We usually spend most of our time playing games that other people created, whether knowingly or unknowingly, assuming roles and identities assigned to us.
Most people wind up just being pawns, while others may rise up to higher roles at times, such as knights, bishops or rooks. A few become queens or kings.
Even fewer become the players themselves – the ones directing the moves of all the pieces.
But the rarest of all are the ones who created the game to begin with. These are the true masters – the ones who invented the rules and designed the components and relayed the strategies for people to play.
This is perhaps the highest form of creation – to be the inventor of the game and then choosing to assume a role or identity and play it.
Sometimes this can get a little abstract when trying to compare to board games or sports. To find out more about how this applies to everyday situations and greater purpose in life, you may have to dig a little deeper. I’ll continue using some crude examples with chess because it is often used to talk about strategy in life.
Video games take these theories into much more detail, from designing your own player and leveling up based on completed challenges or tasks, to even creating entire worlds and games within games. These later examples are more analogous to life.
Here are the component parts of a game.
1. Overall Concept – what does the game generally consist of? How many players or teams? What are the tools that can be used to accomplish the tasks?
In chess, you have 16 pieces on each side of a board with alternating light and dark squares, competing to beat your opponent in a battle of pieces to ultimately dominate the other by placing their king in checkmate.
In Minecraft, you can defeat the Ender Dragon, or you can just create new scenes and build a new world with the tools and objects you choose.
In Roblox, developers create games within the game and set their own rules to invite others to play. This is a game where not only the platform wins, but developers also win financially, and players win through network effects of joining other players and having more options to play – jumping from one creative world to another in an instant to also do their own level of creation within each construct.
For players, the latter examples are more akin to life than they realize, yet at the same time they often don’t develop the same level of patience, strategy, and dedication that it can take to create larger effects in life, whereas the individual developers are higher up in the game construct, and the ultimate role is the platform host/creator.
2. The Rules – what are the scenarios and strategies that can be used and what is off limits? Who are the judges/refs, etc. to govern the rules?
Each piece on a chess board has restrictions on how it can move and overtake a piece on the board. Some can only move diagonally or horizontally, while others have restricted numbers of squares it can move and under what conditions. Players strategize on both offense and defense to protect their king while trying to take the other’s king.
In board games and card games, the rules are usually fixed. Whereas in video games, there are now frequent updates that introduce new players, opportunities, and even rules. In either case there is still a set of overall guiding principles to play within – the board, the game console, the server online displaying the code.
In life, there are some very high rules above what most people realize that make it possible for near-infinite variations. Having a better understanding of energy in its various forms and how to use it, for example, can make miracles happen, even within the confines of someone else’s game.
3. Opponents – who or what are you playing against? Are they individuals or teams, and how many of them are there? What are some of the other inanimate opponents, such as pitfalls and obstacles that must be overcome to win?
This one trips up a lot of people in life. While many people are playing a game they don’t even realize, or may be unaware of the rules, others are targeting the wrong opponent completely.
For example, in American football, the defense is supposed to tackle the player with the ball on the other team. If they keep targeting the referees instead, they’re going to not only lose, but be penalized and even kicked out of the game.
In life, we often target the wrong opponents, even imaginary ones. This can be due to not knowing which game we’re playing or being deceived by propaganda into thinking our opponents are someone else. This is a deliberate attempt to divide people, create chaos, divert attention elsewhere, and control us. It makes us think that “those” people are your opponents or enemies.
Correctly identifying the right opponent(s) is as crucial as understanding how to play. It is part of choosing which game you’re playing in life. Sometimes the opponent appears once you have decided what game you’re going to play, and it doesn’t always have to be another person – it could even be the elements if you’re simply trying to create shelter and sustainability for yourself, your family, or a community.
4. Teammates – are you alone or are there others on your team? If there are others, how many of them are you going to choose and for which roles?
While team sports are more obvious, even solo sports have teammates. In golf you have a caddy, perhaps a swing coach, a trainer, your family/loved ones. Even your fans are on your team.
You are never completely alone in life unless you choose to be through your actions, which can make choosing your teammates critical to your success. Choose the wrong ones, or ones who are playing a different game or against a different opponent when they’re supposed to be on your team can be detrimental. This is one reason why partnerships split up – they’re playing completely different games and often turn each other into opponents in an effort to enforce rules that aren’t even agreed on.
You can certainly be playing more than one game in a general timeline, so teammates can vary as well as their roles if they’re playing in multiple games with you. A literal teammate in football can also be a teammate in a business venture as a partner and one as a cheerleader/fan in your life as a friend – all teammates, but different roles based on the games.
The best teammates understand not just their roles in the game you’re playing, but also the rules, opponents, and goals as well.
5. Purpose- what is the ultimate goal of the game? What are you trying to accomplish in the end?
Define your ultimate goals. Are you just trying to put the other player’s king in checkmate, or are you trying to become a grandmaster, or something in between? This is your purpose for playing – not just to win. It imbues more meaning than simply participating.
Are you trying to earn a decent living and save enough for retirement, or are you trying to become a billionaire? Do you want to have structure and security working for someone else’s company, or do you want to take the risk and build something new? Do you want to join a coalition or create a new movement? Are you playing for the love of the game or trying to win the world championship? None of these are inherently right or wrong, even in success or failure.
You define your purpose and what your end goals are – nobody else.
If there are times when you feel like you’re not winning in life, chances are likely that you’re unaware of the game you’re in the middle of, don’t know the rules or objectives, or are playing the wrong game altogether. Perhaps you’ve chosen the wrong teammates or opponents, or they don’t match up to your purpose. It would be helpful to either become a better student of the game you’re playing or play a new game. After all, games are supposed to be fun, not just challenging.
So here’s the task:
Create a game to play – one that is unique to you.
Start with an ultimate goal or purpose, and outcome you’re trying to achieve. Define the rules and objectives. Choose your teammates and your opponents. Develop your strategies to overcome the obstacles and challenges. Keep trying as you enhance your abilities and level up your character. Collect the rewards. Learn from the missteps.
If you lose, play again or choose a new game. If you win, play again or choose a new game. Either way, don’t forget that it’s supposed to be fun, not just challenging. And remember, the game masters are the ones who are the creators underneath the ultimate creator of the universe, and there are nearly infinite versions that can be created or played at any time. If you ask me, this is way more fun than just being a pawn.