Decisions, decisions..

Do I take the easier or harder path? Taking the harder path means in the short term I have to put in much more effort, will encounter more problems and might run out of time to produce something meaningful for QE, but in the long term I would have more options for research. Simply put, take the harder path and I’ll probably be worse off short term but better off long term, and vice versa for the easier path. Might I add that worse off short term might also mean game over.

If I were playing a computer RPG, I would take the harder path for sure. If I die, I just hit the load button, and tada(!), I’m alive again and better experienced to resume. I can try different strategies every time and see what works. Worse come to worse, I just load the game at the earlier point and choose the easier path. Too bad there’s no option to reload in life.

I wonder what would it be like if RPGs are more similar to life and there’s no save/load buttons. If you die, its back to square one, a level 1 character at the beginning of the game, even if you were defeated by the final boss. Or even better, the game locks up, and you are unable the play the game anymore cos you just ‘died’.

Imagine how difficult an RPG would be if you only get one chance to play the game, and must not die. You round a corner and see a wizened humanoid waving his hands. You are wondering who the hell is he and what the heck is he doing and the next moment you are dead. Then you’ll realise that the save/load function is the best ever feature for RPGs.