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 in the road. If you turn left, you start the story of your life. You struggle and suffer, love and learn. By the last page, you will look back wisely on a life rich in meaning and memories of places and people.

But if you turn right, let the game begin! Life is now a series of levels - school, university, work - with monsters to fight and secrets to unlock. Focus on the goals, score the most points and by game over, you may just make it to the leaderboard.

In his new book, The Status Game, writer Will Storr says the idea our lives are stories is an illusion. Life is a game and the goal is status. We want to be popular at school, successful at work, wealthy in life - so others look up to us and we look down on them.

Gamification is everywhere. Social media keeps users glued to screens with 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, turning citizenship into a game.

This "status-mad world," says writer David Brooks, is not where he wants to live. "Games are fun, but gaming as a way of life is immature." So 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". People make sense of the world through narrative. Culture, says anthropologist Clifford Geertz, "is the stories we tell ourselves about ourselve".

Some say it is ludicrous to compare life to a game. The satisfaction from status is short-lived, like scoring a goal or lifting a trophy. 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 may already live in a simulation. In 50 years, video games developed from PongA bad smell or a 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 advanced alien civilisation. Has Musk taken the red pill?

A game or a story? 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. Telling tales and setting goals may always be a part of what it means to be human. But deciding which matters more will decide the future of society. And maybe even our survival.

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.

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