When gaming imitates life

After spending more than a few hundred hours on role-playing games, I have finally come to accept that the person I most frequently play is ‘me’. I may have chosen a different race, gender, or class, yet I do not play actually play a different role.

Instead, the strategies I assume are an extension by how I play (or rather, how I try to play) my ‘real life’.[1]



1. Over-engineering for the long-run

I usually love over-qualifying myself for what I am doing. Before I take on the big guns I usually like to have all of my ‘soldiers’ lined up. This lets me assume an air of superiority (particularly in what might otherwise be degrading work) - be it in making coffees, or picking locks and pockets in Ferelden. It also allows me the luxury of ‘savouring’ the texture of my surrounds - be they wind-swept mountains, or a building’s rooftop in the CBD that I have to sweep. I have written drafts of thesis before enrolling in a postgraduate course, and executed eagle vision from every tower in northern Italy. Whether the big boss is a dragon or a two-year-long Masters by research degree, when I finally take them on, they are toast.

2. Guerrilla tactics for the quick wins

Other times, though, I like to bite off more than most people consider trying to chew. I seek out a ‘hack’, or a ‘rort’, to give myself an artificial advantage, pass myself off as having far more credit than I actually possess (‘Yes ... I know how to program’), and enter battles above my class. This can come down to a tactic known as kiting – using range-attacks to work away at the edges of my opponent or project. I might also use chemical enhancements to heighten and prolong my combat effectiveness, such as mana recharges, health potions – or, in the case of my workplace, copious amounts of refreshing and invigorating green tea.

3. Grinding for the relief

Like many a MMORPG player will relate, there are times at work when I just want to grind: carrying out often-repetitive tasks that require little or no higher-cognitive processes, such as culling critters in World of Warcraft, or changing lists to tables in Microsoft Word. Grinding usually guarantees advancement - albeit very, very slowly. However, the best part of grinding is that there is no risk of offending anyone: critters do not have alliances - hurt one, and another bunch will not take offence. Similarly, cleaning up code, or sorting out a CMS means that there is no risk of unearthing any hostile factions in a team meeting.




Image by squant

Endnotes

[1] At least, this is the case the first time around, when I am usually am a paragon of humanity – in the replay, I’m generally an ass.