A Gaming Guide To Life

Most of us like to indulge in our gaming inclinations to alleviate stress, to take our mind off less immediate dilemmas in our lives, and there are very few things in this world that offer such satisfying, if not brief moments of clarity, clearing your bedraggled mind of unnecessary deviations. But sometimes, these well intended schemes can become complicated by unforseen circumstances. That foreboding sense of hopeless isolation, as your increasingly fragmented mind attempts to calculate its next unenviable task. Fiendish puzzles purposely designed to confuse and infuriate in equal malevolent measure, obtrusive obstacles so malicious in their intricacies, that your feel your attempting to deduce the Da Vinci code. Or problems that appear more vexing than a Sudoku puzzle constructed by Stephan Hawking, when after considerable time, as well as composure has elapsed, your left more exhausted than Taiwanese masseuse, at an England Football camp. But one push of the button reveals the immediately obvious solution to the previously nightmarish conundrum. Sometimes your just not that receptive, as your cranial faculties are compromised by lethargy.

Surely the simple solution to this unnecessary state of execution is seemingly apparent; walkthroughs. But is this a form of cheating, a quitters way out of the frustrating black-hole, that will now consume your tainted soul to fiery pits of hell? I know what your thinking “No one will ever know of this humiliating defeat?”, but you’ll know, deep down your subconscious will provoke more shame and remorse than one of Jodie Marshes ex boyfriends. But should you feel any considerable remorse for employing the aid of such knowledgable contexts? You wouldn’t feel aggrieved at having to enlist the aid of a Satnav to ascertain your current location, and guide you to your intended destination? So why should gamers incur the same discriminating wrath from people who, at some stage in their gaming expeditions, have done the exact same thing.

Who amongst you can honestly say they have never used a guide to help establish perfection? Very few I would suspect, but its nothing to be ashamed of. Some people would strenuously suggest that its purely about the journey, a deviation from the conventional trail well trodden. But these people can be masochistic in their execution, reducing their enjoyment for the needless expenditure of brain cells. And although the satisfaction of conquering formally, puzzling situations is an alleviating sensation, why exhaust so much time in achieving it, when you could be enjoying the experience?

A myopic view of the virtual world is an obvious advantage when solving confounding puzzles, but not everyone is gifted with these fortunate capabilities. For some, guides are a requisite, but becoming so heavily reliant on the knowledge divulged by other gamers, superior experience is a mistake, because if your judgement is absolute, then you’re not fully immersing yourself in the game. If the answers are handed to you, then whats the point? Walkthroughs shouldn’t feel like an embarrassing transgression, but nor should it be a formality, like an accompanying crutch to lean on. Gaming shouldn’t feel like a purely assisted experience, like a lost child in a supermarket; guides should be used as insightful encyclopedias, created to assist you in those putrid moments of utter frustration.

It’s encouraging to know that guides are there if you need them, and a motivation when you don’t. But regardless of the frequency at which you use walkthroughs, just as long as you perpetuate a sense of pride, and not just relinquishing your dignity in favour of a hollow reprieve.

How often do you require the assistance of a guide/walkthrough? Or do you simply refuse to use them at all? Let me know what you think.