PLAYING THE GAME THE WAY I WANT TO PLAY IT

Some more nerdom here for my fans of that, but recently the original Diablo was re-released and I’ve been playing it again for the thousandth time, and it’s the first time I’ve really played it the way I wanted to play it.  I was always a warrior, but in truth, I was a warrior in name only.  What I really was in that game was a munchkin, a derogatory term for a powerplayer that is simply concerned with being the strongest character possible.  I would evenly balance all of my stats, only use the best, most optimal gear, learn a whole lot of magical spells (very unwarriorlike) and, of course, beat the game with this strategy.  …and it was so unsatisfying.  Of course I won; I did exactly what I was SUPPOSED to do to win.  Where’s the fun in playing the game the way the game wants me to play it?  The fun is when I play it the way I want to play it.  This time around, my warrior learn no spells, he will only level up in strength and vitality, he will only use axes or blunt weapons and no shields: he will BE a warrior.  And the game will be hard, and I will face many challenges that were not originally intended by the developer…and I will have fun.  Because I’m playing the game the way I want to play it.

This was the ideal I had to grow up with in 1996; nowadays, kids are trying to look like Splatoon characters

No, the blog hasn’t changed topics: this is still about getting bigger and stronger.  For one, you can see my strength obsession still shines through in all facets of life, but of primary importance is that this mentality is present in my training life as well.  It’s taken me a long time for me to finally give myself permission to play the game the way I want to play it in lifting, but in turn I am the happiest I’ve ever been with what I am.  I’ve made the decision on what it is that I prioritize, and I am training for those priorities.  And don’t get me wrong; I still plan to compete in strongman, and if not that powerlifting, or possibly even an ill-fated return to combat sports, but I do those things because I enjoy competing, not because my goal is to be the best at those things.  My goal remains the same: to be big and strong.  And, in turn, it’s up to me to determine WHAT that means, so that I can determine how I want to play the game.

Yes, the “re-evaluation of values”: I realize I’m not original, but still, stay with me.  I’ve decided that the press I care about is the strict press.  Benching is dandy, push presses let me move more weight in competition, that’s all fine, but for me, my true measure of strength is this press.  And, in turn, I train in the manner that let’s me maximize my ability to strict press, irrespective of the fact that, unless I decided to compete in Mark Rippetoe’s “Strengthlifting” competitions, a stronger strict press is of less value than a stronger push press or jerk.  Could I spend this effort getting better at those things and improving my ability to win strongman competitions?  Absolutely, I could, and then I’d be playing the game the way the game wants to be played, but NOT the way that I want to play it.  I accept that I have created challenges that do not need to be there and have signed up for greater hardships, but, in turn, I am far more satisfied with what I am.

Take the bench press out of powerlifting, then make lifters bench press while standing.  Oh Rippetoe, only you...

It goes on of course.  I deadlift conventionally, even though everyone swears sumo carries over to the conventional, because this is how I want to play the game.  I keep myself lean enough that I enjoy how I look, even though being heavier would help me be stronger.  I use form on squats that gives the internet cancer, my bench arch and leg drive are minimal, my programming is nonsensical, I have no coach, etc etc: this is how I want to play the game.  HOWEVER, this also means I have to acknowledge that there is no strategy guide for the way I’ve decided to play the game.  Returning to the nerdom again, some of you folks forgot how to play a game without an FAQ, strategy guide, or hot tips hotline (for my REAL oldschool gamers out there).  Some of you hit the first puzzle in the game and immediately start looking for youtube tutorials.  Remember; we’re here to PLAY, and we’re playing the way WE want to play, not how someone else wants to play.

And this also means to not take any offense when you go asking for help and people tell you you’re being stupid.  You ARE being stupid; at least, insofar as it is the case when we evaluate your actions against the commonly understood metric of winning the game.  You win the game by playing the game the way the game wants to be played, and when you deviate from that, you are making a mistake.  THIS is the fundamental issue people make when they try to play the game the way they want to play it; they then go out and seek the advice of people who are playing the game differently.  People are going to rightfully tell you that you’re being stupid when you take inefficient paths towards commonly understood goals, because they are playing to win in accordance with the rules we commonly understand to be the norms.  If you have different norms, you have different rules, which means you are playing a different game, and this means you can’t get the help of other people on how to play that game.

This guy definitely has different norms

So, in turn, if you are playing the game the way you want to play it, you need to figure out HOW you’re going to play it without the help of others.  Make your own rules, objectives, standards, goals and limitations and abide by them so that you can be satisfied with the game you are playing.  Give yourself the permission to play this game the way you want.  When people chide you for eating the wrong foods, training the wrong muscles, following the wrong routines, etc etc, don’t let it dissuade you, people you are playing the game the way YOU want to play it, and, in turn, you are accepting the responsibility for the new hardships  you will endure in your quest.  However, when the game is over and everyone else retires with the same identical character made from a cookie-cutter instruction manual, you can take solace in just how much you overcame with your bizarre abomination that was never meant to make it this far.