An Example of Modern Day Delayed Gratification
Recently I got into the video game Hidden City. This game is a ton of fun for someone like me that enjoys finding hidden things. Before I got too deep into the game though, I read reviews and heard a common theme that a player HAS to BUY energy, rubies, and other key “pieces” in order to progress. After reading this, I decided to challenge this theory. I was going to play without spending any money ….of course!
So, as I write this blog post, I have made it to level 20 without a single purchase! For me, it is perfect that I run out of energy and the game puts me into a “play timeout”. This forced timeout makes me have do something else vs. spending an entire day gaming. This “forced timeout” is a great example of delayed gratification as I am limited in the amount I can play, which makes me appreciate the time that I can play all that much more. An added bonus is I also don’t lose my entire day playing a game. Furthermore, I love the fact that I have not spent any money too. At one point I needed a crystal to put a collection together (sorry non-gamers – imagine finding a four-leaf clover, it’s very rare) and I had to keep repeating this one part of the game over and over. Failure after failure, it was driving me crazy. I can see how easy it would be to buy my way out of it, but instead, I practiced patience and persisted through it. You should have seen my celebration dance when I finally got a crystal! I wouldn’t have had this amazing feeling of accomplishment if I just purchased a crystal.
So parents, if your kids are gamers, that is ok, but don’t let them spend money. Let them earn their game trophies by being patient and at the same time they will learn delayed gratification. Appreciating delayed gratification will help them as they master the skills of Financial saving and independence.
Here is to filling your MoneyBags!
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