Life as Game

I've been reading Reality Is Broken. For gamers this book is pretty rockin' but it is also pretty cool for those of us not immersed in the game culture. What I like about it is this idea of structuring reality in a way that intentionally sets goals and challenges in achievable ways. It's designed for social play and it makes doing hard work fun. Those are the selling points of all game play. Do hard work that you can see results in and enjoy it. So I decided to try and take a cue from them and build my life into a game. It isn't a great one, mostly because I'm the only one playing and don't have anyone else to play along with or compare points to, the social and community element is missing, but i'm still hoping it will encourage me to reach for regular goals.

Here's how I broke my life up, some of my regular goals, some things I normal accomplish with varied success and somethings I imagine mostly impossible. Hopefully as I go I can make adjustments while I learn. I'm also aiming to want to beat each weeks points the longer I play. I'm hoping that it will be a better way to live. If nothing else it's helped me visualize my goals and attach a difficulty level to each. So it was worth it, regardless of how it turns out.

Life of Game

Object: To live a more social, successful, structured, goal oriented life, thereby achieving happiness.

Rules: Points are gained in four main categories: FINANCIAL, SOCIAL, DOMESTIC, AND CREATIVE. These are scored based on difficulty level. Points can be removed on grounds of CONSISTANT NEGATIVE ATTITUDES, POOR PHYSICAL CARE, and ANTISOCIAL BEHAVOIR.

Gaining Points:

FINANCIAL:

Pay all bills for the week on time +1

Pay all bills for the month on time +1

Have no debit card rejections +1

Set up direct deposit +2

Set up an appointment for budget meeting +2

Set up all major bills to automatically withdraw from primary account +2

Set aside money for new car weekly +3

Set aside money for student loans weekly +3

Live according to budget weekly +3

Live under budget +4

Tithe to a local church or nonprofit +4

Make payments on new car +4

Make payments on student loans +4

Save for future +4

Cut coupons +1

Shop at Savealot, dollar store, Aldis +1

Find a cultural or social event that’s free +2

Find a cultural or social event under $10 +1

Save and return pop cans +1

SOCIAL:

Call a parent once a week +1

Call a friend once a week (to ask about them) +1

Set aside time to just listen to someone +1

Invite someone out to eat or to a cultural event +1

Make some laugh +1

Compliment someone +1

Talk to a stranger +2

Invite someone to my house +2

Cook for someone +2

Help someone with a project, work, or task +2

Participate in something someone invites me to +2

Research volunteering +2

Talk to a guy for a full conversation +3

Host a dinner party, game night, book club +3

Go out alone and meet a new person +3

Set up meetings to volunteer +3

Dance with a stranger +3

Give a guy my phone number +4

Invite a stranger to do something else with me +4

Volunteer +4

Go on a date +4

Commit to a month or more of regular service to something

DOMESTIC

Dishes +1

Clean Bathroom +1

Vacuum +1

Water plants +1

Dust +2

Clean, fold, laundry +2

Stocked fridge, freezer, pantry +2

Clean bedroom +2

Organize one “trouble spot” +2

Clean car +2

Cook a new dish +3

Work on sewing, knitting, or something decorative that improves the home +3

Finding a refurnishing items for my apartment +4

Creating a “happier” environment +4

Building long term home supplies +4

CREATIVITY:

Thumb nail sketching +1

Journaling +1

Taking pictures +1

Designing outfits to sew +1

Meal plans +1

Reading +1

Posting on life asylum +2

Full page sketches to be developed +2

Viewing, commenting on, interacting with others arts/art community +2

Researching painting styles, publishers, or art events +2

Attending art events +2

Writing full length short stories, plays, essays +2

Cooking new dishes +2

Sending my art to others +3

Participating in writing groups +3

Completing full canvas paintings +3

Learning new mediums +3

Working with Photoshop +3

Creating a themed dinner party for guests +3

Submitting my writing to a publisher +4

Entering a painting in a competition or for viewing +4

Auditioning for a part +4

Completing related group of paintings over several canvas’ +4

Losing Points:

CONSISTANT NEGATIVE EMOTIONS/ANTISOCIAL BEHAVOIR:

Allowing myself to dwell on past and/or future -1

Dwelling on jealousy -1

Self pity -1

Unkind words to others -2

Time spent in fantasy worlds -2

Unkind thoughts to/remarks about others -2

Excess time on social networking feeds -2

Outbursts of anger -3

Shouting at others -3

Intentional malice and harm -3

Choosing not to use tools such as meditation, positive thinking, and the resources of others to let go of poor attitudes -3

Violence -4

Lies -4

Destruction of property -4

Threats -4

Gossiping -4

POOR PERSONAL CARE:

Heavy caffeine use -1

Poor nutrition -1

Poor sleeping habits -1

Avoiding physical activity -1

Extensive time alone -2

Regular drinking -2

Excessive tv or films -2

Drunkenness -3

Smoking -3

Feelin' Tonight

I don't want their stories. My love story isn't theirs, my career isn't theirs, my path isn't theirs. I don't want their stories, I just want mine to move.