Gaining Practical Abilities: How Video Gaming Enhances Life Lessons

Quick Links

• You Have to Grind for Rewards
• Advanced Driving Techniques
• It’s Easier When You’re Not Alone
• Accept Failure, but Keep Fighting
• Think Outside the Box
• Navigating New Places With & Without a Map

You can learn a lot from video games. Games with puzzles tax our brains to come up with solutions and solve problems, whereas fast-paced action games can improve reaction times. I want to celebrate this learning through games by rounding up a few real-world insights I have acquired through gaming.

1 You Have to Grind for Rewards

When I first started playing World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game , at the age of 12, I quickly realized that the game had more in common with a real job and school than other games. I had to work hard to get any sort of reward. To get to the maximum level in the game, I had to play it every day for months, finish dozens of quests, and kill hundreds of enemies.

Once I got to level 80 (the limit in Wrath of the Lich King), it was more of the same. To get better gear and improve my character, I had to log in daily to do daily quests and dungeons to get rewards, hit the weekly maximums for PvP rewards, and coordinate raids with other players. Even “farming” gold in the game was a tedious task. Still, the more I played and the harder I worked, the more rewards I received.

This experience translated perfectly into the adult world. If you want to earn money, you have to work, and if you want a better job to make even more money, you have to improve your skills in order to learn how to work more complicated jobs. The way games like World of Warcraft treat gameplay like a real-world job isn’t for everyone, but there’s no doubting the lesson that’s being taught..

As a writer, I first have to finish the day’s tasks before I reward myself with a gaming session. When you think about it, most of what we do in the real world is just grinding. Thankfully, playing a lot of games that require you to grind for rewards has conditioned me to fall in love with the process and appreciate the rewards.

2 Advanced Driving Techniques

I used to own a racing wheel and played my fair share of racing games over the years. Granted, I spent most of the time playing arcade racers like Forza Horizon rather than more realistic sim racers, but some basic laws of physics still apply in those games.

When I finally got my first car this year (a BMW E46 with rear-wheel drive), I could recognize when my car was starting to lose traction, oversteer, and drift. This actually happens quite often because most roads where I live are uneven.

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

When I lost control of my car for the first time, my muscle memory kicked in, and I intuitively knew how to get back traction. Instead of panic braking, I feathered the gas pedal and countersteered, which allowed me to regain control. One gamer credits video games for saving him from a crash at 70 mph .

Off-road simulation games like MudRunner and SnowRunner can also develop a feel for traction management and throttle control in off-road conditions. My car once got stuck in gravel, and even though I had only been driving for a couple of months at that point, I knew from games that smashing the accelerator would just result in wheelspin. Instead, I rocked the car back and forth to get out of the hole.

3 It’s Easier When You’re Not Alone

I’ve always been shy and independent, which means that I never ask for help. In the context of games, I typically do things alone, such as ambushing enemies from behind in first-person shooters or trying to solo dungeons and bosses. However, in multiplayer games, other players often provide assistance without expecting anything in return. This has made me realize that overcoming challenges is so much easier with a little help.

No game embodies this collaborative effort better than Fallout 76. My high-level friend helps me out by giving me gear and finishing quests with me. Additionally, many players set up shops in their camps where they sell plans at a discount price. These plans are necessary to craft gear, attachments, and more.

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This type of helpful collaboration has made me realize that life is much easier if you don’t shy away from asking for a helping hand. I no longer hesitate when asking my family members to do something for me, and I actively reach out to my co-workers for whatever questions I have.

4 Accept Failure, but Keep Fighting

Games often add a layer of challenge in the form of a punishing mechanic, such as losing or dying. Some games are notoriously punishing, such as soulslike games Elden Ring and Dark Souls. I died a lot in these games, so I got used to losing. I could only progress once I overcame the enemies holding me back, which required a lot of patience, resilience, and perseverance.

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Similarly, I can’t always win in life. Some projects will fail no matter how hard I try, and that’s okay. The important thing is that I learn from my mistakes and never stop trying.

5 Think Outside the Box

Adventure games are filled with creative puzzles. Hogwarts Legacy and the Uncharted series first come to mind. Many of these puzzles require you to think outside the box but within the game’s limitations—you can’t go over a ledge or jump over an obstacle if the game doesn’t allow it.

Instead, you have to explore the environment and think about how you can use the tools given to you to progress. I find that it helps to think like the level designers. I ask myself, “If I were the level designer, what’s the last solution I could think of?”

It’s just as insightful to look at things from a different perspective in the real world. You can solve problems and conflicts much more easily when you consider alternative approaches that work with the tools you already have available to you.

6 Navigating New Places With & Without a Map

Most games give players a map (and minimap or compass) to help navigate the in-game world. Similarly, we can use Google Maps in the real world, which is surprisingly similar to maps in games. In games, the map can reveal nearby points of interest; similarly, you can find and go to nearby restaurants, cafes, and historical landmarks with Google Maps.

However, wayfinding can be a challenge even with a map. Maps don’t always account for new roads, roadwork, or even one-way streets. A map is often less useful on foot in pedestrian zones, so you have to employ your wayfinding skills.

Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek

Some games don’t have a map, such as Lies of P, or they don’t provide local maps for dungeons and cities, like Skyrim and even Minecraft. Instead, you have to remember where you came from by memorizing landmarks and paths and paying attention to your environment.

I wasn’t even aware of how developed my wayfinding skills were until I went to Istanbul with my fiancée. The city has a complicated layout with lots of similar small streets, but I was still able to memorize what turns we took and how to get back to our hotel. This skill proved its value when my phone battery died, leaving me without access to Google Maps. Did video games help? I like to think so.

I truly believe in the power of learning through video games, especially at a young age. Still, games can turn into an addiction, so it’s important for parents to keep game time in check. A good idea is to set up an old laptop for your kids so that they can start learning from video games without having to sacrifice safety and control.