I’m sure that most of us know the definition of insanity. That would be doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Armed with this knowledge, I must ask myself: Why am I attempting this needlessly difficult boss in Seriko for the 50th time? Throwing myself endlessly into harm’s way just to get my ass continually stomped into the ground should be the very definition of insanity, right? Well, not so fast. If you really think about it and break down the act of insanity to its core, it turns out insanity can be much more useful in the long run than at first glance. This of course led me to quite an epiphany:
“While often scorned, insanity can be the gateway to knowledge and success.”
When you get down it, I was definitely attempting the same thing over and over again, which would be trying to murder a particular boss in Seriko for being so needlessly difficult as well as cheap as hell with its attacks and movement patterns. It’s not just that boss either. The entire game could be considered a case study on insanity. However, its harsh and unforgiving gameplay attracts multitudes of players, all seeking to master the game and its challenges. Similar From Software games like the Dark Souls series as well as Bloodborne achieved the same reception, accolades and cult followings.
So would it be fair to call these gamers masochists? Possibly and far be it from me to judge them. It takes all kinds as they say. In all seriousness though, why are games like this so popular? As we discussed, attempting to play these kind of games are an exercise in insanity. The idea of constantly failing at something should obviously turn anyone off to the idea, right? Well, personally I think the answer comes to light whenever a player suffers through failure for so long and then finally defeats one of the many hard challenges in the game.
Think about what happens with each failure. Lessons are learned through pain and repetition. Ultimately, the player is getting a just little better and moving forward a little further every time he or she attempts the boss fight. So the player continues to try over and over again, until finally it happens. The player finally triumphs over the boss fight and the good vibes of success and euphoria commence. After a short victory pose, the player will then pick his or herself up, dust off and start working on the next challenge ahead.
Just as in many video games, I think there’s some life lessons to be learned here that Sekiro might be inadvertently teaching us. Throwing yourself over and over endlessly at the near impossible boss fight is most likely considered insanity, yes. But if you learn something from every failed attempted, then there is arguably some value in it. Knowledge earned in every painful defeat, as it were. As such, players continue to endure these hardships and with time, patience and even a little bit of luck, they eventually succeed.
When you think about it, is that not what life is like as well in many cases? How many times have we attempted something to further our careers, our families or even ourselves, only to fail when the chips are down? Some of us will give up after that failure. However, some of us won’t give up. Instead we opt to try, and most likely fail, again. And again. And thus the cycle continues. Maybe even to the point that it feels like everything is burning down around us.
And then it happens, we finally hit that milestone we’ve being constantly throwing ourselves at for so long. All of our hard work and perseverance finally pays off. Although it took a lot time, effort and even a little bit of our sanity, we finally accomplished the goal we set for ourselves. And just like in the case with Seriko, many people might have tried to discourage us and even call us insane along the way for attempting to do what we wanted for ourselves, and that’s okay.
Such is the way for those who seek to make their mark in this life. So many of the most successful leaders and most brilliant minds in history were probably called insane once. However, it was their perseverance, ambition and “insanity” that led them to the success they eventually earned. So whether you are attempting that needlessly difficult boss fight for the 100th time in a row, or taking that risk for your career for the 100th time in a row, embrace your insanity and let it guide you as you continue to move forward.
Besides, we’ve all got to be a little insane to make it in this crazy ass life anyways…
