This is the origin of the my Lifestyle Gamification concept (known as the FD Lifestyle back then – living real life like a hardcore gamer). This is the core philosophy that set me on the course of entrepreneurship, of being a speaker, a social activist, a career coach, a gamification expert and many more, and I want to share this to urge you in joining me in the passionate path of leveling up and completing cool quests that make a difference in this world.
Being a hardcore gamer is fun and makes you feel accomplished…temporarily
It all began in 2003. I was a hardcore Diablo II player back then, and I would spend a significant amount of time figuring out how would I build my character, assign the right skill points, assemble a team, and conquer difficult quests. I was quite good at the game and I helped a lot of my friends plan out their character skill charts and level up according to it.
Then came the time when my friends started quitting and moved on to another game. I quit too. During this time, I was in that transition phase between quitting a game and moving on to the next one, and I suddenly felt extremely empty.
I realized that I had I spent thousands upon thousands of hours getting more experience, leveling up, accumulating more gold, collecting better gear. And now I have nothing. My account will be deleted after 3 months of inactivity. It seemed like a big part of my life simply disappeared. What now?
Lifestyle Gamification: Pursuing a game that will last and be meaningful
So I started to think, what kind of game can I play that tons of people are playing, and they can’t just quit when the next big thing comes out? The conclusion I reached was: it’s pretty much the game of life.
So, if I were my own RPG character, I wouldn’t stay in town all day, be idle, and walk back and forth, back and forth. NO!! I would go out and kill monsters, get more experience, level up, and conquer cool quests of course.
I then realized that everyone is playing this game, but not everyone realizes it, especially when they are in high school or college. I figured that, if people are still in town just being idle, (watching TV, partying, not doing much with life) I can gain an edge by being out there getting more experience, meeting high level characters, assigning important skill points, and leveling up. Then one day they will realize (out of college) that they are playing this game too, and they will need experience to level up and overcome whatever quest they feel they should conquer with their lives. By then, I would be at level 20 or so with a strong head start.
Ultimately, my goal is to be the strongest player on my server.
Helping people level up and ally with them is the best way to conquer complex quests in this real world
In most MMORPGs, high level players can help lower level players level up faster. That’s what I have committed my life to do too: get people to realize they are playing this game and help them level up as fast as possible, so that we can help each other out in life(in Lifestyle Gamification, I call this Vertical Networking).
So I want to be the strongest in my field, and team up with all the strongest in other fields. Together we can complete cool quests to solve problems that the real world faces. In a game, the quest could be killing a monster or building a large empire. In the real world, a quest could be solving global warming, making a better search engine, or running a successful non-profit. The beautiful thing about this particular game is, when you play it, it can be just as thrilling, and it actually makes a difference in this world. You would have made a positive impact in peoples’ lives, and you would be wealthy and reputable if you play it well. Sounds like a good deal.
What money can’t get you, the Lifestyle Gamification can
In Lifestyle Gamification, we also call people who just want stability and comfortable lives NPCs. NPCs become the environment instead of living passionately. They live everyday to support their existence and buy cool stuff on the side. They slave for 5 days a week so they can do what they want on the weekends. If you think about it, this doesn’t make sense.
Why do you make money? You make money to increase the quality of life. But you spend so many hours in your life working anyway, that IS your quality of life. It makes little sense for people to pay a lot of money for you to be miserable your entire life. It makes a lot more sense to get paid a bit less, but have your whole life do what you are passionate about and play throughout.
I welcome you to join Lifestyle Gamification
So this is what I do. I work over 90 hours a week. I also play over 90 hours a week. People I have Lifestyle Gamified also spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to become a stronger player while accomplishing amazing things for their age. Because I feel like I have a better life than most people without necessarily being better in person, I want to bring the philosophy of combining work and play to people, whether through myself, my company culture, or the services/products that it provides.
I want people to have fun while working by doing what they are passionate about. I want those who are extreme in what they do (like hardcore gamers) to be extreme in what truly matters in this world. So for those who want to play their entire lives and become successful on the way, I welcome you to join Lifestyle Gamification. Lets ally up.
(To learn how to start the FD Lifestyle, go here: 4 Steps to Master Lifestyle Gamification )
