The Virtual 'Reality' - Scout it Out

LOL TALK ABOUT CONSISTENCY. This is turning into a do as I say, not as I do type of thing. I've wanted to write since the last time I just... Didn't, clearly. So to compensate to myself I have two (2) segments planned. First is first though. You might want to skip it if you can handle me talking about gaming... Or things that are almost entirely based off of theory and self-assurance to my obsessions.

Scouting. Yes, scouting, chiefly for the lack of a better term, is crucial to self-betterment and flow. However not the kind of scouting cookie sellers would be doing, nor the kind that you would bring Sacajawea along. I'm talking about something that is never really practiced today, that exists as more of a relic, before the times of wide area of effect weapons. Back when you wanted to take something down, you couldn't just bomb it.

Basically, I play this (or used to play) a game in which you control a small colony based off colonial times (redundant, yes). The goal is to eliminate your opponent by balancing economy and military, while your opponent does the same. I returned to it for a brief period only find myself vastly worse than I previously had been. I analyzed what I was doing wrong, and I realized it was because I never had any idea of what my opponent was going to do next. But enough of that...

...On to a generalized introduction to this type of segment. Games. I'm a gamer, which is the #1 reason I have no flow. It takes up a large amount of time, you know, to excel. But really what is it? What is it but an alternate, yet fake universe where you enact the life of someone else in situations where you may or may not ever find yourself? Is it not but another experience any human can undergo, assuming it is possible. Is it not deserving of its title, 'Virtual Reality'.

(Here we go, epic bridge). In many games, there are tactics that are used that can easily be translated into your actual life, and no I'm not totally BSing this. To start it off we have scouting. Basically in games, this is the art of figuring out what your opponent is doing. But that alone isn't enough. You need to counter exactly what he's doing. To do this you can make counter units, force him off the resources he needs, and trick him in some way. Generally, the best scouters can counter him before his scouted strategy takes much effect at all, due to certain triggers. For example, if your opponent if building a stable, you can assume he's making cavalry, and counter with an appropriate unit. That's a simple trigger. But how does this relate to anything in real life?

Oddly enough, I see this as a little bit of a social bridge, and it can be extremely effective in sports as well. Academically, it offers little value, unless you wish to assess the testing styles of your teachers, if thats your thing... But generally, just as history repeats itself, so do minor instances in your life, over and over. After a while, you naturally learn what happens. Now to achieve flow in something, knowing what your trying to achieve and what factors are preventing you from achieving it are very special. Eventually, after a certain mastery in scouting, trigger assessment, and game flow, you should hit a point where you legitimately control the activity your doing, from beginning to end, with no resistance, simply due to the fact that you can counter any threat to your goal. In theory at least. That's why old people are so wise right? Experience points don't just exist in video games! There's no specific scenario for this, its just an option that you can develop over time. Remember, don't react to the game, control it.

I realize this entry is excessive sloppy and experimental, but next one won't be much like it. More video-game based entries may appear in the future, albeit only in tandem with a normal entry.