What I Learned from Playing Video Games

As another lockdown ends, another one starts just a few moments later. Variant after another variant, it looks like the only safe place to be in is our homes. Truth be told, I am not the type of person who likes to go out. However, to some extent, I still enjoy the outdoors occasionally. So, instead of going outside and touching grass which may or may not risk my life, the only thing that I can do to keep my sanity is to play video games.

One of the video games that I am addicted to right now is Valorant. Basically, it is just a team of five players eliminating another team with colorful guns and flashy superpowers. It sounds simple enough to play but the amount of brain power each player exerts could vary by a lot. Sometimes you can see a person getting 30 kills or more, other times you see a player that uses their utility in the most unexpected yet effective ways, and then there is you with that outstanding, shocking, and game-turning three kills and two assists.

But, if there was one thing this game has ever taught me, it is that no matter how bad your standing is in the game, there is always hope to come back and emerge victorious. Other people might say bad things about you in the process of manifesting that hope but it is never finished until it’s over. Not leaning to that tiny glimmer of hope in a losing game is tantamount to giving up before the game even started. With a little patience and determination, you can eventually turn things around for the better. Oddly enough, a situation from a fictitious game, mirrors what happens in our present reality.

The current generation has been through a lot in this never-ending pandemic. Some might have lost their jobs, lost a loved one, developed depression, and had a difficult time adjusting to the new normal. But, with that lingering thought of things eventually getting better, they keep living. They keep waking up the next day curious if it is that day. And when that comes, they learn and grow from everything that they have experienced in those treacherous times. This is what makes the people resilient, this is what makes us humans.

It can be said that it is only over for us once we have passed away. Even then, our hopes and dreams still live on the people we have touched and treasured in our lifetime. We may only experience misfortune for a long period of time. But if we can run out of luck, we can also run out of misfortunes. For that to happen we just need to keep on living until we see that moment. For me, I may not have the capability to go out and discover the things outside right now. However, I still look forward for a better future where that is no longer the case. This is my hope. This is me not giving up before the game has even started. This is what I learned from playing video games.