PACMAN

What can I say? I am in love with F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

The series episodes always redirects me to something which adds so much insight into life.  This particular time, I ended up watching the episode where post Chandler and Monica’s wedding, Phoebe gifts them a Ms. PACMAN machine. Watching all play PACMAN on the show, I ended up playing it myself for a few hours. This was the only video game I played as a young adult. I am not a fan of computer or arcade games. But this time I just went on playing. Little did I know that while playing PACMAN, I would learn a few things about life.

Now, those of you, uninitiated in the game, PACMAN is about navigating the yellow PACMAN through a maze containing various dots while he is being chased by four ghosts viz. Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. The goal of the game is to eat as many dots as possible within the game level and avoiding the ghosts. Sometimes the ghosts catch up on you and you lose a life, sometimes you can eat a power pellet which disables the ghosts for a few secs and then you can eat them and earn some extra bumper points. When all lives are lost you lose the game but there are ways to earn an extra life and also not lose lives using some techniques.

PACMAN: The character has no body or emotions. It only keeps on focusing with its mouth to eat the dots while trying to beat those who are keeping it away from its target. One has to be similar in life, focusing only on what one needs to achieve while finding ways to tackle the problems.

MAZE: The maze has two exit points from where the PACMAN can escape and re-enter from another side and thus save his life. Sometimes life offers a way to exit through situations and enter with a fresh perspective to it. Grab that exit, you will not just avoid the ghosts but also find a new way to achieve your dreams.

DOTS: No stage is marked completed unless and until you have eaten all the dots in it. No amount of power pellets, fruits, eating the disabled ghosts will get you out of the stage. Similarly, in life, it’s always about the small moments of content, happiness and satisfaction that come maybe every day that are important. Be in them, live them, enjoy them. No amount of big occasions, will be enough to compete against the thousands of small moments which you accumulate. And grab them fast, else they will slip away and you won’t be able to enjoy as much the next day. The voids aren’t worth spending time on.

It’s all in the DOTS.

POWER PELLETS: Eating the power pellets disables the ghosts for few secs which enables PACMAN to eat them and earn some extra points.

Similarly, in life, a lot of situations would make you go crazy, everything might seem to fall apart.

Stay Strong. You are your best power pellet. Dig into your anchor memories  (click link). They will act as your Petronus Charm and reduce the intensity of such situations.

FRUITS: The fruits come with additional bumper points which takes PACMAN to higher levels. But they have a time constraint, they appear only when you reach certain points and the PACMAN has to move to them to grab them.

In life, reach out to those who can help. They might be your mentors, friends, colleagues, maybe even a stranger. They might not be constantly around but if you ask for help, they will come. And when they do, rush to get that booster. Don’t lose the chance, they are the boost you need to achieve your dreams.

CONTROLS: There are only 4 controls in PACMAN viz. left, right, top, bottom. Sometimes even though you move the control in a particular direction the PACMAN doesn’t move, the ghosts catch up and one life is gone.

Similarly, in life, no matter how much you try to control the situation, sometimes those controls fail.

You feel you have lost control but still its ok to do so. Learn to identify if a situation does need you to control it and which control mechanisms work for you.

Remember these are just controls and completely in your hands. Maybe you need a mechanical joystick and not a touchscreen joystick or computer arrow keys.

Most Important: Always remember you are a just a yellow person with only a mouth, trying to collect dots in a maze with just two escape routes which lead back to the maze while smart fast learning ghosts are following you in a scatter and chase mode. The ghosts will eventually catch up with you and when they do catchup, you may lose a stage and eventually lose the game. But then its just a game, all you need to do is HIT REFRESH and a new game is on the GO.

Focus on the dots, the power pellets and the fruits and who knows an extra life will be added if this time you play it smarter.

Till Next Time, Keep Playing,

Love and Luc,

Apps

For more Food for Thought articles click on below links

Run, Rest, Go Home or Change course

Terraces

Anchor memories