Each gamer wants to create the strongest, stealthiest, or wisest character they can possibly make. They want to be the best and show it off to their other gaming nerds. In Elder Scrolls or Diablo, you choose your class, like a warrior, barbarian, or a dark elf. From these classes, you level them up, choose what will be their strong points in battle. However, with every strong point comes a weak point.
For example, if you choose to become a master of stealth, your attack power may not be as strong because you spend most of your time slitting enemies' throats in silence and unnoticed. Yet if you're a tank that simply rushes into combat and slaughters everything in sight, you might lack in defense or agility because you're so focused on your offense and you're the size of a boulder.
However, in many games, you are given the character and his or her story. You don't get to choose the character's physical appearance and the character given may not be able to do what you want them to, like use a shield or cast spells. You have to find ways to make the character that you are given a better hero. That's usually the type of game I prefer.
Like the many protagonists we control in the countless video game worlds created for our leisure, we are a generation that is always trying to better ourselves. Now, I'm not saying that trying to become a better person is necessarily a bad thing, but when it consumes your life and you change yourself not for you, but for the acceptance of other people, that's when bettering yourself becomes worsening yourself.
If you have a desire to change your armor and switch from using two-handed swords to using a bow, that should be a choice you make, not a choice that one of your allies pressures you to do just because they don't like your combat style when playing online. It's the same thing for us in reality. You should change the way you dress and the way you style your hair only if you are doing it to make yourself a better you, for you. I had to learn that myself, being a kid that grew up always being picked on because of my looks and guy-like interests (video games obviously being one of the issues). I started to wear makeup and dress in uncomfortably tight and frilly clothing to seek acceptance from my peers that were doing the same thing, but I was still unhappy even with all the new eyes now seeking my attention and my alliance.
But now, I just don't give two.... orcs.
Yeah, that works right? (I try not to curse in my writing, so I have just decided that I am going to use video game lingo to censor myself. Yeah, we'll see how that goes.)
SO ANYWAYS, the advice for this post is to keep gaining new skills and strengthening your character, but always do it for you and know that there will always be weak points within your character that every hero must learn to overcome.
When you're born, you don't get to choose your class, so as you gain experience and level up in this world, use it to make yourself into the character that you want. Travel your own path and choose the abilities that best suit you.
Video Game Quote of the Week
"Sora, don't ever change."
-Kingdom Hearts (2002)
