Playing games teaches us about life. The nature of games mimic the nature of reality, that is why sports act as a strong metaphor for life and have countless lessons embedded in them. There is a deep process of learning that takes place when we play games because we are experiencing these lessons with our minds, bodies, and hearts in interactive ways, and most of the time we are completely unaware of this process. However, this post simply shows a few ways that the essence and design of games/sports reflect the real world we experience every day from the time we are born till the time we pass.
Rules and Boundaries
There are rules to games, otherwise, the game would not be able to be played or be fun because there would be no point. Rules allow us to create the game in the first place. They set the game apart from other games, they keep us safe, and they keep the game from falling into complete chaos where no one wins. Rules also help raise the level of play because only more mature, developed, and skilled athletes can achieve the objective through the right channels. For instance, if there was no offside rule in soccer and players could camp out behind defenders to cherry-pick for easy goals then the game would be less exciting. This would cheapen the game. But, since a simple rule takes away this possibility, now an entire team needs to work together to achieve the same goal while obeying this rule.
Games also need boundaries. Rules are a sort of boundary for people’s style of performance, but there need to be boundaries in space and time. The boundaries of a field or court help contain the game in a confined space where there is enough space for the game to be played but not too much for the game to lose its quality. There need to be boundaries of time so the game does not last forever but comes to an end at some point. These rules and boundaries make sports possible because without rules or boundaries, players would not be able to understand how to play and an organized time of competition or play would be reduced to a free-range chaotic mess with no point. Rules and boundaries help create the game’s meaning and style.
Life is Structured By Limits
Like in games, there are rules and boundaries in life. We constantly live in a confined space and time where we are limited in what we can do and how we can do it. This limitedness is a constant struggle for us because we are challenged to discover ways to live within our own limited bodies and minds. These limits are an essential part of being human and we find meaning in this struggle. However, we have rules to help guide us in this lived tension every day. These rules help keep everyone safe and everything organized so it will not fall into complete chaos. Life happens within these everyday boundaries and rules, and like games, things are finite and have an ending just like they have a beginning. Struggles and seasons of life will not last forever, and life itself will one day come to an end. Games help teach us and remind us that we are finite, limited and bound by these limits, but we are capable of discovering ways to exist beautifully and effectively within these boundaries.
Goals and Game Plans
The point of games is to achieve some end. Players aim at an objective and attempt to complete it. Without a goal or something to aim at, the game would seem meaningless. Why bother playing if there is no purpose? However, the purpose is found in the target, in the objective. Once a player or team understands the object of the game, they can begin aiming at it together and developing a plan to achieve this goal. It is one thing to know what to do, and it is another to know how to do it. The process of moving towards this goal takes strategic planning and consideration of multiple factors. The constant attempts, reflections, adjustments, re-attempts … etc is how a player or team arrives at their destination. Game plans are strategies that aim players towards their goals in specific directions with concrete steps to take along the way, but are always open to the feedback one receives in the process to help refine these plans. These goals and plans allow players to become better, to develop into something new.
Purpose and Life Plans
Like in games, we all desire to discover purpose within our everyday lives. There is an experience of enrichment and inflamed desire when our actions are intentioned and aimed at particular goals. We were created for these movements, we were created to aim high. However, these goals do not accomplish themselves and most days we are reminded about how hard it can be to move out of bed. We can get stuck in one spot with a desire in our heart or idea/dream in our head but these abstract destinations need to become real through the journey towards them. They need a game plan. These small steps of action that are shown in our plans help us achieve our goals because they show us the path. In this process of setting goals and developing plans to achieve them, we enable and empower ourselves to become new people, more competent and confident people.
Final Thoughts
The nature of games mimics the nature of our daily environments. Where we play is also where we live. We desire greatness and to aim high but are also caught in the fact that we are limited in our abilities, time, space, and freedom. Rules help guide us along our journey to help us live a more quality life with others, and we discover our purpose and meaning in the very fact of our limitedness. We aim and plan, and discover that the game is played for the sake of our development.
