My Simple Gaming Setup & How I Learned Important Life Skills Through Gaming
A wise man once told me, "You have to try playing more games with other people. The more defeats that you experience, the more you grow your patience, and the more you'll strive to become better at the game."
I jokingly rolled my eyes at his advice, feeling bitter about losing in an online game we both were playing. Then, I shrugged my shoulders and decided to move on, laughing at the experience. Well, if you had not already guessed, the wise man in this story is Alex. 😉
Gaming as our pastime and a hobby.
One thing about me is that I get quite frustrated when I lose. Being someone competitive, I like to win and I put it in my effort to make sure it happens. However, because I give it my best and still taste the bitterness of losing, it then makes me feel irritable.
That's why when I started immersing myself more in the world of gaming, I became vulnerable to the bitter taste of defeat. A taste I didn't like.
Along the way, I came to realize what the wise man had said. Acknowledging defeats is in fact, a vital component in nurturing many life skills that can help us navigate through life. Some of these skills are perseverance and resilience.
For instance, when Alex and I play online games, he gives his best and doesn't give me the upper hand just because I'm his partner. Quite the contrary, he makes sure he gives me a good fight.
I'll do what I can to learn the game and practice the controls. It's not a full assurance of securing a win, but it is a great way to gain a level-up by choosing to play again, this time, a little better than before. Now, defeat tasted differently. It's turning into something a little sweeter.
Gaming Laptop: Acer Predator Helios 300
Basic Specs: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | 3.8 GHz Intel Core i7
DDR4 SDRAM | Backlit Keyboard | VR Ready
I even use my Predator bag when I travel. This photo was taken
during our trip to Siargao in 2018. It was a Singapore-Cebu-Siargao
flight and with that movement, I found it easy and convenient to move around
with this bag. It gives me ample support for my back and shoulders.
The first game I played on this reliable monster of a device is Tomb Raider (2013). Right after work, I would rush back home to play the game. I remember having so much fun while trying to accomplish the tasks.
I then progressed to playing Player Unknown's Battleground, famously known as PUBG. It's an online multiplayer game. The main objective is to survive and be the last man standing against a hundred different players. PUBG allows you to play solo, duo, or in a squad.
Yes, PUBG is fun and exciting. However, because I'm as shaky as a chihuahua when I'm anxious, I couldn't say I enjoy playing the game to its fullest. So, I played repeatedly until I've become more able to adapt to the thrill. That was when I felt the game became more fun!
One afternoon, the unexpected thing happened. As I was playing solo, luck happened to side on me. My character didn't have the proper gears. There were only three players left out of a hundred who were alive.
Alex spectated the game and coached me. And on the most intense moment, I brought home my first and only chicken dinner win. Yehey!
Alex sent me this as a gift via Steam. His message was: "Hi Schatz, I hope you enjoy this game. I'm so excited to play with you na. :) Have fun, Alex"
Finally, after waiting for many months, our most anticipated game arrived on PC. This was also what my laptop was intended for, so we both can play this particular game. It's no other than Monster Hunter: World! It's an action role-playing game that allows you to hunt monsters, craft weapons, and travel to lands beyond our imagination.
I enjoy gathering items and hunting monsters. When I unlock a level, I would feel proud of myself. Alex and I play with our friend Don, who now works in Japan and writes his blog called The Nonesense of the Dongibz.
Through this game, I experienced testing out new weapons, thereby harnessing my character strength of curiosity. It would take a little time for someone to master a weapon and you must try different ways to maximize its potentials. I use an external controller to play.
Here, I learned to be more adaptable. While I have my favorite, the Great Sword, my learning curve is still a little steep with it and so as with the rest of the other awesome weapons.
My character with a pet inside my room.
My character wearing an Anjanath pelt during a cut scene.
My character face to face with an epic elder dragon named Kushala Daora.
I'm currently playing The Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) and I'm still at 12% as of this writing. Sometimes, we would play Pummel Party with Alex, Don, Kenneth, and the rest of our gaming friends, usually wrapping up in the wee hours. No regrets, of course!
I am learning to be better at handling defeats by gaining more losses, a little ironic don't you think so? Life entails continuous growth which means we can't expect an overnight result. As the wise man once said, "The more you try, the more you grow." That is in fact, a piece of sensible advice for someone like me.
Playing online games is an unconventional way of imparting many important values. Some of these include emotion regulation, patience, sportsmanship, and skill acumen.
In fact, a research study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) task force suggests that playing video games may also help in developing problem-solving skills, creativity, and spatial navigation. A number of video games can also sharpen memory and perception among players.
It is also highly noteworthy to know that the impact of video games on the development of children and adolescents must be understood and seen in a balanced perspective. This is according to Isabela Granic, Ph.D., of Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands.
Perhaps, set agreements like playing on the weekends, or after finishing the homework. It also means maintaining healthy supervision about the children's well-being, if you're a parent.
If you have a partner who games, create a healthy conversation around setting priorities that you both agree, and focusing on them first so that neither of you would feel left out nor ignored.
Today, I've shared with you my simple gaming setup. We also talked about the life skills I've learned to cultivate and grow through gaming. Playing online games doesn't directly equate to violence, laziness, nor neglecting other aspects of our lives.
Playing online games can also be a healthy mode to learn many important life skills. It can be a good option to grow closer with your partner, or children. It's a great way to relieve stress and activate your creativity. We just have to open our minds a little more. See and appreciate the world of games.
We've reached the end of the blog today. This isn't a sponsored post. If you are on Steam, you can add me on my account: thelastjedi or hungryjedde. Let's play together! 😊
Thank you for reading.
Until next Thursday!
Love,
Mary Jedde
💃
Sources:
Video Game Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits, Review Finds
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/video-game
For Further Reading:
The Benefits of Playing Video Games
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf
MY GAMING SETUP
To celebrate my first anniversary of living in Singapore and to have more bonding options with my then-boyfriend, now my fiancé, I decided to buy myself a gaming laptop. He helped choose a suitable one for me. I wanted to have something that I can play good games on, as well as edit videos. I am also fond of creating video montages as a hobby. You can check out the videos on my youtube channel by clicking here.
Basic Specs: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | 3.8 GHz Intel Core i7
DDR4 SDRAM | Backlit Keyboard | VR Ready
 |
It's a heavy beast for me to carry. It weighs at least 2.6 kilograms. The battery life is short when I play games like Monster Hunter World. It lasts around an hour until I need to charge. It has a built-in Predator Sense that allows me to control the fan. It's noisy with the max settings. But overall, easy to use.
|
For my gaming headphones, I use the HyperX Cloud II. It's got a detachable noise-cancellation microphone. It's comfortable to the ears because of the memory foam ear cushions. One awesome thing about these headphones is that it has a virtual 7.1 surround sound edge.
 |
| Along with the gaming laptop are freebies like an Acer Bluetooth mouse, Microsoft Office license for one year, a regular Acer bag, and last but not the least, this epic Predator bag. It's really sturdy and contains a lot of pockets and compartments. |
GAMES I PLAY
TOMB RAIDER 2013
Playing Tomb Raider
Unfortunately, I don't own a proper gaming chair. I use a common wooden chair back home. Not very suitable for someone with a scoliotic back.
The first game I played on this reliable monster of a device is Tomb Raider (2013). Right after work, I would rush back home to play the game. I remember having so much fun while trying to accomplish the tasks.
It's played solo so teamwork isn't involved in the storyline. Throughout the game, I felt that my problem-solving skills were put to a test. I then found after playing that I'm more able to solve puzzles a little quicker than before.
Many types of games engage the senses of the players. One typical example is The Tomb Raider, an action-adventure based game where the main character, Lara Croft, explores new environments in the search for lost artifacts around the world. She faces numerous enemies, navigates hostile environments with traps, and solves puzzles.
The player becomes Lara Croft in the story and therefore must activate his or her critical thinking skills, creativity, and spatial navigation to progress further into the game.
Many types of games engage the senses of the players. One typical example is The Tomb Raider, an action-adventure based game where the main character, Lara Croft, explores new environments in the search for lost artifacts around the world. She faces numerous enemies, navigates hostile environments with traps, and solves puzzles.
The player becomes Lara Croft in the story and therefore must activate his or her critical thinking skills, creativity, and spatial navigation to progress further into the game.
PUBG
You don't miss taking screenshots for once in a blue moon experiences such as this!
I then progressed to playing Player Unknown's Battleground, famously known as PUBG. It's an online multiplayer game. The main objective is to survive and be the last man standing against a hundred different players. PUBG allows you to play solo, duo, or in a squad.
Yes, PUBG is fun and exciting. However, because I'm as shaky as a chihuahua when I'm anxious, I couldn't say I enjoy playing the game to its fullest. So, I played repeatedly until I've become more able to adapt to the thrill. That was when I felt the game became more fun!
Alex spectated the game and coached me. And on the most intense moment, I brought home my first and only chicken dinner win. Yehey!
MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
I enjoy gathering items and hunting monsters. When I unlock a level, I would feel proud of myself. Alex and I play with our friend Don, who now works in Japan and writes his blog called The Nonesense of the Dongibz.
Through this game, I experienced testing out new weapons, thereby harnessing my character strength of curiosity. It would take a little time for someone to master a weapon and you must try different ways to maximize its potentials. I use an external controller to play.
Here, I learned to be more adaptable. While I have my favorite, the Great Sword, my learning curve is still a little steep with it and so as with the rest of the other awesome weapons.
This Anjanath plush is a gift from Don. The other gift he
gave was a Monster Hunter tie (for Alex). I did an unboxing video of this and
talked about how the plushy was meant for me. The story behind this is that
I've always been scared of Anjanath and couldn't defeat it on my own. So Alex
and Don helped me with the hunt and succeeded. That's when I gained the
confidence to finally hunt Anjanath on my own.
NOW PLAYING
I'm currently playing The Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) and I'm still at 12% as of this writing. Sometimes, we would play Pummel Party with Alex, Don, Kenneth, and the rest of our gaming friends, usually wrapping up in the wee hours. No regrets, of course!
One of the recorded live sessions while playing Pummel Party.
Playing online games is an unconventional way of imparting many important values. Some of these include emotion regulation, patience, sportsmanship, and skill acumen.
BENEFITS OF GAMING
In fact, a research study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) task force suggests that playing video games may also help in developing problem-solving skills, creativity, and spatial navigation. A number of video games can also sharpen memory and perception among players.
It is also highly noteworthy to know that the impact of video games on the development of children and adolescents must be understood and seen in a balanced perspective. This is according to Isabela Granic, Ph.D., of Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands.
Perhaps, set agreements like playing on the weekends, or after finishing the homework. It also means maintaining healthy supervision about the children's well-being, if you're a parent.
If you have a partner who games, create a healthy conversation around setting priorities that you both agree, and focusing on them first so that neither of you would feel left out nor ignored.
FINAL NOTES
 |
"Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow." (Nolan Bushnell)
Today, I've shared with you my simple gaming setup. We also talked about the life skills I've learned to cultivate and grow through gaming. Playing online games doesn't directly equate to violence, laziness, nor neglecting other aspects of our lives.
Playing online games can also be a healthy mode to learn many important life skills. It can be a good option to grow closer with your partner, or children. It's a great way to relieve stress and activate your creativity. We just have to open our minds a little more. See and appreciate the world of games.
We've reached the end of the blog today. This isn't a sponsored post. If you are on Steam, you can add me on my account: thelastjedi or hungryjedde. Let's play together! 😊
Thank you for reading.
Until next Thursday!
Love,
Mary Jedde
💃
Sources:
Bowen, L. (2014, February). Video gameplay may provide
learning, health, social benefits, review finds. Monitor on Psychology, 45(2).
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/video-game
Eight Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games for Kids
https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-09-8-cognitive-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-kids.html
Fifteen Lessons About Life We Learn from Video Games
https://www.forbes.com/sites/archenemy/2016/02/22/15-lessons-about-life-we-learn-from-video-games/#3c3f6dfe53f0
Eight Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games for Kids
https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-09-8-cognitive-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-kids.html
Fifteen Lessons About Life We Learn from Video Games
https://www.forbes.com/sites/archenemy/2016/02/22/15-lessons-about-life-we-learn-from-video-games/#3c3f6dfe53f0
Video Game Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits, Review Finds
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/video-game
For Further Reading:
The Benefits of Playing Video Games
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf
Great read! That Don guy sounds like a cool guy. I'll go check out his awesome blog. Charooot! Feeling anonymous. XD hahaha
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note, this is a great article for non-gamers to see and understand a gamer's perspective. That they tend to be misunderstood and mislabeled as 'addicts'.
This also gives me an idea for a future nonsense that I might write about. Hmm...
Hahahaha! Samoka anonymous XD Bitaw, excited nako mo read sa imong next nonsense! :D
DeleteReminds me very much of the Ted Talk by Jane McGonigal, inspired me very much! https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en
ReplyDeleteOh wow this seems interesting. I'm gonna watch it now. Thanks for sharing Chiel! 😁
Delete