What Is Gaming Really About
Mission, Complete, Reward, Repeat.
The strong gale of urgent snow was everywhere. Somewhere in the Alterac Valley, the Horde had broken through the Alliance’s last stand. Archelon had one mission, which was to delay the enemy’s advance. There were only two choices. To succeed, or die trying.
As Yuwen charged towards his death, he conjured a Ring of Peace, a unique spell learned by many masters before him. It caught the Horde off guard, knocking the vanguards off from the bridge to their deaths. This last-ditch effort came to naught and the panda master was finally overwhelmed by the enemy.
The results came in. The Alliance had won the battle this time, and all credits were given to Yuwen, the Panda monk. It was an honorable sacrifice. Praises of this heroic act came up in the chat module, with cheers of victory flooding in with the faction’s catchphrase, “For the Alliance!”
Back in reality, I sat back on my chair, basking in the victory over my foes. The rush of winning the epic battle in the fantasy realm of the World of Warcraft (WoW) was exhilarating. A rare-graded weapon reward added on to the sweetness. As my brain’s release of dopamine and serotonin set in, I felt the high like an addict. My increased heartbeat made me feel alive once more. My avatar, Yuwen, had saved the day.
As an ex-professional soldier, I was trained to follow instructions in order to accomplish critical missions. The rule was simple. My role as a commander meant that I had to lead soldiers to accomplish those missions while working within boundaries. It was so drilled into me that I treated this modus operandi as my preferred way of life after leaving the Army.
I have an obsession with deconstructing and understanding mission statements. Mission statements give me clarity on my objective and purpose in an organization. I loved the art of thinking out of the box while acting within the rules, one that my soldiering years had honed. I believed that there is always more than one way to achieve an end and unorthodoxy is the path.
Most Role-Playing games work in the same way. There is always a clear objective, quest, or mission to accomplish. Players receive a reward for completing them and the game will never question how it was done as long as it was within the rules. Rewards keep you moving. It is comparable to one’s life journey. We are often distracted by many side quests that stray us away from our true destiny. Although some are interesting and adds spice to our storylines, everything comes back together after we are done, bringing us back to our true purpose. As for me, my endgame was to attain happiness. It may sound hedonistic, but the simple pleasure of the execution of a task well done gives me happiness.
As a closet hermit, meeting new people was always energy-draining for me. Joining an in-game guild provided a medium for me to belong to a community, allowing me to communicate, familiarise and build relationships with other players without meeting them physically. However, I was cautious of an over-indulgence in these perks as it may cause withdrawn individuals like me to be even more distant from society.
I saw a military-like camaraderie between guild members grow as we participated in battles together, often spending hours trying to beat the game. I received an unexpected reward for the invested time. A purpose-driven relationship had blossomed into rare life-long friendships.
It is absolutely true when you hear the saying, “A family that plays together, stays together.” Gaming was the invisible glue that bonded my wife and me together. I recall the many long nights we spent talking about WoW on our pillows. We laughed and argued countless times over gaming strategies like children. We even took up reading as we scoured the game-lore book series to help us understand the non-player characters better. My favorite memories were the sessions we had analyzing each character’s storyline, diving even deeper into the game contents. Gaming with your spouse comes with intangible rewards. Increased bonding and communication, fun, and laughter are just a few of them.
So, the next time you are having a bad day, why not sit back and immerse yourself in an MMORPG? Cut yourself some slack. The pleasure attained through gaming might be the key to recharging yourself to brave through another tough day. While gaming, keep this simple mantra in mind.
Mission, complete, reward, repeat.
The accumulation of happiness shall follow.
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