8 powerful lessons I learned from MMORPG

It is already known that I am a hardcore videogamer, and I’m sometimes unsure how I manage to play games and still get all my stuff done. But I don’t like to waste my time, so I always try to extract a valuable lesson, even from MMORPG games.

A MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, the idea is that a huge numbers of players connect to the same game and enjoy being in the same virtual world. They can truly suck your time, but if you go in mindfully you may even learn a couple of things. To save you from the insane gaming prison that they can be, let me share what I found during those times.

I don't know who is that person, but she indeed reminds me of what playing a MMORPG is all about. Having fun with some friends. Photo by Ran Yaniv Hartstein.

Train as if you were always alone, but always join a party.

During my days playing a MMORPG, I used to be somewhat of a loner, you could always find me training my own character alone, facing really difficult opponents. But if someone came to me and asked to join forces I would gladly accept.

Just as in the game, you should always devote time to improve your own skills, but tackling challenges all by yourself may not be the best idea. Always find someone who complements your skills but always train as if you will never have that person. Once you have someone who can help you, you will be able to improve the way you work.

That’s the kind of teamwork that Kym and I are always building here. I fully trusts she has my back.

Even the strongest warrior falls

I used to meet a lot of players who had super strong characters, and I had the opportunity to see them fall because of their own pride. That’s why you should be humble, even when you play a game.

Never pride yourself that your skills are the best. There is always someone that knows a little bit more or ways to improve your own knowledge. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can’t improve anymore.

Remember the mark of a true warrior is being humble. Take the time to find new ways to improve and never take on the guy with plain clothes and a simple dagger. He may have some insanely high evasion skills. Even if a person doesn’t look like it, he may have skills far superior than your own, always approach with an open mind.

Be an awesome support

Even when the game talks about great deeds and heroes that roam the fantasy world, some of the most important characters are not the one that take on the monsters. A great player knows this, that’s why they take their time to develop themselves as a great support character.

Just as in the game, a true warrior knows when she needs to step down for a bit and let someone else be in the spotlight. You must always know when your skills are not suited for the task at hand, and you should be able to step down and let someone else take the lead.

Remember asking for help doesn’t mean that you are less, that means that you are willing to grow.

An act of kindness opens huge doors

It was not uncommon for my character to be wandering around dangerous areas, but also new players wandered around and they got into very serious troubles. I used to step in and save them, without hoping anything in return. I used my basic skills to heal their character and help them to safety. That’s how I build a huge support group and we became somewhat known in the server.

Curiously this is also a rule in life. If you take a random act of kindness one day, you can build a great friendship, or who knows, maybe down the line that will be repaid with a lot of interest (and I don’t mean money here). Try always to be kind to those that surround you, and pay attentions to do good without hoping for something in return. You will find that growing this way is the fastest way.

Never call anyone a ‘noob’

I always thought of myself as a new player, but I never used the word ‘Noob’ (the despective way to refer to a new player in a MMORPG). It didn’t matter that I had good gaming skills, I was always mentoring new players.

New players in your own field or area of expertise deserve a good chance, and you can do a random act of kindness by helping them. Mentoring is also a wonderful way to learn, because new players doesn’t know a thing about limits and they may help you break yours in the process. In a way a mentor is always a student too.

Value those who are starting in your path, that’s why I have always admired Sandi Amorim, she is always encouraging and helping me out, and I like to do the same in return.

A group is always more powerful

In the same venue of mentoring, I always used to explore the most dangerous places with a group of players. People that I always trusted and that I knew their skills were truly amazing, and we always took someone who was still learning the ropes of the game. Not only that would help us become stronger, but that made us a better team.

I could go on and on about the stories and places that my friends and I survived in. Like the time when we managed to cross the dragon plains. But we couldn’t have done it alone, each of us had a skill and a way to help the others survive without any casualties. As a group we were true warriors in our MMORPG.

Just like that, you should always have a mastermind group or at least, people you truly trust that can help you in any of your adventures. They can give you a lot of advice and points of view that you may have not considered. They allow yourself to open your mind and think in different ways. That is in itself a great reason to form a group.

Celebrate your progress

Usually after the end of a great adventure, we gathered in a town or safe spot to just hang out and rave about our great adventures. We always congratulated any player who won a level. That’s because they made a progress even if it was going from level 1 to level 2. That’s something that we valued while playing a MMORPG, we valued people who tried without fear of failure.

You should always celebrate even the smallest of the victories. If you are forming a new habit, and you did it consistently today, that’s a great reason to celebrate. Also don’t forget to celebrate the improvements from your team. Even a simple “well done” can put a smile on the face of a friend.

Tackle new challenges

Just as we raved about our great adventures in the MMORPG world, we also took a little bit of time to think about the next challenge. If we were able to beat the golems in the ice caves, maybe it was time to head for the grim reapers in the forbidden cemetery! When we learned how to fly, it was time to tackle the zombie infested island. And so on. We were always in the lookout for great challenges.

You should do the same too in your real life. If you just conquered your current level of skills, you should try a bigger challenge. For example, if you can run 5 miles, maybe it is a good time to see if you can run 5.5 miles.

Challenging yourself is a great way to grow, and it will allow you to unleash your warrior spirit and with enough practice, you can even start overcoming your fears. Remember you can always practice in a deliberate way to improve faster. Never allow yourself to be idle without a challenge.

As you can see you can learn from anything you do, even in your leisure time you can extract some gold nuggets for your every day life. A MMORPG may be a great adventure, but your life is the biggest one you have. Keep growing.

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