Lesson Learned - Life is Like an MMORPG



For quite some time, I have been an avid player of MMORPGs, specifically World of Warcraft and recently, Guild Wars 2. I love the feeling of when I am about to delve into the fantasy world riddled with quests, meeting NPCs, and avoiding/engaging with other players. The scenery of each area, coupled with the sweeping music, makes me happily lose an hour or two of my day. However, it has recently dawned on me that while these games are fantastic to play, there are many lessons to learn regarding life. Here are several that I learned:


One - Life is NEVER black and white. When you begin your journey into WoW or GW 2, you spend time creating your character. The race, gender, profession, and even colour of hair are quite important. You even get to choose your affiliation (Horde vs. Alliance) and so when you strike out into the world, you steadfastly hold on to what you believe in. However, the more you level up, the more you begin to see the blurred lines, that not everyone is pure evil nor pure good. Characters will adapt to the current situation and hope like hell they get it right. The more I played my blood elf characters, the more I learned just how badly they were treated and how they had no choice but to join the Horde. The more I engage with my asura character, the more I realize how arrogant and intelligent they are. During one quest, you fight a supposedly evil creature, only to learn later that it was protecting its young. It's the same with us in the real world - how many times have we thought someone or something was filled with hatred or malicious thoughts, only to later learn that we were completely wrong? Sometimes, it's good to take several steps back to see the entire picture; that could possibly change our minds about the matter.  


Two - Explore your world. I admit that I love just wandering through the areas, seeking out the beauty and wonder that opens itself to me. One of my favourite areas in Azeroth was Stranglethorn Vale. I loved the music, the wildness of the area, and the fact that danger lay everywhere. For GW 2, I really love Caledon Forest, the home of the plantlike sylvari. I'm also curious about the Tengu Wall and hopefully, one of my characters will get to see what lies beyond. I'm the same way with the real world. I love to travel and seek out new experiences and places of wonder. I also love taking a walk around the lake behind my house; no two walks are the same because I keep my eyes open to anything that reveals itself to me. Right now, all of my characters in GW2 have a raptor mount, but I admit that I do get a little envious of seeing other players with their flying mounts. One day. 


Three - When you fail, take a break and get back to it. In both WoW and GW2, when you die in battle, it's not a final death. You either locate your body while in spirit mode, or you travel to a nearby waypoint and "return" to life. In both instances, you dust yourself off, eat something, and then you can either return to the fight, or you can wander off somewhere else. Whenever I've made a horrific mistake, all I want to do is just crawl into a shadowy corner and allow dust to collect on me. Lately, I've changed my tune so that whenever I screw up, I ponder what I did wrong, acknowledge my mistake, see if I can apologize or if it's better to walk away, then dust myself off and resume my life. We're all going to mess up A LOT, yet once we've acknowledged what we've done, is it better to hide from the world, or slowly get yourself back into active mode? The choice is always yours but for me, I have a wonderful life that I'm enjoying. I'm returning to the fight, but maybe after checking out a tavern.


Four - The world is never fair. It grates on my nerves when I'm in the middle of a quest and then some other player comes in to do whatever I'm doing. Then, it makes it worse when I'm running around on my quest and I see that same character seemingly following me. WHY?! I run off again and see that the other player is doing something else, so I take a breath and carry on with my quest. But yeah, it gets irksome. Same with the real world. There are people out there who are just angry, hateful, mean, inconsiderate. And you know what? Go about your merry way. True, we will all encounter these kinds of people and when we do, they rub us the wrong way. We get angry right back at them and want to ask - what did I ever do to you? I don't even know you! Our interaction with them throws us off course and sometimes, we'll spend time wondering why they acted like they did around us. For me, I get upset, then I gently let it go because I understand that they were angry before they interacted with me, or that if they have a problem with me, move on. Someone once told me that you should never take it personally. When I started to actively do that, I noticed that yeah, it's a lot better. I can't save the world, but I can save my behaviour and how I react when someone is an asshole. Just let them pass and go on your way. Trust me, there's enough to kill on that particular quest. 


Five - Patience, patience, patience. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten frustrated at trying to reach a particular Vista that seems impossible to reach, or when I'm up against some badass creature that keeps knocking me down by barely lifting a finger. Yet, whenever I find myself getting frustrated, I take a break to assess my strategy on how to handle the level 200 dragon, or go off to handle another matter to take my mind off it for a little while. If I focus my mind on something else, I usually discover the answer to my frustration and return to it. I'm horrible when it comes to patience, yet I also understand that when you are patient, the answers will come. Then again, if you do decide to go in full throttle, throw everything you've got and keep at it. My charr character was fighting a Veteran NPC yesterday and I knew that I had to give it my all. However, I also noticed that while I was in that battle, I calmed down and focused patiently on the matter at hand. I handed that creature its butt and went off in search of a new greatsword. 


Six and Finally - Enjoy the games, but don't forget to enjoy your life. As much as I love playing MMORPG, I also enjoy going outside to enjoy nature, engaging with strangers and friends, or knitting my latest scarf. There's a beautiful world out there just waiting to be encountered and enjoyed, so don't forget to do that every so often. There will be many ups and downs, so roll with it and understand that this is the only life we get. Make the most of it and enjoy who you are. 


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