The claim that games play a significant role in shaping individual lives is one which at first may not seem too valid, however the surface view of the power which certain games can hold is not reflective of their true nature. Konstantin Mitgutsch, the author of “Playful Learning Experiences: Meaningful Learning Patterns in Players' Biographies.” suggests to draw out the games which you prominently played throughout periods of your life; ultimately the goal is to identify how these games affected you, and how the nature of the games which you play evolve.
During early years of my life, my personal timeline displayed a cluster of games which I would play with my younger brothers; such as tag, hide and seek, basketball and soccer. These games involve being active, social with others, and a sense of accomplishment from victory. The concept of being active in a game setting at a young age, with others, is ridiculously important. It begins to teach the individual of physical boundaries, and what is acceptable; such as not being too rough. Furthermore the concept of the game being inherently social (because you need multiple kids to play), will begin to teach kids communication skills. These involve the concept of being introduced to disputes and arguments over these games, as well as the ability to make friends with those who you’re interacting with. Both are very important social skills which can be gained from these activities. Finally the idea of being rewarded is very important in a child’s development, as it allows him to be introduced to a reward system. Reward systems are one of the main ways which humans tend to structure their lives, an example of this would be the motivation behind working hard on an essay for a class; ultimately you wish to write a good essay, but the hard work will be met with the reward of a good grade, which is the real motivation for the work. Being introduced to the reality of losing from games, allow you to identify that it’s not what you seek. Ultimately good things come from working hard and improving and that will show when you succeed in the game. These results however are not inherent to the game, and I do believe that the individual must apply the skills that he learnt playing into everyday life, otherwise it was not effective.
It’s interesting to note that as the years progressed the games which I played relied less on other people on my team, and more on simply playing by myself. That probably speaks louder about the development of my personality than on the games themselves, however it is a good example of how the games which you choose to put your time into can be reflective of yourself. Furthermore, these games seemed to hold very steep learning curves and complex mechanics, as well as being inherently competitive (such as starcraft 2, or dota); which can also be argued that the games are reflecting my personality of being a competitive person who seeks challenges.
In conclusion, games are not going to teach you in a straightforward way; however it is believed that games played throughout your life have the tools to develop important core social skills. Furthermore, the games which you play throughout your life can also reflect that place in your life, as well as how you have developed if you analyze how the games you play have changed.