The Secret to Making Video Gaming an Asset

[Jak]

First off, if you want me to tell you that video games are okay, I wont. They are designed to steal your dreams and make you complacent. However, all is not lost.

See, the good thing is that if you are/were an avid video gamer, the games have conditioned you to achieve goals. Especially MMO's and RPG's.

Long after the main story of a game ends, people still play them. Why? Because they have to get all the achievements, or they have to get that cool armor set, or that mansion in a far off city. Quit the video games, and you can imagine your life as a video game.

What do you want in life? Make it an achievement. Personally, I want to move to North Carolina once my lease ends. What do I need to get there? $2,000 a month with an asset that is 85% passive. That's my mission.

The other great thing that video games condition us in is fearlessness. Nothing bad can happen in a video game. If you risk all your money in the game, guess what? No big deal. You can just make more. People need to adopt this attitude in real life. Failing at something is the beginning, not the end.

Also, video games are created to allow you to succeed. If you’re religious at all, then apply this. The world we live in was created for you to succeed. You just have to put in the work. If you’re not religious, no big deal. The world works in the very same way. It wants you to succeed. You just have to go out and do it.

The last thing I’ve learned from this is that negative past experiences like video games can be made into something extremely useful. Like MJ said in TMF , you frame your past experiences. Good or Bad.

 

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[HardParked13]

Not going to lie I did learn a few things from video games. Running a server teaches you how to appeal to and manage your market (the players). You can't have a successful server without figuring out how to promote it to get it populated. I'm positive that video games & virtual environments will become an industry for entrepreneurs pretty soon. Simply implement a cover charge per player like a night club and create in-game purchases on your server and you've already got an autonomous money system. The industry is already being profited on by these YT commentator channels and it's only going to expand from here. Second Life was too soon for it's time but there will be something similar to it that will scale even larger. Video games: they can either steal your soul or teach you very basic management I guess

 

[Jak]

Oh definitely. Video games are perfect for a Fastlane business. You just have to make sure you're on team producer, and not the one sitting on the couch playing them. lol.

 

[RadioActive]

This is definitely i played video games all my life, there are similarities with video games and life, you always make a goal to get to a certain rank, or a certain amount in forza to get that nicer car. Once you achieve that goal, you make another one that's on a larger scale. It just never runs out!

 

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[RadioActive]

This is definitely i played video games all my life, there are similarities with video games and life, you always make a goal to get to a certain rank, or a certain amount in forza to get that nicer car. Once you achieve that goal, you make another one that's on a larger scale. It just never runs out!

*definitely correct*

 

[MorgothBauglir]

Depends on what games you play. Videogames for me are like an interactive novel, and I unwind with them occasionally. The thing itself isn't bad, it's how you use them.
I agree with the premise of your post though.

The best RPG is life BY FAR.

 

[SBS.95]

Forget where it's from, but there's a quote about how so many people waste their time playing every game except life on Hard.

 

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[Jak]

Hahah, that's true. Funny how people will push their limits to succeed in a video game, but when it comes to real life, things get "too hard". Shouldn't real life have the highest priority, rather than taking backseat to something that can be wiped away with a simple push of the delete key?

 

[Lawrence Barse]

The other great thing that video games condition us in is fearlessness. Nothing bad can happen in a video game. If you risk all your money in the game, guess what? No big deal. You can just make more. People need to adopt this attitude in real life. Failing at something is the beginning, not the end.

Also, video games are created to allow you to succeed. If you’re religious at all, then apply this. The world we live in was created for you to succeed. You just have to put in the work. If you’re not religious, no big deal. The world works in the very same way. It wants you to succeed. You just have to go out and do it.

The last thing I’ve learned from this is that negative past experiences like video games can be made into something extremely useful. Like MJ said in TMF , you frame your past experiences. Good or Bad.

I agree with what you've mentioned, but the point that you are missing is that, in Video Games, all the Missions and Achievements are designed specifically for you, the player, all you have to do is work you way towards it, coz you know its not going anywhere.

But in real life, you have to figure out opportunities by yourself, and once you figure it out, its not that the opportunity will stay there forever for you to come and grab it for yourself, it has a time constraint and in real life you have to compete with other real life players and there are millions of players to compete against.

In real life its all about how you can grab an opportunity and make money from it, before someone else comes and grabs it.

 

[parkerscott]

I was top 500 in the world in halo's big team battle. 7 months sober from any video game now. It is a cycle though. You constantly try and one up yourself but you only gain a title thats practically meaningless. It is a good way to unwind if you dont get sucked in and its dirt cheap entertainment. There is a huge market for it though and i would love to tap into it at some point.

 

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[Jak]

Wow, congrats on 7 months sober. Halo used to be my favorite game, but I haven't touched it in years. When I look back at how much of my life I threw away with video games, I want to go back and shake younger Jak silly.

And Lawrence, that's what makes life so much better: Our missions aren't predetermined! We get to decide what we want in life and then create the mission to fit. Sure, it's 50x harder than any video game, but would it be worth it if it was easy? I don't think so. My endgame is being a multimillionaire. All I have to do is work toward it. The money isn't going anywhere, there's more than enough going around.

Also, there are always going to be other people who get to an opportunity before we do. Do it better. And if you can't do it better, there are billions of other opportunities.

 

[parkerscott]

Wow, congrats on 7 months sober. Halo used to be my favorite game, but I haven't touched it in years. When I look back at how much of my life I threw away with video games, I want to go back and shake younger Jak silly.

And Lawrence, that's what makes life so much better: Our missions aren't predetermined! We get to decide what we want in life and then create the mission to fit. Sure, it's 50x harder than any video game, but would it be worth it if it was easy? I don't think so.

Also, there are always going to be other people who get to an opportunity before we do. Do it better. And if you can't do it better, there are billions of other opportunities.

Sometimes i think i would go back and cut video games out of my life but it was still a fun experience overall.

Yeah I wasted a ton of time but what kid doesnt? I wasnt a wow gamer going on 48 hour raids eating cheetos with chopsticks and peeing in mtn dew bottles. I still had hobbies,friends and a great social life away from the controller.

If I had to do it over I would make sure I did exceptionally well at the game and got in touch with the right people and started lifting. There are gamers making cash recording videos and having a great time with friends online and they have time for other things in life as well. Would be fun while it lasted and i wouldnt make it my bread and butter if i was in their situation.

 

[Jak]

That's true. In all honesty, I would never go back and change a single detail about my past. Why? It all led me to where I am now. Who knows what might have changed - I might have been happy with a job all my life. *shudder* Lol.

 

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[JahvonCreamCone]

Great post. I recently gave away my 360 and games to my cousin. I was borderline addicted to it. When I started playing Grand theft auto 5. I played it every single day. I made so much money in that game. Bought all the cars, jewelry and everything I could want. Then I would turn it off and realize I don't have shit.

So I've been trying to develop my stats in real life.this is a great boost. Thanks.

 

[Jak]

Sure thing man, glad I can help.

Minecraft used to be my big killer. I even had a server with a few of my friends. I would spend hours on that game building stuff. Eventually I realized, why spend all my time creating the world I want to live in on this video game when I do it in real life? It was just an escape from my crappy situation.

That was about a year ago, and I decided to change my life and start disciplining myself and building my personal character. It's been a journey ever since then.

It's funny because what kicked me in the direction to where I am now was an MLM. I was studying full time in college (only one semester left!) and my job didn't have any work for me. I was doing everything I could to keep my rent paid. I remember there were a couple of times when I had to feed my dog plain Ramen noodles and had no food left over for myself.

So when I heard about this "business opportunity", I jumped at it. The guy came over and talked to us about Amway. I wasn't too interested in the sales aspect, but I was very interested in the books he had. He loaned me one called The Instant Millionaire.

I devoured that book in a day. It was the perfect primer for my journey to wealth. After that, I let my Dad borrow it and he bought me Think and Grow Rich. I read that a couple times and started listening to financial podcasts like The Smart Passive Income Podcast. Eventually I listened to the episode where MJ was interviewed, and I bought TMF and read it over the next three days.

I've been changing my mindset ever since. I'm going back through the book and have almost forty pages of notes. Not kidding. I have a mission to get to North Carolina, and I'm going to get there with the fastlane.

So yeah, that's my story. Lol. Didn't actually mean for this post to turn into that, but maybe it will help someone.

@MJ DeMarco, If you get a chance to read this, I just want to thank you so much for writing your book, starting this forum, and talking on SPI, along with the millions of other things you had to do to get to this point. I'm really, really, really grateful.

 

[SueC]

I don't know... my son is building his own Twitch stream following and gets paid for subscribers, acts as a mod for other players' streams; he's working toward building a business playing games. maybe this is what HardParked13 is talking about, but at 15 my son is learning sales, customer service, production values, technology... and getting to do something he loves. he's very into the tech behind it all and the social aspect, and sharing his expertise, and not just playing toward achievements. He doesn't want to design games, maybe script them some day, but is now just all about the play.

Sometimes i'm not sure whether to encourage it or not bc it does take him away from "real" life but we negotiate - and he's still a fairly well rounded kid.

 

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[SGBoise]

You could get paid for gaming but you have to be a producer, not a consumer. There are few that get paid for gaming but those the best of the best.

I would disagree that his world has been made for you to succeed. It's the complete opposite. It's the survival of most adaptable.

 

[splok]

I'm clearly biased as games have always been a big part of my life (my first real business was selling game currency!). However, I think games (like most things in life) can be great learning experiences, but also like most things in life, very few people really take advantage of the opportunity. Multiplayer games can impart many of the same benefits as playing team sports seriously. They can help people learn social skills in a low-pressure environment. They can enable people to interact as equals with other people, no matter anyone's physical properties (and this is potentially a pretty big thing that doesn't get talked about much). I've seen 14-15 year old kids interact as peers with people of all ages, and even learn to very effectively lead organizations of 100+ adults. That's not the kind of experience that 14 year olds can really get anywhere else. I'm not exactly trying to equate being a guildleader to being an employer, but I bet anyone who hasn't tried it would be surprised at the similarities.

Games typically get trashed here because they're such a productivity sinkhole for so many people, and I think that's justified too. Just like any other activity, people need to learn when to stop.

 

[CarrieW]

Loving this thread! I used to play wow...(I am sure I will again at some point Love my toon )

as a mom I find this thread interesting and validating at the same time!

My son is just now getting into minecraft and both of them play roblox and we recently started doing business/financial themed time in our homeschooling... this thread has given me some very exciting ideas that I know my kids are going to LOVE!

thank you! rep +

 

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[masaldana2]

I disagree that video games have benefits. I played so much starcraft 2, diablo 3, WoW and got no real skills only entretainment, yeah I could say that I have a better coordination skills, strategizing, and budgeting. Nothing beats opening a book and learning a real skill that will get me closer to my real dreams.

I wish I didn't spent all that time on games
but society conditions us to go to work(or school) then go home and play games("you deserve it").

I got rid of my expensive gaming PC last year.

 

[CarrieW]

I am going to be utilizing it as a mini demo world

if they can learn and thrive with certain skills in the games then they should be able to apply those in real life situations... you can only teach someone something if you gain their attention... I am going to use their attention and interest in video games to teach them things they may have no idea what they are learning until we play connect the dots after

I am going to set goals for them and make them figure out how to accomplish them, at least, if not be able to completely crush my expectations... (I have some research to do)

Up until I read this thread I was only able to use games as a reward system not really a teaching tool... the only skills I knew of them using in game were reading, typing and communication, and basic math as well as social interaction and self control.

now I can use it to provide other examples and practice of different skill sets

 

[RadioActive]

I was top 500 in the world in halo's big team battle. 7 months sober from any video game now. It is a cycle though. You constantly try and one up yourself but you only gain a title thats practically meaningless. It is a good way to unwind if you dont get sucked in and its dirt cheap entertainment. There is a huge market for it though and i would love to tap into it at some point.

I'm 5 month sober from video games

 

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[bernieshawn]

Slightly off topic, but why North Carolina?

I live in Charlotte and I'm not sure what's drawing you here... haha

 

[splok]

I disagree that video games have benefits. ... Nothing beats opening a book and learning a real skill that will get me closer to my real dreams.

Just because you don't feel like it benefited you, doesn't mean that it can't benefit anyone. Also, plenty of people spend lots of time reading books for nothing but entertainment as well.

 

[masaldana2]

Just because you don't feel like it benefited you, doesn't mean that it can't benefit anyone. Also, plenty of people spend lots of time reading books for nothing but entertainment as well.

Well thats what I see about every hardcore gamer I know personally. I was talking about reading a book to learn a skill and not for entertainment.

This is a nice video about quitting WoW.

 

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[Jak]

Slightly off topic, but why North Carolina?

I live in Charlotte and I'm not sure what's drawing you here... haha

I've gone camping in the Appalachians for the past two years (my avatar is from my second campsite), and I just fell in love with the mountains and the beautiful scenery. I'm originally from upstate New York, which is similar. I just can't stand it where I am.

There isn't a tree in my city, and the irradiated water supply makes me sick as a dog. You can't look up at the sky at night to see the stars. Even if there isn't a cloud in sight, it's empty. I don't know what Charlotte is like, but I can't wait to live with my wolf like a hermit in a cabin while working on my Fastlane business. XD

 

[Jak]

I am going to be utilizing it as a mini demo world

if they can learn and thrive with certain skills in the games then they should be able to apply those in real life situations... you can only teach someone something if you gain their attention... I am going to use their attention and interest in video games to teach them things they may have no idea what they are learning until we play connect the dots after

I am going to set goals for them and make them figure out how to accomplish them, at least, if not be able to completely crush my expectations... (I have some research to do)

Up until I read this thread I was only able to use games as a reward system not really a teaching tool... the only skills I knew of them using in game were reading, typing and communication, and basic math as well as social interaction and self control.

now I can use it to provide other examples and practice of different skill sets

I think this is great actually. Don't get me wrong, even though I'm against video games because they are a dream stealer for myself, they can be turned into a positive thing (hence the topic of this thread). It's all about taking something bad and making it better. Games are a wonderful teaching tool, and I wish the best of luck to you and your family.

Also, thanks for the rep! You're the first person to ever send me some!

 

[RadioActive]

My endgame is being a multimillionaire

Why stop at multimillionaire ?

 

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[Joe Cassandra]

I got caught spending many hours playing Madden football online, especially during football season... then I would tell myself I'm done playing, but right when I would start working on something in your free time, your brain starts telling you to take a break. 4 hours later of playing Madden you've wasted your free time for the day.

I kept battling with myself telling myself I'm disciplined enough, but as MJ says, it's the path of least resistance, "I'll get to it later," "I've already been working for 2 hours," "Just 1 games to relax (I tell myself)".

I'm keeping our PS3 for Netflix & Amazon Instant Video as my wife and I enjoy certain shows, but ditching all the games today (proof: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/vgm/4494031435.html) NOTE TO ADMIN: not meant to be solicited just proof of doing it.

It's tough to give up, so those that keep finding themselves sucked into playing again and again, stop telling yourself you can just stop. You need to just remove it.

 

[D11FYY]

If you risk all your money in the game, guess what? No big deal. You can just make more. People need to adopt this attitude in real life. Failing at something is the beginning, not the end.

I like this quote or at least what it portrays.
Life is a game and a mystery in truth, but like you said it makes more sense to be learning a true skill rather than one for a video game.