10 Life Lessons We've Learned From Games

Image via Complex Original

Gaming may be rife with the ol' ultraviolence and soul-shattering depression, but amidst all the despair in some of our favorites, there's also a cavalcade of hope. It's tucked away in a treasure chest somewhere, but chances are you'll stumble on to it in one of your darkest moments.

Similarly, there are lessons each of us would do well to take away from the electronic entertainment we busy ourselves with. Parables that not only echo actions we perform in-game, but life as well. Call us cheesy if you must, but what we can siphon from The Legend of Zelda or even Mario Kart can propel us through the rough patches in the grand scheme of things.

Words of wisdom aside, here are ten life lessons you can and should learn from gaming.

Watch out for the silent, beautiful ones

We believe this lesson can best be illustrated through Japanese RPGs and their love for including gorgeous yet dangerous antagonists. Sephiroth. Need we say more? 

Treat animals with respect

This lesson should be common sense, but some lowlifes never realize that animals are just as precious as human lives. With that said, it's never “alright” to harm them, especially when they're not even posing a threat to you.

The Legend of Zelda illustrates this point rather well, we think. Never kick a cucco. Unless you want to be pecked to death, and rightly so. 

There’s no shame in changing the difficulty

Started out on “Nightmare!” but your skills reflect that of “I'm too young to die?” Suck it up, cupcake. You're not Doomed.

Rather than pushing forth a couple more seconds every respawn, wouldn't you prefer to experience what the game has to offer? Okay, some people prefer to die five hundred times. We get it. But when things get rough for real, there are no extra lives. It's over.

When it comes to reality, don’t be afraid to ask for help, or “dumb down the difficulty.” Too much on your plate? Relax. You might not be able to reset back to “easy” mode, but you can seek out others to aid you when you fall on hard times. You needn't face things alone, and you don't have to. Unless you're packing a BFG. 

Sometimes you need a fresh start

When a party member falls in the strat-RPG Fire Emblem, they're gone forever. The only way to bring them back is to start all over again, or from a previous saved game.

Sometimes the only way to rekindle lost creativity or find enlightenment is to give yourself your own “fresh start,” just like deleting your previous save and forging a new path. If you feel bogged down by other commitments or constrained by the life you've built for yourself, start over. It's never too late. 

Record your progress often

Memories are precious, but so are a bevy of saved games, just in case you reach a particularly pesky area that requires the beginner's set of weapons you tossed out a few towns ago for petty gold. You know, Ipsen's Castle? Final Fantasy IX?

In any case, it's a good strategy to keep a safety net of prior saves should something terrible befall you or your party members. And what can you learn from this?Keep a journal or write down your achievements. Take plenty of photos.

When it's all said and done, or should the unthinkable happen, you'll be able to look back on the highs and the lows that comprised your life. Learn to appreciate the small things while you have them.

Be friendly to everyone you meet

Forging a considerable amount of social links in Persona 3 and onward can only lead to success and more powerful Personas to choose from.

Social links can also be created with the people you speak with every day. So why not be kind to them? Why not put a smile on and greet a few strangers? You never know when one particular connection will come in handy...or when it could save you from disaster.

Life can throw a blue shell at you at any time

No matter how meticulously you've been planning something, or how extravagantly you've covered all your bases, one day a wrench will work itself into all of your plans, decimating them. Destroying everything you've worked for. And there's nothing you can do about it but keep on truckin'. Or karting, as it were.

The infamous blue shell (Leader Bomb) of Mario Kart is notorious for unfairly wrestling first place from your hands as it zips past those behind you and aims right for the leader in the race. Have fun catching up. Life's pretty obnoxious like that, too. That's why you have to expect it. 

Everyone needs a friend

You may bill yourself as a loner, but who's going to come to your aid when you run headlong into battle? Just about every role-playing game proves this old chestnut to be true.

Party members, favorite characters, no matter which friend you have – you’ll be thankful for it in the end. Especially if you happen to be nearing the end of Mother 3. You'll want to have loved ones thinking of you there. Trust us.

When opportunity knocks, answer

That armory conveniently located right before the door marked “Final Boss” isn't sitting there for decoration.

It's probably a good idea to, you know, stock up unless you want to march in empty-handed and meet a swift yet still extremely painful death.

Another lesson that can be found in an abundance of games, this adage reminds you that when opportunity knocks, answer the door. You never know when you'll have another chance, so take it, and don't look back.

Don’t rush through the cut scenes

We know most modern games practically beg you to fly through the tutorial missions and lengthy cut scenes, what with the tempting “press Y to skip!” buttons near the corner of the screen.

In the olden days this was never such a problem, but now you're encouraged to ignore what threads of plot are attempting to connect with you to get right into the action. And you're probably doing the same thing in your own life.

Instead of button-mashing through the spectacle of this wonderful thing we call life, why not stop and smell the pixelated roses?