83. Becoming Aware Of Our Preconceptions
"Suppose a child is for some reason unhappy with his situation—his home life or school or whatever—and he has very few creative outlets. Playing video games is such a good thing in this respect, that if he finds it, and finds other avenues blocked off, he may devote all his attention to it. Later, if his circumstances change, he may not be as open to taking up other opportunities as he might have been. If that is so, it is not the video game that is doing him harm, it is that he has been funnelled down a blind alley and not let out. The thing to do is to let him out, not to steal his last remaining source of joy and learning. If someone is in that state, just like with any compulsive behaviour, the cure is simply to offer him other things which he might prefer. There will be some things which he prefers; nobody actually spends twenty-four hours a day playing video games so, in the remaining time, try conversation, try anything. If that does not work, don’t blame the video game. Be thankful that there is still something good in the child’s life, to tide him over."
David Deutsch, Video games: a unique educational environment
Having preconceptions is natural, but life rarely works out how we envision it. Our worldview will always have errors. The fun thing about mistakes is that we can reduce them.
I love DOTA2, the multi-player tower defense game. I have loved it since I first found the original version through university friends, but after completing my mechanical engineering degree, I resisted playing it until recently. I indulged in watching many of the tournaments though throughout the years. It is a beautiful game.
But it is a game nevertheless. My preconception was that playing it was unproductive. I could read more or study some subject rather than click mouse buttons and rapidly press keys. The game, however, has much more to it for me than I knew. Strangely, I have not played nor am I interested in playing any other video game. There is something special about this game to me. It involves strategy more so than mechanics compared to other games. It is also a team game of 5 v 5. I choose specific roles in the teams I am assigned to. This is unlike anything else I do where I am a maverick.
It is so much fun even though it can be very frustrating when teammates perform terribly. On several occasions, I had to transition from playing a supporting role to a core role mid-game. Recognizing that the only possibility to win required someone to step up I leaped into action. Depending on the situation, I played more aggressively in team fights taking the brunt of damage, or I took time to gather more resources to strengthen my hero. I specifically try to pick characters to play that can do this.
The more I think about it the more I realize that I am learning through this game and that my preconception of what was productive was incorrect. I was just not explicitly aware that I was learning these things. We tend to disassociate fun and productivity, unfortunately. It is a preconception worth correcting sooner rather than later.
What other preconceptions do you have that need some adjustment? Recognizing preconceptions is the most important part of discovering how they are mistaken. How could you become more aware of them?