Playing video games is usually a hobby to entertain and to exercise one’s mental muscles and hand-eye coordination. It is also a fun way to learn about lore and backstories inspired by literature and popular folklore. 

While games are often played for fun, most of them have hidden wisdom to teach you about life. In this case, certain games have lessons about investing in real estate, and here are four of them.

What You Start Small Will Become Bigger

Starting from scratch is one of the most common themes in video games. It includes building your home, leveling up your skills and stats, and upgrading your weapons. As you progress, your character becomes better and more vital to face enemies and complete quests.

The same principle applies to investing in your dream home. For condos and built houses, you start with the downpayment and work your way up until you cover all mortgages and other fees. Vacant lots start empty until you work on the foundation of your house. Eventually, all your efforts to buy or build your dream house will pay off as real estate investment is worthy and resilient. Think of this concept like you are in The Sims games, only in real life.

A “Town” has Everything You Need

When buying a new home, location is the top priority. You want to live close to various establishments that offer all sorts of services and conveniences. Games like Legend of Mana, Grand Theft Auto, Skyrim, Diablo, Rise of Nations, and Dark Souls 3 utilize the idea of a town, community, or city where players can purchase items for upgrades, accept quests, or talk to the non-playable characters. 

In real life, this would be like going to the downtown area to get groceries, shop for household items, and talk to your local coffee shop owner, butcher, or hairdresser.  Take Deca Clark Residences and Resort in Angeles City, Pampanga, as an example. It is a residential village that has a coffee shop, restaurants, a supermarket, a waterpark, and swimming pool resorts. The village is also close to the main road, making it efficient for residents to travel to other cities and provinces.

In other words, part of investing in a condo unit or house and lot is taking advantage of prime locations suitable for your lifestyle and needs.

Home is the Safest Place on Earth

Even in games, home is the safest place. Simulator games such as The Sims and Home Design Story exemplify this idea by focusing on building a house or base for your character to live, grow, and be safe from harm and enemies. These games also give you the creativity to develop and design your home how you want it.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, your home has always been the safest place you can be. It keeps you safe from danger, viruses and bacteria that may cause diseases. Home is also where you can sleep well at night, be comfortable, eat meals, and be with your loved ones. As the saying goes, “home is where the heart is.” 

Sustainable Living Goes a Long Way

Games such as Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and the classic FarmVille are entertaining games about toiling your land until you produce vegetables and fruits ready for shipping. With climate change worsening and the pandemic keeping everyone in their homes, growing a vegetable garden is a practical way to be sustained, healthy, and save money from buying food outside. 

Homegrown veggies aren’t just good for your health but also good for the environment as you are reducing the waste you make from buying. You benefit your health and the earth from living sustainably.

There are more lessons video games could teach you about life. The next time you turn on your console or computer, take time to look for nuggets of wisdom you’ll gain from looting treasure, leveling up your character, and facing the fiercest enemies.

Clare Louise