This article link: Sense of Achievement and Connection | Travis' Blog
"There are three things that have meaning in life. They are the motivation for everything in your life, including everything you do and everything a living being should do. The first is survival, the second is social order, and the third is entertainment."
Sense of Achievement in Life#
A few days ago, I received an email from itch.io about the GMTK 2023 gamejam, and I took a look at the comments section of the game we made last year. To be honest, the "game" we put together using Unity, which we were not very familiar with, was still a rough prototype and not particularly interesting even if you don't look at it with a critical eye. But what was exciting was that there were still many participants who left encouraging comments.
Recently, I created a website that can aggregate RSS feeds for the current season's anime. After hastily launching it and spending some time on it, I didn't want to make any more changes. The next day, I posted it on v2ex, and to my surprise, many people bookmarked and replied to it. To this day, it has received over 400 independent visitors. Although it's not a lot, it's enough for me to feel that I have created a "product" that people are using. This "product" connects me with the users, who gain some convenience, and I gain a dopamine release.
Connection in Games#
My roommate asked me before, what's so fun about Death Stranding?
In this game, even ordinary walking is so interesting. During the walking process, the delicate vibration of the controller provides continuous feedback. When walking from a narrow riverbank to an open plain, the ethereal music plays at the right time, enhancing the pleasure of walking.
More importantly, in Death Stranding, I can truly feel the connection between people. There is a concept called "Timefall" in the game, which causes objects that are exposed to it to age, whether they are living beings or items. When running outdoors, I often have to take cover from the rain to protect the deliveries. At this time, a shelter built by another player in front of me can solve this problem, and I often give them a like after using it. As my progress in the game increases, every time I go online, I can see that the buildings I built outdoors have been liked by other players. The sense of achievement from being recognized by others is particularly strong. Hideo Kojima emphasizes the connection between people in the game, and we who have experienced the era of the pandemic should understand the value of the connection between people even more.
Reflection#
Currently, the goal I have set for myself is to pursue a sense of achievement in the community, whether it's a small circle or an open-source community. I hope to draw strength from it and receive likes from people I have never met before. This sense of achievement makes me feel connected to the world. I previously talked to my father about how to achieve meaning in life. He said that you need to give in order to receive, and if you don't give, you won't get anything. In the realm of raising children, parents invest their energy and time and gain a sense of achievement from nurturing their children. It's the same in other areas as well. Don't fall into nihilism. Meaning is not something that is presented like the truth; it is discovered by oneself. Once you invest yourself, the meaning becomes clear.