Hello again, Brave Legacy subscribers,
Yep, I’m still on my “life lessons I’ve been reminded of by designing table top games” blog kick. Here I go again.
You might recall in my March 17 blog post that I said “If by some cosmic shift in reality I were in charge of making laws for a nation, the first thing I would do is assemble a crack team of game designers.” I went on to ask, “Why?” Then I answered the question. “Because I want laws (rules) that are fair and without loopholes.” I stand by that. However, I also know randomness is a part of every game – and a part of life.
As fair as the rules of a game are, randomness still plays a part. In our game, Uncantations, the rules are fair. The randomness of card drawing, however, is neither fair nor unfair. It’s random. It is what it is. You can’t control what you are going to get. You simply draw and hope for the best. However, because of the well-balanced nature of our game, ALL the cards drawn have power and value. In Uncantations, every card can be used to propel you to victory, not just certain cards.
Likewise, while life is random in how it doles out skills and resources, all human skills and resources have value. People are all born with a seemingly random set of abilities and surrounded by an unselected set of resources. We don’t choose our height, skin color, nationality, looks, talent, sexuality, parents, siblings, abilities or disabilities. Some people are born with one set of skills while others are born with another, none of which were selected. The key is to recognize the value of all skills rather than assuming some are better than others. What you have in you, while different than what others may have in them, has equal value. Your skills are what you need for your life. My skills are what I need for my life.
For example, I have a friend who shared with me that he is a slow reader. He didn’t try to be a slow reader, of course. He’s just a slow reader. In fact, he didn’t even know he was a slow reader until he was able to compare how long it took him to read a school assignment compared to his peers. He realized then just how slow he was. By then, however, it was too late. He was already a slow reader. What he did discover about his slow reading, however, is that he’s a thorough and thoughtful reader. He also learned to focus on the fact that reading isn’t a competition. While he read slowly, that didn’t diminish the joy of reading. Finally, he discovered that comparing himself to others was harmful and quit making such comparisons. He quit looking at what others did and instead focused on what he did. He actually became a happier reader if not a faster one.
The point is this. If we look at our skills and compare them to others, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. Our skills are our skills and those skills have value. Like cards drawn in a game that on the surface appear to have less power and use, the truth is, in a game like Uncantations, ALL cards have value and can be employed to propel players to victory.
The life lesson for us is simple. While life doesn’t dole us all the same skills, abilities, and personality traits, all skills, abilities, and personality traits have value. Recognizing the value of what we do have, celebrating those skills and abilities, and utilizing them to create the life we want is something we all can do.
Here is an example of how games can teach us that life lesson. While playing Uncantations one time, I drew a good hand (replicated in the picture above). I drew two Levis cards (very strong cards that can give you a real advantage while simultaneously inflicting damage to your opponent), one Illuminata card (which really helps reveal information necessary for winning the game) and two Element cards that are quite useful at the beginning of any game. I discovered later that my opponent drew all low valued Element cards. Not horrible, but on the surface it might appear they had less value than mine. Still, he made the best of the cards he had randomly selected and took advantage of their power. He used his knowledge of the rules of the game to make his cards work for him. He didn’t complain about the cards he’d been dealt. He saw their value and used them accordingly. He just kept playing. Despite my strong hand in the beginning, he recognized the value in his cards, made the best of what he had, and actually won the game.
Life may be random and unpredictable in how it doles out skills and abilities, but ALL skills and abilities have value. No matter what we’ve been dealt in life, ALL of it has value and use in our life. The key is to always recognize the value of the cards you’ve been dealt and make the best of what you have.
That’s it. Thanks for reading to the end. Have a wonderful week and remember, whatever cards you’ve been dealt, celebrate their value and JUST KEEP PLAYING!
Tom