Goal Setting and Gaming

April 24, 2008 · Filed Under Musings, Online, Gaming 

According to naysayers, “gaming will amount to nothing.”

Or so they say.

It just occured to me that goal setting is as important to gaming as it is to real-life. Video games offer you a myriad of choices. First, you can elect to complete it in “easy” mode or punish yourself in “extreme”. Play Guitar Hero and you’ll know what I mean.

This is more true in online games.

Without goals, you’re screwed. You’ll probably end up with a lame character, improper build and gear that’s not focused on a specific task. Well, not unless your goal is be like THAT.

The fact of the matter is you have to set goals, plan and then execute. Only then will you have the satisfaction of going through the process AND achieving victory conditions.

When I was playing God of War: Chains of Olympus, my first goal was to max out my melee weapons for the simple reason that I was clobbering baddies 95% of the time in the game. This made a lot of sense and in the end, defeating my adversaries was a walk in the park.

If you think school or work is a chore (or boring), why not treat is a game? (No… shooting or melee is not an option, okay?)

The “leveling”, will be like getting an A or passing your evaluation with your boss. These can be your own benchmarks of success.

Goals are important.

Now, it’s time to make them, plan for them and then level up…

… in both the virtual and the real world.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Goal Setting and Gaming”

  1. Blackwolf on April 24th, 2008 11:27 am

    Goal setting should also be realistic. It’s nice to have a big dream like being the uber-pvp master in an MMORPG but it’ll be better to set your sights towards lesser goals in the beginning. Think of it as leveling up - you gotta get to level 2 from level 1 before you dream of getting to level 50.

    Setting little goals that aim towards your big goal will enhance focus and lessen frustration as you work steadily towards getting what you want. In the case of the pvp master, getting the right level would be important, as well as the right gear, skills and even joining the right team for it. Each of those objectives can be a mini-goal towards the ultimate dream of getting the top spot.

  2. The Benefits of Gaming | gmtristan.com on April 28th, 2008 4:15 pm

    […] Goals - You have to set goals in order to become successful. Games allow one to actually test their own limits. Some say that you’re only trying to beat […]

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