     In real life, treating people well can have massive benefits. You may open up your next opportunity, or learn information and skills that save your life. You may even expand your understanding of the world.