completionist
noun(in a video game) a player who attempts to complete every challenge and earn every achievement or trophy:
from Dictionary.com
I’m not really a completionist, so I skipped the side missions and focused on the main story quests.
I was seven when I first used my friend’s Game Boy Advance, a handheld game console. So when my auntie asked me what birthday present I wanted for my 8th birthday, I told her I wanted a Game Boy. Since she sent it from the United States via postal service, I waited for sooooo long for it to arrive (or at least that’s what I remember as a child). I don’t know why I am remembering that I’ve waited for eight months (I’m not sure; how much could I remember, yeah?) but I am certain that I sure did counted the months back then.
There’s always a time to wait and a time to stop waiting, right? So when this small box finally arrived home, my giddy eight-year-old self couldn’t contain her joy! Was it mama Belen who brought it home? I cannot remember clearly. But sure it was evening. And if unboxing videos were a thing back then, my goofy smile and crooked teeth would probably be all over the place while reading manuals, taking out cords, and exploring the game cartridge boxes.
I was eight when I owned a Game Boy Advance SP.
Discovering which pin went where and how to connect the accessories, like putting on that screen magnifier or the button attachments, was fun. What’s even more fun was exploring the worlds of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Minority Report: Everybody Runs, the two games that came with my auntie’s present.
Both games were immersive. While the other lets you into the Golden Age of Piracy, the other opened me to a futuristic world where billboard ads could be just holograms. What’s similar between these games is that they follow a storyline, and once you’re done, the game ends.
I could say that those two games really helped me solve problems and trained my critical thinking. Meanwhile, playing Pokémon gave me a sense of community. Why? Because there were three of us playing different versions (Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire), we could challenge one another (one at a time) through the Battle Arenas. And because this was 2008, we can meet up virtually using the Game Boy Advance Link Cable, a physical cable which allows local mutliplayer games.
When playing alone, I also made the most of the side quests and explored every nook and cranny in the virtual world of Pokémon Sapphire. I talked to all bystanders, visited all the places I could go, and explored underwater secrets. I had this nagging feeling back then that when I didn’t sweep all around the undiscovered areas, I felt incomplete. I just have to go through everything, you know?
I even saved up virtual money so I could decorate my tree house with what looked nice, including plushies!
Curious what the game is like? You can play it online here.
Pokémon Sapphire also pushed me to open an encyclopedia so that I could decode a secret message in braille. I wouldn’t have discovered that challenge if I hadn’t hovered over its virtual waters, pixel by pixel. Game Boy was really a part of my childhood and I’m glad it was because it taught me skills like problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, resourcefulness, and to not give up. I’ve been consistently playing my Game Boy until high school, which surprised my male college peers because they thought it was something that girls won’t really engage in. Female gamers weren’t as represented before as it is now, though they are still a minority.
Countless hours of game time made me a completionist and shaped how I live my life, and most days, I consider my daily tasks like in-game tasks with both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Some pursuits are pure entertainment (like watching a movie series), while others promote personal and professional development, like completing online course certificates and reading a lot of books.
While my day-to-day life often also looks like simply following a checklist, my life in general is all about targets and goals because I aim to maximize my overall life experience.
jessa 