Welcome to the Jungle, Gamify Your Life and have Fun Doing It

Published: Thu, 04/19/18

You have to learn the rules of the game. Then you have to play better than anyone else.

— Albert Einstien

Back in the day, when I had time to play computer games, I could immerse myself in gameplay for hours on end. Time seemed to fly by and the only things that got between me and my joystick was a toilet break and sleep.

What if we could all have that enthusiasm for the tasks we had to do? What if time flew as quickly as when we were striving for our goals, how would that make us feel? The older most of us get, the more we lose that sense of excitement and wonder. It takes so much more from the majority of us to motivate ourselves but that is what is required to produce our best work.

How do we maintain that enthusiasm and passion?

Remember Pokemon Go?

Users have commented that the game got them out of their houses, if for no other reason than to catch more Pokemon out in the world. Something they would not normally do.

Life may not be Jumanji but You can Make it more Fun & Meaningful

So how do we game the system of life?

What do all good games have in common?

THEY ARE WINNABLE
THEY ARE TIME BASED
THEY HAVE NOVEL CHALLENGES
YOU COMPETE WITH PLAYERS WITH GREATER SKILL LEVEL

Having a gaming framework around my writing has saved my bacon more times than I'd like to mention. When I published my first book, I realized I could write a second. That gave me control. This part of the game I knew I could win. It wasn't easy and the learning curve was steep and yeah there were times that I wrote myself into a brick wall but I knew could win at this nonetheless.

This writing game was definitely time based. And the sooner I set tighter time restraints the better it was. I started to enjoy my writing more and my productivity skyrocketed.

Good games continually have new levels, new achievements, new enemies. We need to be stimulated to make this game 'ting' work. The challenges for me came from my insistence to write in different genres and adapting to the requirements each of these varying disciplines required. It felt good knowing I could do it but at the same time it was not easy to pull off.

It still isn't but damn is it fulfilling when you do.

The next thing to consider is instead of “competing,” with people at my perceived skill-level, I compete with those who are where I want to be. And I'm blessed with so many sublimely great writers that I can aspire to not just emulate them but work towards matching their skills. I routinely ask myself what would author Nalo Hopkins or Joe Hill do in these circumstance. And you may think I'm crazy but sometimes I get an answer.

Hope this Helps

Define a game around anything in your life that you consider important to you. If it is winnable create a framework of rules around its achievement. Make it challenging but fun. Don't take away difficulty add it. If your game is winnable, if it challenges you and excites you with a time frame attached to it then you are in for a lifetime of fun and achievement.

Peace, love and Power

Kwa Heri, Kings and Queens