Just a short while ago I was reading about Tesla’s belief that our reality is being generated by a computer simulation, thinking about how much of a chance there is that this is actually the case and, if it were to be completely confirmed, how people would and should react.
Like most, the shock of such a discovery would send me into an existential crisis (probably worse than the one I’m in now) concerning my place in the world, indeed, everyone and everything’s place in the universe. And, in thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that this should only ease one’s anxiety regarding life’s events.
Unfortunately, there has been no confirmation of this hypothesis yet, but I thought to myself: I could take the Toddler’s Strategy of pretend play and make life a game. I have already experimented with this, creating a game out of the most mundane or nerve-wracking events in my life.
From cleaning to public speaking, from grocery shopping to taking tests, there seems to be no anxiety that can’t be mitigated, nothing that can’t be injected with even the tiniest of amusement if one utilizes and practices this tactic on a consistent basis. So, then, how does the Toddler’s Strategy connect with the seemingly far-fetched belief that we are in a computer simulation?
A video game is a computer simulation, more specifically, an attempt to immerse the player or multiple players in a world of some sort, using a combination of graphics, sound design, animation, and gameplay features that provide a sense of progression and accomplishment. There are many genres, like role playing games, open world games, strategy games, and puzzle games, but they all have this in common. And I believe that all game genres combine in life, but, in video games, have been divided into separate categories for simplicity’s sake.
The aspect of collecting possessions and upgrading skills, for example, are two defining features of any RPG, and this mimics our tendencies as consumers in every fashion, from shopping at the mall to hunting for food and materials. Open world games utilize a world of a limited size that can vary from game to game, but nevertheless consists of things to do, things to collect, and oftentimes some kind of skill progression system.
Life is much like this, as we can roam the world relatively freely, while still looking out for danger, choose an even broader range of skills to improve (and are able to improve them in multiple ways, usually), and have things to buy, find, and collect. Strategy and puzzle games all take critical thinking and creative solutions to solve quandaries and progress, a concept that is, one could argue, life incarnate.
So, taking the concept of video games mimicking life, the Toddler’s Strategy, and the belief of a computer simulation, why not combine these to create a video game of life? When I play a good video game, there is always some type of stress involved in making the choices I make, but I am always comforted by the fact that, no matter what I do within the game world, there are no permanent effects.
If I pretend that this is also true for the real world (which is true to an extent; the only permanent conditions are injury, mental or physical, and death), then the trepidation I would usually feel about the unknown involved with every decision’s possible outcome is mitigated to a high extent.
However, one should take careful note that this is not an excuse to act in an immoral or unethical fashion toward people or animals. I’m not recommending you delude yourself; there are absolutely consequences to your actions and there always will be, but if you keep this belief that life is a game, a computer simulation of sorts, at a superficial level, i.e. not fully believing that it is directly comparable to a game, then some of the anxiety you experience transforms from a burdensome weight into playful tension.
To summarize: one should view life through the lens of a videogame with more far-reaching and complex consequences. A grand strategy that requires careful consideration and planning, but, if you make a mistake, there are always many more opportunities to rectify, or bury, that mistake.
To prevent self-delusion, make sure that this belief, if you find it so effective, doesn’t touch on any fear or death. Fear is healthy when experienced and used appropriately, and a fear of death is a way of avoiding said fate for as long as possible.
This perspective is not to convince you that you can simply load a past save and start over, nor is this philosophy meant to encourage reckless and stupid behaviors. Its purpose is to broaden your view on potential opportunities and to make life less anxiety and stress-filled than it is. Basically, a way to provide the illusion that the difficulty level of your life has been lowered at some level.
