Is life a game? A new book says we live in a culture obsessed with status and competition, from school to work and sport. So is it time to opt out and view life another way?
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A world driven by money, status and power
Is life a game? A new book says we live in a culture obsessed with status and competition, from school to work and sport. So is it time to opt out and view life another way?
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It is time for you to Choose Your Own Adventure A series of books published between 1979 and 1998 that combined story-telling and role-play to let the reader choose the direction of the story.. You come to a fork, if you turn left, you start the story of your life. You struggle and suffer, love and learn. By the end, you will look back on a life rich in meaning and memories of places and people.
But if you turn right, let the game begin! Life is a series of levels - school, university, work. Focus on the goals, score the most points and you may make it to the leaderboard.
In his new book, The Status Game, writer Will Storr says life is a game and the goal is status. We want to be popular at school, successful at work and wealthy in life.
GamificationCopying the experience of playing games to improve results. is everywhere. Social media uses likes, shares and rankings. Phone apps count steps, log workouts and track language learning. In China, a social credit system In some parts of China, citizens lose points for "bad" behaviour like traffic violations or playing video games. They gain points for "good" behaviour like being a parent or giving to charity. awards points and penalties.
This "status-mad world," says writer David Brooks, is not where he wants to live. Is there more to living than getting to the next level?
Psychologist Dan McAdams thinks so. "We are all storytellers", he argues, "and we are the stories we tell".
Some say it is ludicrousAbsurd or ridiculous. Ludicrous originally meant to play or jest, from the Latin ludus: play, sport. to compare life to a game. David Brooks thinks we must aim for "higher desires": a quest for "the true, the good and the beautiful".
Storr is unconvinced. Doing good, he says, is just the "virtue game" - a competition to feel morally superior. The truth is, argues writer Lawrence Yeo, "anything that can be measured will become a game". So as technology advances, reality and the virtual will become indistinguishable.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk thinks this means we already live in a simulation. In 50 years, video games developed from PongA two-dimensional table tennis arcade game. Created in 1972, it is one of the earliest video games. to the photo-realistic Unreal EngineA three-dimensional computer graphics game engine that powers many of today's top games.. Musk believes this suggests a 99.99% chance we exist in a virtual reality created by an alien civilisation. Has Musk taken thered pillIn the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix, computer hacker Neo swallows a red pill and discovers that reality is a simulation. ?
Both sides of the argument accuse each other of a dubious relationship with the truth. Philosopher Galen Strawson says imaginative souls may prefer to tell a "good story" rather than live a "good life". Academic Jon Askonas draws parallels between alternate reality games and conspiracy theories like QAnonFollowers of QAnon believe a Satanic conspiracy removed President Trump from office. .
Autobiographies have always been bestsellers, from St AugustineThe 4th Century theologian's Confessions was one of the first western autobiographies. to Michelle Obama. Games have taught us about life, from GoThe oldest board game still played in the world. It originated in China and is still most popular there. Its rules are simple but in reality it is very complicated: there are more legal board positions in the game than there are atoms in the known universe. to The Sims. Deciding which matters will decide the future of society.
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Is life a game?
Yes: Life is the best game you will ever play. Just by existing, you have already won and beaten the odds. Gamifying your world means giving anything a try and celebrating your progress and achievements.
No: Leaders play games with our lives as we fight over money and power. Life must be more than this. Stories bring us together, comfort and inspire us - showing that life is far richer than any game.
Or... If only it were that simple! Author Henry James called life a "great shambles", a mess of moments and memories. Any attempt to give it shape and meaning is doomed to failure.
Keywords
Choose Your Own Adventure - A series of books published between 1979 and 1998 that combined story-telling and role-play to let the reader choose the direction of the story.
Gamification - Copying the experience of playing games to improve results.
Social credit system - In some parts of China, citizens lose points for "bad" behaviour like traffic violations or playing video games. They gain points for "good" behaviour like being a parent or giving to charity.
Ludicrous - Absurd or ridiculous. Ludicrous originally meant to play or jest, from the Latin ludus: play, sport.
Pong - A two-dimensional table tennis arcade game. Created in 1972, it is one of the earliest video games.
Unreal Engine - A three-dimensional computer graphics game engine that powers many of today's top games.
Red pill - In the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix, computer hacker Neo swallows a red pill and discovers that reality is a simulation.
QAnon - Followers of QAnon believe a Satanic conspiracy removed President Trump from office.
St Augustine - The 4th Century theologian's Confessions was one of the first western autobiographies.
Go - The oldest board game still played in the world. It originated in China and is still most popular there. Its rules are simple but in reality it is very complicated: there are more legal board positions in the game than there are atoms in the known universe.
A world driven by money, status and power
Money, money, money: The Wolf of Wall Street portrays the "shameless" race to the top. Glossary
Choose Your Own Adventure - A series of books published between 1979 and 1998 that combined story-telling and role-play to let the reader choose the direction of the story.
Gamification - Copying the experience of playing games to improve results.
Social credit system - In some parts of China, citizens lose points for "bad" behaviour like traffic violations or playing video games. They gain points for "good" behaviour like being a parent or giving to charity.
Ludicrous - Absurd or ridiculous. Ludicrous originally meant to play or jest, from the Latin ludus: play, sport.
Pong - A two-dimensional table tennis arcade game. Created in 1972, it is one of the earliest video games.
Unreal Engine - A three-dimensional computer graphics game engine that powers many of today's top games.
Red pill - In the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix, computer hacker Neo swallows a red pill and discovers that reality is a simulation.
QAnon - Followers of QAnon believe a Satanic conspiracy removed President Trump from office.
St Augustine - The 4th Century theologian's Confessions was one of the first western autobiographies.
Go - The oldest board game still played in the world. It originated in China and is still most popular there. Its rules are simple but in reality it is very complicated: there are more legal board positions in the game than there are atoms in the known universe.