Life, is all about choices

Dear readers,


I won't be talking about games today (Not directly anyway). Why don't we talk about life instead.
Lets relate life to my obsession of RPG games. One of the reasons I fell in love with games is that games are a reflection of your choices. One of the more obvious reflections, and also one with the fastest outcomes, IMHO.


"How so?" you asked.


Well, it's simple actually. Lets have a look at my play-through of Baldur's Gate 2. I was playing as a Kensai / Thief. Took 12 levels of Kensai at first to max out my proficiency at one-handed blades and dual-wielding, then moved on to being a Thief to utilize the perks of being able to make sneak attacks from the shadows. I was a damage dealing machine, dual wielding katanas and killing most Mages of equal levels in one hit. (x5 damage bonus from sneak attacks).


"So how does it relate to choices in life?" you asked again.


Then, I'll compare myself with how one of my friends (Lets call him Ken) plays Baldur's Gate 2. He was playing as a Mage. At that time (When I was playing a Kensai / Thief), my opinion on Mages is that Mages are squishy meat bags that will die in just a few hits. Ken had a totally different outlook on Mages though. Once Mages reach high levels, they are the real deal killing machine, and my Kensai / Thief was just a "damage dealing" machine. Ken's Mage can kill things faster than my Kensai / Thief ever will, even when I relish on the thought of gibbing Mage NPCs with my sneaky character.


It's not that I regretted playing a Kensai / Thief. It's more of the revelation that never occur to me at the point where I was creating my character and playing the game. Mages have a whole lot more tools in their arsenal, when compared to my Kensai / Thief. It was my choice to play a sneaky character, with dual wielding being the "cool" factor, and also my tendency of sinking my feet into the character shoes. I like to think of myself being the assassin that would shroud himself in shadows and dealing the killing blow without the targets knowing what hit them.


Ken however, he reap the rewards in the end where he can have a whole army of his Mage's simulacrum dealing death to every mob that came close to his character. He enjoyed the satisfaction of overwhelming the enemies in every way possible. The choice of picking what character you want to play determines how the game will play out in the end.


This is really similar to life. Any choice you make now will yield results in the future, near or far. One of the reasons of me loving games is that they are like an indirect simulation of life, where your choice dictates on how the game will be played out in the end (I've said this, I know). There is one difference though. You can keep replaying the same game in different manners, making different choices on the same branching point in the game again and again to see different outcomes. But in life, what's done is done, and moving on is always the more sensible choice.


Being mediocre is a choice.
Being awesome is a choice.
Being good is a choice.
Being evil is a choice.


All of these choices, they can only be made by you. How you want your life to be, how you want the game to be played out in the end (again, I know, hehe...), you will need to make the first step in making THAT choice. That choice which you will live and breath through and through. I'm a contented average Joe (John, in this case) that enjoy playing games and typing my thoughts out. It's a choice that I've never really regretted. Mainly because it's a choice I've made.


What choices have you made? I've shared mine, and I hope in time, you'll share yours too.

Love your choices, and have fun while you're at it! ;)