Growing up sucks. I don't think many people would disagree to this. Only the really boring nerds grow up and have more fun out of life- speaking of which I don't complain as much as others do about growing up, since I'm definitely more of a nerd than the average person. And since I'm growing up and all (an adult by pretty much all definitions by now), I'll be talking lesser about abstract things and more about things with certain practical relevance although a good number of topics will still have few applications- they might still just be commentary on the 'adult' things that people do. But less of things like philosophy within games and all that.
Having said that, it's a bit ironic that I'll be talking about snowballing- which is term with distinct gaming roots and its relevance in real life. In certain games like DotA and to an extent even in CS, there is a certain advantage that the winner gets. A successful early game in DotA is generally going to result in a much better middle game and late game. Someone who has an excellent early game will have a good game even with a mediocre middle/late game. Better items, levels and powers which are obtained make the rest of the game much easier to win. But snowballing is when you have an excellent early game, middle game and have done almost everything perfectly till the point of time in question. This instantly reminds me of toppers who top the class through school, college and what not and finally end up in IIM A, B etc. A student who had a bad 10th will not get into an IIM A or B and irrespective of how much he tries after that. Of course, admission criteria are artificially created rules but there are reasons for such rules to be there in the first place and a major reason is that human beings snowball.
The biggest 'achievers' in life - most of them snowballed. From Zuckerberg to Sachin, these are people who are talented Yes, but worked and achieved nearly flawlessly throughout the years that mattered. It's no secret either that continuous hard work results in success- even if you fail you will still be relatively very successful compared to what would've been had you not even tried. This isn't to say that it's not possible to start late- it's definitely possible but the fact remains that snowballers have a much easier time succeeding than others and often reach levels that others find absolutely impossible. While you can quit a game if you're having a bad early game in DotA, it is not quite the same in real life. Do not fear however, for we have brains which automatically adjust ambition to the levels that are realistically possible for us and of course if you're brain cannot do that you will lead a sad, delusional life forever. For the rest of us though, we will be happy most of the time with what we have, while having just enough unhappiness with ourselves to want to live and learn and improve on a daily basis.
Having said that, it's a bit ironic that I'll be talking about snowballing- which is term with distinct gaming roots and its relevance in real life. In certain games like DotA and to an extent even in CS, there is a certain advantage that the winner gets. A successful early game in DotA is generally going to result in a much better middle game and late game. Someone who has an excellent early game will have a good game even with a mediocre middle/late game. Better items, levels and powers which are obtained make the rest of the game much easier to win. But snowballing is when you have an excellent early game, middle game and have done almost everything perfectly till the point of time in question. This instantly reminds me of toppers who top the class through school, college and what not and finally end up in IIM A, B etc. A student who had a bad 10th will not get into an IIM A or B and irrespective of how much he tries after that. Of course, admission criteria are artificially created rules but there are reasons for such rules to be there in the first place and a major reason is that human beings snowball.
The biggest 'achievers' in life - most of them snowballed. From Zuckerberg to Sachin, these are people who are talented Yes, but worked and achieved nearly flawlessly throughout the years that mattered. It's no secret either that continuous hard work results in success- even if you fail you will still be relatively very successful compared to what would've been had you not even tried. This isn't to say that it's not possible to start late- it's definitely possible but the fact remains that snowballers have a much easier time succeeding than others and often reach levels that others find absolutely impossible. While you can quit a game if you're having a bad early game in DotA, it is not quite the same in real life. Do not fear however, for we have brains which automatically adjust ambition to the levels that are realistically possible for us and of course if you're brain cannot do that you will lead a sad, delusional life forever. For the rest of us though, we will be happy most of the time with what we have, while having just enough unhappiness with ourselves to want to live and learn and improve on a daily basis.
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