Life - the video game
by Olivia Tatum
Ever seen a film or played a computer game and had it act like a filter so you see the whole world that way for a few minutes or hours? Liv tells you how to make the most out of playing your life like a video game.
Sometimes, although not depressed, people can become bored with life. This could be due to monotony- I go to school every day, I know! It can help to try and see life in a new way; change your perspective on things. People have lots of different metaphors and similies to help them explain life.
'Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get.'
This seems quite inaccurate to me, for as far as I can remember, there has always been that little sheet telling you all the fillings corresponding to each of the wrappers. But whatever.
When I searched Metaphors For Life on Google, I was lead to a page that suggested that everyones lives falls into one of fourteen life metaphors , but I don't believe that. I think you can, to a certain extent, choose how you live your life. So this is my 'metaphor'. Life should be like a video game.
Obviously, there are many different types of video games, from violent shooting ones, which my brothers play, to sports games like golf, which are really boring. But those are not what I'm on about. I'm talking about those games where you explore. Games like this aren't violent, young children can play them as well as older people- they're open for pretty much anyone. They're not complex; there are no difficult rules. Here are some features of these games, and ways you can convert them into life.
Exploring
In these games you can travel around an area, finding out more about the place. You can wander into different shops that you haven't been to before, find different 'Levels' or 'Lands' and learn secrets about them. A lot of people in the real world just stay in the same few places all the time; home, work/school, shops etc. Branch out- go to a different supermarket to do your shopping, or, even better, go to separate shops to buy the things you need, for instance, instead of Tescos for everything, why not go to the bakers for bread, the butchers for any meat stuff, the grocery shop for vegetables and fruit etc. As well as helping you explore, it helps local business's and can lower the airmiles of your food, which is always good. Also, if you go on holiday, don't just lie on the beach, explore the area, find out about local customs and the history of the place. It's a lot more interesting if you ask me, but I don't tan, so i can't understand the concept :)
Collecting
If you play a lot of games, you've almost certainly played a game where you have to collect things to gain points, or to sell, or to use for tasks. A good example of this is Animal Crossing: Wild World, where you shake trees to knock down things like furniture, money and fruit. Although not many trees in real life contain furniture, the idea is to keep an eye out for things which you could use. My dad always has a look everytime he sees a skip - some people throw out some really useful stuff. Last week I picked up half a broken thermometer from my Physics classroom floor. Okay, not my best find, and I am yet to find a use for it, but it's just an example of where you could find things. Recycle and reuse anything you can.
Talking
Just going up to people and chatting to them is something that is common in games, but people seem a lot more solitary in real life. Yeah, people can be hostile, and going up to randoms in the street and asking them questions could get negatives responses, so maybe you could limit it to a smile and a 'Good morning!' Talking to people on public transport is nice: I remember once I was on a train with a friend who was going to move to Belgium, and we were talking about this while eating lemon sherbets. The man who was sitting across from us asked her about where in belgium she was moving, and we all started talking - it was really good, and it's so much better than sitting in silence, looking around at people nervously.
Shop queues, or queues for anything, are fair game for friendly chatting. Schools are especially good, it is amazing how easy it is to make friends with people in the playgrounds, or in a boring lesson. I have been known to hand out balloons to people in the street, which can start some interesting conversations. I just find talking to new people so fun, because it makes a change from everyday life, and you can discover all kinds of things, and all types of people.
Basically, the idea is to take what life gives you and to use it to your advantage, and to become more open and adventurous in what you do. I've got a metaphor to describe this as well:
'Variety is the spice of life!'
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