July 22, 2021
When I was younger, I spent a moderate amount of time playing video games. I say “moderate” because at first, I assumed that I spent a lot of time playing them, but then I heard how much time my friends spent. My video game hours paled in comparison.
I think video games appeal to most men because they allow them to assume the role and life of a character that exhibits masculine traits that resonate with the player. You can be a sharp shooter blowing away terrorists. You can be a swordsman slaying monsters in a fantasy world. You can be a spy that utilizes stealth to accomplish missions. Video games also allow you to experience being a criminal, gangster, or an antihero with a questionable moral code.
These video games usually allow your character to grow, develop, and progress. The character acquires more money, obtains more powerful weapons, and locates more valuable items. All of this can be done while sitting on your couch in the comfort of your own home.
But no matter how much money, experience, or items your in-game character acquires, when you turn off the game, your real-life situation has stayed the same. The amount of money in your bank account is the same. Your real-world experience is the same. Your real-life skills have not improved. The only difference is that you are now a couple of hours older.
If you’ve read my book, then you may remember that I crapped on video games as a beneficial hobby for men. However, as I said in the book—and I’ll reiterate here—I do not think all men should never play video games ever. It’s a decent way to relax and unwind after a busy day, and as technology improves, video games are becoming more and more mind-blowing.
What I do crap on, though, is when men spend an excessive amount of time playing video games, particularly when they have not yet invested time in building up their seven life areas. To those guys, I say this:
Go out into the world and live your life like the video games you play.
Obviously, I don’t mean shooting people, blowing stuff up, or stealing things. What I mean is invest in yourself the same way you invest in your video game character. Go and level up yourself. Here are some examples:
Get Stronger
Level up your strength by lifting heavy weights. Men should have at least some strength. If you can work out correctly, eat correctly, and rest correctly, then you’ll be surprised by how quickly you can make progress.
Learn New Abilities and Skills
Embrace your curiosity and explore new things that could potentially interest you. Pick up an instrument. Train in a martial art. Learn a new language.
These abilities and skills will take more time to learn than it takes your video game character (though not as long as you may think if you focus). But they will be vastly more enjoyable (and respected) in real life rather than saved on your console’s hard drive.
Explore Your World
Or even just your city. Discover new places to go and hang out. Travel internationally if you can. You never know who you’ll meet or what you may find.
Make Progress
Don’t be static. Don’t live in the same city for your entire life. Don’t work for the same company for your entire life. While it’s good to be content and happy, always keep your mind open and an eye out for opportunities to progress and improve your life.
Don’t Cheat
There really are no shortcuts. True development comes as a result of dedicating time and focus on your improvement. If there were shortcuts, then everyone would have taken them by now.
If you don’t know where to start, then look to your character in your favorite video game. What can they do (realistically) that you can’t? What endears them to you?
Can they fight? Build things? Drive motorcycles? Challenge yourself to acquire some of their same skills in your own life.
If your video game character is worth the time to develop, then so are you.