Bad Guys In Video Games

Sometime last year, I went to a Retro Gaming Expo. Toward the end of the afternoon, I was sitting in an auditorium watching someone speed run a game while a live band performed the soundtrack to the game. For those unfamiliar, speed running a game is exactly what it sounds like—racing through the levels in the quickest time possible by learning the most efficient routes and sometimes taking advantage of any glitches in the game. 

I sat in the back of the auditorium eyes moving between the game and the musicians. Speed running is not my usual way of doing things—I have clear memories of my brothers’ frustration of my insistence on breaking every clay pot in Legend of Zelda—and I was fascinated by the way the player moved through the level with a well rehearsed ease.

I was especially taken by the fact that he didn’t seem to have time for the bad guys. Sometimes, it was necessary, sure. But when it wasn’t, the player would often just move on and keep playing the game. He had a level to complete.

There was something about seeing a game completed with such precision that got me to thinking about how we approach the “bad guys” in our lives. Sometimes, it’s necessary to metaphorically defeat them so we can progress in our story. But sometimes they’re just a distraction. Sometimes they’re just noise. 

And we have entire levels to complete. Entire worlds to unlock. 

We have too much cool stuff to do to get distracted by things that don’t matter. 

This week, we invite you to spend some time mentally sorting what bad guys you need to acknowledge and handle and what bad guys you can disregard entirely. What would it look like if you tackled the problem as quickly as possible? What would you skip? And, if you really can skip it, how much more time could you reclaim?